A Little OT - Metal Browning ?

[Bruce]

I recently got lucky and found a late 70's era Thompson Center Hawken rifle kit on Gun Broker. It arrived last night and I found the interior packaging was still sealed. I do believe the stock and ram rod have sufficently aged and cured.

I plan to brown the metal parts, but it has been many years since I have done that and if memory serves me correctly, I used one of the commercial browners that required a little heat applied first. I am looking for recommendations/experiences with the commercial browning products. It looks like I may have gotten one of the earlier barrels that were made by an outside vendor (supposedly very accurate) before TC started making their own. I am assuming it is a 1-48 twist, but I will sure be happy if it is 1-60 or more.

I am also going to put a lot of work into enhancing the grain pattern on the stock. I have not decided on Chromium Trioxide or Bone Black, but either will probably work.

[Pisgah]

Sounds like you may have used Birchwood-Casey's Plum Brown before. I like Laurel Mountain and Wahkon Bay browning solutions. These require no heat, and thus take longer to get the job done, but this is a good time of year to use them -- warm temps and high humidity help. It may take 10 or more repetitions of applying the solution, letting it work, carding off the rust and rinsing, re-applying the solution, etc., but the reults are, to my eye, spectacularly better than with Plum Brown.

[Old Ironsights]

JReed has some good advice on browning TCs... he used somthing from a hobby store for about 1/3 the price of most browning kits and it looks great.

[Bruce]

I think Plum Brown was what I used. OK, where is Mr. Reed?

[Pisgah]

If you've got the time, and aren't squeamish, plain ol' urine works fine as a browning solution. Great conversation piece, too, when your buddy is admiring your newly-completed rifle and asks,"What did you use...?

[Bruce]

Pisgah,

Got the time, but not the yearning to go that route. :lol I am thinking also about sending the appropriate parts off to be parkerized, but a nice original looking brown would sure be nice.

[JReed]

Hold your horses folks. Browning is easy and cheap and really not messy.

I browned a TC Renegade kit that I got with all the metal in the white. It took me a total of 3 and 1/2 days to to do it. First off go to Michael's and get some of this stuff it only costs $4 bucks it is called Sophisticated Finishes.


Then dig out that old humidifier that you used to use for your kids when they had a cold. Clean all of the metal with a good degreaser and wear latex gloves any finger prints will make weird patterns in the finish plus it will turn your fingers blue. I found good ole Windex works great for this. The idea is cheap and easy here folks.
Hang the barrel and any other parts you want to brown from a rafter in your garage and make a tent around it with an old sheet. Place the humidifier under the parts inside the tent making sure it is on and full of water.

Now here is the hard part steal some cotton balls from your wifes makeup kit. Put a good amount of the solution on the cotton ball and wipe on one good coat. Make your wipes all in the same direction and don't get it anywhere that rust would be a bad thing (like in the bore). Repeat the application once a day for three days or until you get the color you want.

To stop the process wash it with dish soap then dry it in the oven. Once it is dry and the metal is good and hot to the touch wipe it down with a paper towel soaked with extra virgin olive oil (that is what I use on my BP guns) or any other vegetable oil you have on hand.

Now here is the most important step assemble the gun take lots of pics get it to the range and give us a report.

[marlinman93]

And if you boil it after it's all done it will actually turn blue like rust bluing does!

[Bruce]

My kids are grown and gone, therefore no humidifier. I live in Florida, so will that suffice?

OK, the imortant questions - what is a Michael's ???

Vall,

I don't have anything big enough to boil the barrel. I can throw it in the Suwannee River if that will do!

[Old Ironsights]

My kids are grown and gone, therefore no humidifier. I live in Florida, so will that suffice?

OK, the imortant questions - what is a Michael's ???

Ask your wife...

It's a national chain craft store. Hobby Lobby is another similar outfit...

[Rimfire McNutjob]

My kids are grown and gone, therefore no humidifier. I live in Florida, so will that suffice?

OK, the imortant questions - what is a Michael's ???

