Barrel Finish Options

[Stoner creek]

 There were questions about barrel finish and getting a completed gun in 5 days during our recent kit assembly class at Friendship. I stumbled onto this cocktail, maybe some of you already use this method.
1. Draw file, sand, get whatever surface texture that you desire on the barrel.
2. Throughly degrease the barrel with Windex with ammonia. Do not touch the barrel now until you are finished.
3. Apply your favorite cold brown. I like Tracks Tried and True.
4. Wait 5 minutes and re-apply the cold brown.
5. Take the barrel outside and leave for 40 minutes. Warm and more humid conditions are best. Keep the barrel out of the rain.
6. Bring the barrel back inside and spray it down with the Windex then card it off with a piece of 4/0 steel wool (degreased). Get the surface clean then re-apply with cold brown. (Note, scrub with steel wool very lightly).
7. Repeat steps 4 & 5.
8. Soak the barrel with Windex and gently wipe with a paper towel. Don’t worry about getting it dry.
9. Apply cold blue. I use Birchwood Casey Super Blue. Apply with long even strokes.
10. Leave 5 minutes. Apply Windex again and lightly card off with a new steel wool pad (degreased).
11. Apply cold blue again and leave it for 5 minutes.
12. Wash the barrel off with the Windex. It should be done by now. You can continue blue applications for a darker finish but I am normally finished by now.
13. Apply oil and you’re done. No need to neutralize.
This whole thing takes a couple of hours. No torches, no fumes, no waiting a week.

 We were getting a nice supple (old looking) light brown color using steps  1 through 8.

 12L14 steel seems to react more slowly than the harder steels.

Give this a try! Tell me what you think!

[Ken G]

Interesting process.  I'll have to give that a try.  Thanks for sharing.

Ken

[oldtravler61]

  Wayne if you say it works. I'm willing to give it a go. But you have any pictures of the finished process ?
 I'm currently short of barrels an locks..... Oldtravler

[Hunterdude]

Thank you for typing this recipe out and sharing with forum. Kindness is rare enough these days and should never be taken for granted.

[Chocktaw Brave]

Sounds like a good solution, any pictures?

[Fly Navy]

This finish sounds interesting, but photos of the final finish and color would be very helpful.

[Stoner creek]

Here’s the color that I got on a Rice barrel.

[Austin]

It looks really good with torch blue lock and furniture.

[Fly Navy]

Very nice, thanks for the pictures.

[Chocktaw Brave]

Looks nice! I like it.

[Dwshotwell]

Thanks for sharing this. Can I ask what you did on for the lock? Do you use the same/similar process?

[Wingshot]

Also interested in the lock treatment. Barrel looks great!

[Stoner creek]

The lock was a simple torch blue quenched in oil. Frizzen was cold blue.

[Craig Wilcox]

Wayne, if that last picture demonstrates the selling price, I will buy it.

Did a splendid job on the bluing. And the stock is wonderfully stained and finished.

I recently had two kit guns, a T/C "Hawken" and a Traditions "Blunderbus".  Which is indeed a "blunder" bus.  Going to feel like Elmer Fudd going wabbit hunting.

The Hawken, I cold blued using Brownell's Oxpho Blue, and the Blunderbus I browned using Mark Lee's #2 Browning.  Both went on well.  I over-buffed the browning, causing some bright steel streaks, so simply sanded well and went at it again.  Came out very well.  Wish the "Blunder" had a decent lock on it.

[Daryl]

I really like Wayne's gun barrel finish. Looks a lot like this one, which is rust blued.