Damascus Re Fininshing

[tomburras 2,730]

iv just discovered that my old black powder hammergun is damascus under the bluing. id like to have it refinished or do it myself.

 

has anyone done this? and was it difficult?

 

any info would be great.

[Graham M 36]

I tried it myself some years ago with some stuff I bought from Peter Dyson

 

https://www.peterdyson.co.uk/cgi-bin/ss000001.pl?RANDOM=NETQUOTEVAR%3ARANDOM&PAGE=SEARCH&SO=1_3_4_0&SS=browning&TB=A&GB=A&SX=0&ACTION=Search

 

I think the weather wasn't damp enough but it didn't turn out too bad

 

 

 

G

[tomburras 2,730]

Thats exactly what id like to try achieve, how did you do it and how long did this it take you?

 

Looks great

 

Cheers

 

Tom.

[devon flighter 421]

dont use plum brown !!!!!! if your going to do it do it right ,its a long slow process,the more time you spend on it the better its going to turn out ,PREP IS EVERYTHING get it as good as you think necessary then get it better !ill have a look later and try and find a brew out for you !

looks a nice job you did there graham

 

edited to say thats the stuff graham has used, by the time you buy the chemicals yourself you might as well use that slow brown

[tomburras 2,730]

Thank you devon flighter

 

I have been contacted by a barrel refinisher and he can do my barrels for a good price, a lot cheaper than expected. would be nice to have a go myself tho and will be enjoyable too.

[Graham M 36]

It's almost like witchcraft at times and if I were to do mine again I would make a damp box to hang the barrels in so that they could be left in a warm damp environment overnight.

 

I made about 6 passes on mine and used a fine wire wheel to card off the rust, but couldn't seem to get it to go any browner. The secret I think is to rub the browning into the metal more vigorously until it etches a bit more.

 

It was good to try though and gave me an insight into the process even though it wasn't quite as good as I had hoped for.

 

 

 

 

G

Edited May 2, 2016 by Graham M

[tomburras 2,730]

It's almost like witchcraft at times and if I were to do mine again I would make a damp box to hang the barrels in so that they could be left in a warm damp environment overnight.

 

I made about 6 passes on mine and used a fine wire wheel to card off the rust, but couldn't seem to get it to go any browner. The secret I think is to rub the browning into the metal more vigorously until it etches a bit more.

 

It was good to try though and gave me an insight into the process even though it wasn't quite as good as I had hoped for.

 

 

 

 

G

 

cheers iv been thinking about a bucket of water with a tropical fish tank heater turned up to a higher temperature to warm up the water and hang the barrels over it in some kind of diy humidity tent?

 

did you need fresh etching solution for each time you dipped it?

[Graham M 36]

Didn't dip them; as you can see the solution only comes in small bottles and the idea was to swab it on, wait overnight and then card off the rust. I then poured very hot, but not boiling, water over the barrels to soften the rust before wire-brushing them and then re-applying the solution with a fresh swab..

I have since discovered that a soak in Copper Sulphate prior to browning sometimes helps, but can't remember the solution off-hand.

 

If you can get them done by a professional at a good price, and the gun is worth it, then that is the route to go if you want a really good job done. Doing it yourself is fun but if you want something that stands out it really does need to be done properly.

 

 

 

 

G

[tomburras 2,730]

Thanks for that I'll have a good think and may get it done by a professional. The quote I got is not too expensive.