Hey all, so I (thought I) properly neutralized the Laurel Mountain Forge Barrel Brown solution on my barrel a few days ago, but when I picked it up today, my hands became covered in a gritty rust powder.
From Laurel Mountain Forge's instructions:
Once you have achieved the desired depth of color you need to neutralize the browning process. To stop further action, scrub the surface of the barrel using a solution of hot tap water and baking soda. The familiar Arm & Hammer brand works fine. Use a clean cloth and an old toothbrush to apply the neutralizing solution and remove any of the remaining scale. Next rinse the barrel well with clear hot water and allow to flash dry.
To finish the barrel, heat the surface with a torch until it is too warm to comfortably touch with bare hands, about 1250 to 1300 F. This will drive off any remaining moisture. Next apply a liberal coat of motor oil. Allow the oil to bond with the brown for 24 hours and then polish off any excess with a soft dry cloth. Apply a final finish of a quality gun oil, non-abrasive furniture wax or neutral color shoe wax.
I used a fairly significant amount of baking soda in a mix of the hottest tap water I could get from my faucet (pretty hot, hot enough to give a first degree burn for sure) and used a rag and a toothbrush to wash down the barrel. Afterward, I threw out that water+baking soda mix and used straight hot tap water to wash it down with a fresh rag and then a Heat Gun to heat up the barrel to drive off the moisture. That left to white streaks, so I wiped down the barrel again and repeated the process.
After that was done and no white streaks remained from any remaining baking soda, I coated the barrel in motor oil and let it hang for about a day, wiped it down (the rag I used became a rusty brown in the process) and applied Ballistol oil. I want to say that was Saturday or Sunday at the latest.
Today, picking up the barrel, it was gritty again and my hands were covered in rust powder.
I'm thinking I should probably try neutralizing it again with hot tap water and baking soda, but before I do that, I thought maybe I'd ask on this forum to see if anyone with experience could provide me some insights on how to deal with this (and/or tell me "oh, don't worry about that, it's normal").
Laurel Mountain Forge's instructions seem to indicate that if the solution remains on the barrel without being properly neutralized much over 24 hours, the barrel could/would get pitting but I don't think I've seen any indication of that, so that's a relief.