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Originally Posted by Bill Marsh
Thank you Stu and M,
I did check to be sure the gun is not loaded by running a de-rusting solution down the barrels. They were not mounted at the time. the solution came out the nipples.
I have a little familiarity with cleaning and staining sword blades. Mostly Indonesian and Philippine.
I have used Vinegar, PCB (Radio Shack Circuit Board Etchant) and am about to try a form of arsenic called, in Indonesia, warangan.
But, I think that gun barrel Damascus is different... What would you suggest as a stain and staining process for Damascus gun barrels?
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Hi Bill,
I have rebrowned many damascus barrels over the years and this is the formula I used. Clean the barrel with AJAX to remove ALL grease etc (This is most important or you will get a blotchy result), and strip off ALL old finish. Polish and immerse in BOILING water to heat the metal--this is important as the heat is need to make the process work. DON'T USE A FLAME AS IT WILL MELT THE SOLDER AND THE BARREL JOINTS WILL FALL APART. Apply solution with a CLEAN cloth EVENLY. Wash in fresh water and dry. Polish in between applications with fine steel wool. Repeat the process. Once you get the colour you want immerse again in BOILING water to cure and stop the action. (Browning and blueing are both an artificial "rusting" process)
You can buy browning paste but I have not found that it is suitable except for VERY MINOR touchup.
The mixture I used is :
64 GRAINS Mercuric Chloride
32 GRAINS Sodium Nitrate
64 GRAINS Potassium Chlorate
64 GRAINS Spirits of Nitre (4%)
32 GRAINS Potassium Nitrate
Distilled water to 1/2 Pint
You will have to find a manufacturing chemist to make up your solution, or someone who has access to the chemicals. They are a bit thin on the ground these days as most chemists just sell pills!!
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Regards Stuart