18th century gunshop chemicals

[heinz]

Since chemistry has been a popular recent topic, I thought I would bring up a question that has troubled me for years.  The only chemicals I have found in 18th-century gunshop inventories are "oil" as in "oil pots" and "crock of oil".  I have not been able to determine if it was linseed or whale or olive (sweet oil).  I have also found a reference to glue pots and "iron glue pots" which suggests to me hoof or hide glue.

Many years ago when I asked Hacker Martin this question, his response was they used cow !$@! and iron filings and Sal ammoniac.  Sal Ammoniac is a soldering flux, ammonium chloride, and makes a fine rust bluing agent.  Cow urine and iron filings would generate a low-grade ferric ammonium nitrate, I think.  It does work for a stock stain to bring out curl but smells like you would think.

So where are the references to gunsmiths supplies especially stains and varnishes? 

[heinz]

I am going to presume from the total lack of responses that no one else has actually found any documents supporting the use of acids, shellac, or varnishes in the colonial gunsmithing shops. I have seen some reference to varnish in the cabinet maker's inventory.  Cabinet making is arguably not a frontier activity.

So it would seem the traditional finishes of linseed oil, beeswax, soot, stale cow urine and iron filings may well be the historically correct candidates.  I would note that all of these components are byproducts of common frontier farming activity and ready at hand.

[Dale Halterman]

I think Eric Kettenburg did some research into this a few years ago. I was hoping he would respond. You might try PMing him.

Dale H

[Dphariss]

I am going to presume from the total lack of responses that no one else has actually found any documents supporting the use of acids, shellac, or varnishes in the colonial gunsmithing shops. I have seen some reference to varnish in the cabinet maker's inventory.  Cabinet making is arguably not a frontier activity.

So it would seem the traditional finishes of linseed oil, beeswax, soot, stale cow urine and iron filings may well be the historically correct candidates.  I would note that all of these components are byproducts of common frontier farming activity and ready at hand.

I am no expert but here goes anyway.
Oil or paint pots may be for "boiling" (actually just heating) Linseed oil to add drier metals and resin, usually Rosin or Gum Arabic to make drying oil and varnishes. Some limestone, crushed, helps kill organic acids in the oil and helps drying. They may gave used lead oxides as well back in the day it reddens the oil and helps drying in high humidity or so I have been told. But its not a good idea today.


Drying oils and varnishes were made in small batches. to prevent loss to setting up in  partly filled container.
I am sure they had Nitric Acid which was common and other such things. Some sort of flux for soldering, an acid might work for lead based solder. A flux for brazing brazing and something for forge welding but would have to dig into some old blacksmithing book to find what they may have used. Don't know how common borax was at the time.
Beeswax is not a finish for wood, not a good one anyway.
Cabinet makers and instrument makers may not have used varnishes that would work well for a firearm that was routinely subjected to the weather.
The next thing is that some of the chemicals may have archaic names that would need research to find what it actually was.
Dan

[heinz]

Thanks Dan, those are good points on the compounding of finishing compounds.  But I would think that somewhere these compounds should be showing up on shop inventories or probate inventories.

Nitric acid is a horse of a different color.  Nitric Acid was not a commonly available chemical until the mid 19th century.  In the 18th century, my impression is the primary acid production was "oil of Vitrol," a low-grade sulphuric acid made from copper sulfate salts that were heated with steam in large clay crucibles.  This oil of vitriol could be converted to muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid).  Muriatic acid was important in the dye and fabric trades to make dyes and bleaches.  Oil of vitriol could also be converted to nitric acid by reacting it with saltpeter (sodium nitrate).  Saltpeter was a common chemical used to make gunpowder.   But acid stills are a large and prominent piece of equipment that would not go unnoticed.  And sulphuric acid is truly nasty stuff to try to do any shipping.  Specialized glass containers are needed for any of the strong acids and are expensive items that should show up on an inventory.
Ammonium Chloride was called Sal Ammoniac.  Sal ammoniac is an excellent flux.  It is also a great browning compound.  But, I have never seen it on an inventory.  I think it occurs naturally in some parts of the world.

Chemical production was uncommon until the industrial revolution was progressing in the 19th century.  Before 1800 most trades produced their own supplies and "mysteries" of the trade. 

Those Moravian gunshop inventories are pretty thorough, and Christian Springs was in a fairly civilized part of the colonies.  Perhaps iron filings dissolved in a convenient solvent were the basis of stock stains, or natural dyes dissolved in water or alcohol.   

[rich pierce]

I’ve often wondered about inventories of deceased, retired gunsmiths. Do you ever see turn screws? Screws and bolts? Scrapers?  I am guessing most of these inventories reflect things they did not already dispose of perhaps through sale or trade with other gunsmiths, or often did not count or include every item.

