Boiled browns- rust blues

[B.Habermehl]

I tried something new today. I didn't feel like digging out my trough and burners, so I took a 2 inch pvc pipe, a end cap and a 3 to 2 inch reducer. I wrung the cap on the bottom end and wrung the reducer onto the top end. No glue. I tied the assembly tightly to the work bench leg, and boiled some water in a pot. Suspending the barrel in the pipe with a piece of wire, I carefully poured the boiling water into the pipe assembly over the barrel. It converted the purple brown barrel to blue black as nicely as can be. No more trough and burners for me any more. This is much simpler. I'm into simple BJH

[Maineshops]

How do you get to purple brown? A little info for us new guys. Dan

[b bogart]

I did the same thing to a friends rifle and surprised myself at how well it came out. And he was happy with it too.

[B.Habermehl]

What I call a purple brown is what you finally have after a number of rust and card cycles, when the acid solution starts to have noticeably reduced effect. You will eventually get to a point where you get noticibly less rust to clean off with steel wool. The result will be a deep brown with a purple tinge. AKA plumb brown. A lot of folks stop the rust and card cycle before this point, and just get a brown. I either stop here and declare it finished, or boil it to turn it black-blue. This time I scalded the barrel with boiling water in the pvc pipe rig. The process worked the same as boiling. BJH

[JO49]

That's interesting!  I've been looking for a trough, actually thinking about having one made.  So the water didn't leak from the end cap "not" being glued?  I'm going to give it a try on my next barrel.

Thanks BJH

Joe

[Col. Barnett]

I have done two guns this same way and they turned out a nice rich black/blue.
I made a deluxe version of this setup.  Took a piece of 4" S&D PVC pipe, taped one end shut w/ duct tape, drilled a few small holes in the length of it, put the 2" pipe inside with the end cap glued and filled the space between the pipes with spray-in foam.  Holds the heat longer.  I don't know if it was any better than just using the 2" but I had the parts anyway.

Ric

[deepcreekdale]

I welded up a 48 inch long by about 4 inch square tank out of sheet iron and when the wife is not home am able to heat water on the kitchen gas stove enough to do a good job when rust bluing barrels. Your method sounds like a much easier and efficient way to go. Definitely going to try on my next rust blue job.

[rich pierce]

I use a galvanized Hollow chain link fence post with the top cap jammed on. Pour in boiling water and stand it up in the fire pit.

[Joe S.]

Anybody try a small lenth of gutter,cap the ends,hang the barrel by the lugs and put it on the bar-b-que,quess before the dogs and burgers?

[Jerry V Lape]

How long did you leave it in the pipe with the water.  Did you make any effort to cycle in more hot water? 

[B.Habermehl]

I only left it in for a couple of minutes. And no I didn't add any more hot water. It came out too hot to handle with bare hands and did flash rust a little bit just like when I pull on out of the tank. Then comes the hot oil treatment flash rust and all. I suspended it with a wire through the hole in the tang and left I drain a little bit then ran some drying patches through the bore and oiled that too. I just test fired the gun today. I'll post some pictures as soon as my son is available to help. Yes the water did leak from my unglued joints, not enough to effect the process though. I actually did the job on my back porch so I really didn't care if it leaked or not. Either way, even if I glued the joints I would do the job some where I didn't have to worry about some slopped hot water. Remember we are fooling around with a gallon or more of boiling water so no shorts and flip flops please. Take care with dangerously hot water. BJH

[Mauser06]

I used Mark Lees Express Blue and it was similar.  Heat the part..put on the solution and it takes on rust colors....boil it and it turns blue.   Seems durable. I was happy.   Had no idea if you boil rust it'll turn black....


The solution probably helps it take on a uniform rust...

[B.Habermehl]

Another thought, as parsimonious, read cheap, as I am I don't think I'll ever bother with gluing the reducer on the top just maybe the cap on the bottom. This way I can have a couple of pipe tanks of different lengths for different barrel lengths. This way I only will need to lift the boiling water to a minimum height. What the heck, pvc pipe comes in eight or ten foot lengths any how, so a couple of these tools are far from costly.BJH

[B.Habermehl]

Mauser, the rust converts to a different form of iron oxide with wet heat, I can't recall the actual chemical form as in FE02 what ever to ....... But it is conversion process. BJH

[elkhorne]

What brand of commercial browning solution did you use to get your purples plum browning did you use and how many applications, followed by carding with steel wool, did you do to get the final color you were satisfied with? Good hints and techniques to make this chore easier. Thanks for the ideas.

elkhorne

[B.Habermehl]

I'm using some vintage Wakon bay brown or blue solution.  Made before William Young gave up the business. When I heard he was giving it up I hoarded a supply. Mike Lee is making the same stuff with the same recipe. The number of applications varies. I just rust, card and repeat till the rusting tapers off. It doesn't completely stop but definitely slows down. Then I call it done and oil or boil and oil depending if I want a blue or brown. Wether the solution says blue or brown on the label you can blue or brown with either. The difference is the boiling water treatment.

[Clark Badgett]

I tried this method on my trade gun barrel, and the 10-12 inches at the bottom of the tube never turned black. After 3-4 attempts, even flipped ends, I just knocked it all back and cold blued it over what was left of the browning.