Vall,

I don't have anything big enough to boil the barrel. I can throw it in the Suwannee River if that will do!

Yeah, you should be good to go on the humidity this time of year down here. I know if you put it in my garage this time of year it will rust instantly. A Michael's is a craft store. We have one here in Sanford, FL ... there may be one near you. It's a high estrogen zone ... limit your exposure or you'll start gluing glitter to styrofoam.

[JReed]

My kids are grown and gone, therefore no humidifier. I live in Florida, so will that suffice?

OK, the imortant questions - what is a Michael's ???

Vall,

I don't have anything big enough to boil the barrel. I can throw it in the Suwannee River if that will do!

Yeah, you should be good to go on the humidity this time of year down here. I know if you put it in my garage this time of year it will rust instantly. A Michael's is a craft store. We have one here in Sanford, FL ... there may be one near you. It's a high estrogen zone ... limit your exposure or you'll start gluing glitter to styrofoam.

Yep spend as little time in that store as possible it does weird things to those with double Y chromosomes.

I used the humidifier in southern Cal not much humidity to speak of you should be good in Florida with out it.

[Rusty]

We have a Michael's in nearby Brandon, Fl. I go there to pick up fly tying supplies sometimes.

[Don McDowell]

Another really good cold brown is Laurel Mtn, available from Midway, and probably track of the wolf, and Dixie Gun Works.
Plus if you have a good tank and distilled water you can use it for a rust blue.

[20cows]

When my wife drags me to Michael's I bring a mandolin, sit by the front door and wait. I get a lot of practice in that way.

[Bruce]

Jeremy,

Thanks for the info. It looks like I will try to find this product and give a try. I have to go to St. Augustine about once a month and I think they have one of those soupped up hobby stores there.

[pharmseller]

I thought all Brownings were metal.








P

[JReed]

Bruce your welcome. I came up with this method because my kids wanted to help and I wanted some thing that wouldn't be to harmful to them and it was inexpensive so if we messed it up it would break the bank to strip it and start over.

[Bruce]

Jeremy,

One more question. Did you brown the front and rear sight also? If so, how is that working out as compared to a blued sight?

I finally got around to opening all the little packets of parts and found out that both the front and rear sights are in the white. The rear sight is the standard TC type adjustable sight and I am wondering if it will function correctly if I rust brown it?

[JReed]

No I left the sights factory blue. It makes for an interesting contrast.

[Bruce]

Thanks. I will have to give some thought as to which way to go on the sights.

[Gobblerforge]

Boiling in water won't "blue" metal. It's not hot enough. To hot blue, the metal needs to get to about 600 degrees. Melted salt works.
Gobbler

[Rimfire McNutjob]

Boiling in water won't "blue" metal. It's not hot enough. To hot blue, the metal needs to get to about 600 degrees. Melted salt works.
Gobbler

I believe what he means is that after browning or rusting (Fe2O3), one may boil the part which causes a further reaction to black iron oxide or magnetite (Fe3O4) ... aka rust bluing. The boiling drives off one oxygen atom and results in the same oxide finish as is achieved directly with salts.

[Gobblerforge]

Well that's a new one on me. Thanks

[marlinman93]

If you don't have a humidifier, just build a tent around the gun, and then sit a pan of water in the bottom and a drop light inside. The water and heat will work well enough to cause rusting.

[JReed]

A hot plate on low with a pan of water would also do the trick.

[Old Ironsights]

If you don't have a humidifier, just build a tent around the gun, and then sit a pan of water in the bottom and a drop light inside. The water and heat will work well enough to cause rusting.

Heck, it's even easier than that... just let me run my hand over it once and set it in the safe for a week...

[Bruce]

Thanks guys. I have decided to brown the barrel and sights. Your information is very helpful.

[Gobblerforge]

[quote="Heck, it's even easier than that... just let me run my hand over it once and set it in the safe for a week... [/quote]
My best friend is like you. Acid to the core. I'm the opposite. I can rub rust off of metal and stop it. Oily hands I guess.
Gobbler