[Long John]

I would invite you to consider vinegar as a commonly available acid for stock staining.  Vinegaroon, iron filings dissolved in vinegar, was known in the middle ages as a stain for both leather and wood.  All y rifles are stained with iron/vinegar stain.  The actual pigment from nitric acid/iron stain, AKA by some as aqua fortis, and vinegar/iron stain is a mixture of ferric oxide and ferrosoferic oxide hydrate.  The iron does not care whether it was ionized by nitric acid or acetic acid.  In both cases the anion part of the acid salt is driven off with heat so that only the iron ions are left in the wood.

While vinegar was made by every homestead for pickling meat, eggs and vegetables for later consumption, nitric acid had to be shipped over from the European industrial centers in the hold of a ship.  That would make it expensive in comparison to vinegar.  Nitric acid had the advantage of providing a more rapid finishing job.  That advantage would become important when gun-smithing became a more commercial enterprise and time became money.  I don't know how concerned the colonial gunmakers were about two or three days for staining a stock versus one day.

Those are my thoughts, for what they might be worth.

John Cholin

[Dphariss]

Thanks Dan, those are good points on the compounding of finishing compounds.  But I would think that somewhere these compounds should be showing up on shop inventories or probate inventories.

Nitric acid is a horse of a different color.  Nitric Acid was not a commonly available chemical until the mid 19th century.  In the 18th century, my impression is the primary acid production was "oil of Vitrol," a low-grade sulphuric acid made from copper sulfate salts that were heated with steam in large clay crucibles.  This oil of vitriol could be converted to muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid).  Muriatic acid was important in the dye and fabric trades to make dyes and bleaches.  Oil of vitriol could also be converted to nitric acid by reacting it with saltpeter (sodium nitrate).  Saltpeter was a common chemical used to make gunpowder.   But acid stills are a large and prominent piece of equipment that would not go unnoticed.  And sulphuric acid is truly nasty stuff to try to do any shipping.  Specialized glass containers are needed for any of the strong acids and are expensive items that should show up on an inventory.
Ammonium Chloride was called Sal Ammoniac.  Sal ammoniac is an excellent flux.  It is also a great browning compound.  But, I have never seen it on an inventory.  I think it occurs naturally in some parts of the world.

Chemical production was uncommon until the industrial revolution was progressing in the 19th century.  Before 1800 most trades produced their own supplies and "mysteries" of the trade. 

Those Moravian gunshop inventories are pretty thorough, and Christian Springs was in a fairly civilized part of the colonies.  Perhaps iron filings dissolved in a convenient solvent were the basis of stock stains, or natural dyes dissolved in water or alcohol.

My reading shows the nitric acid has been known and used for 1000 years. It was known in in Europe by 1300. It was in use by alchemists in the middle ages. A long used industrial process for making it was invented in 1698.

This is the only thing I found that mentions its use in "crafts".
http://acshist.scs.illinois.edu/bulletin_open_access/v34-2/v34-2%20p105-116.pdf
But the alchemists HAD to make Ferric Nitrate if it had not been made before their time.

Dan

[heinz]

Dan, I have read the article you cited.  it is a good one.  Certainly, the smiths would be able to set up an acid still using the saltpeter, alum and vitrol mix to distill the nitric acid gas into a water trap.  However this piece of equipment would be a big deal and you think it would rate mention somewhere.  I am not doubting the existence of nitric acid or the far less corrosive ferric nitrate. I just wonder why it never shows up.  Certainly, Williamsburg and Charleston and Philadelphia would have had alchemists that could produce it

Rich, I have seen some inventories that get down into the turnscrews, and carving chisels and pieces of scrap brass and files.  Not often but some. but I have never seen anything on acids or varnishes or even spelter.    That seems strange.

John, I think vinageroon may be a likely suspect.  That might escape inventory

[yulzari]

We are in a hurry these days and have a wide range of 'stuff' to hand. Where an acid is needed acetic acid (vinegar) will often do the job but just more slowly.Made locally or at home with no overt chemistry used. I have etched steel with acetic acid and sodium chloride (vinegar and salt) and it is fine as long as you are willing to wait days instead of minutes. Black stains are the same as iron gall inks sold at ridiculous prices and so easy to make at home. I did a whole garden shed in it with a bucket of used tea bags boiled for half an hour to wash over the wood. Once dry a bucket of weak vinegar and garden shop iron sulphate dissolved brushed onto the wood turned it all a jet black.

Wood ashes or urine were your at home alkali sources. The women of the day would be dab hands at using these for washing.

Oils might well be milled locally but suitable resins for varnishes probably bought in from outside.

At the end of the day they used what was available to them. If it was not available they did without and did things by another method. The many 'recipe' books and notes we see are from gunshops in towns or cities where they took advantage of national, and indeed international, trade to make life easier. Few chemicals are actually necessary to make guns. The Native Americans connected in with the international gun trade for their guns via the local trading stores etc.

[BOB HILL]

Heinz, Bill Knight did a lot of research on chemicals and finishing guns. It was printed in a great book that’s no longer in print. Sorry to say, I loaned mine to a friend and lost it when it was mailed back.
Bob