doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com question on slow rust bluing

I am going to give my hand a try at slow rust bluing a couple of old (inexpensive) SxS's I have. I have read various articles/info about the process and most were along the same lines. But in one article I read, it said to drill a small hole on the bottom rib (under the forearm where it won't be seen) to allow the ribs to vent. The other articles didn't mention that so I'm wondering if it is really necessary. Wouldn't drilling a hole allow boiling water to realy get between the ribs?

If there isn't one already there I wouldn't put one in. In some American doubles I believe they were manufactured in. Hardly ever in English guns. That's my view. I'm sure there are others...

T

I think the idea behind drilling a small relief hole in the bottom rib was/is to allow the pressure inside the ribs/barrels to equalize durring the boiling process used to convert the brown "rust" to black "rust". Frankly I see no need for a relief hole due to the limited amount of time the barrels are allowed to boil and small pressure increase caused by heating the small amount of air trapped by the ribs/barrels for such a short duration.

I agree, I have done quite a few barrels and find no logical reason for the hole. If the bbls are soldered properly water will not get in and if not the water will evaporate without the hole. YOu do see bubbles of air coming out the hole(or where the solder is weak),but water evaporates and there is not any caustics in the water that you boil with.

I've done a half dozen or so doubles. Never heard of drilling a hole and never have.

My original mentor on the process makes it a rule to immerse the barrels in vey hot water before any processing starts in order to find leaks and pin holes. These of course show up as a stream of bubbles, much like a bike tyre puncture.

If any do show up, they are fixed before the rusting proceeds.

Eug

Depends how much they leak , this is when people drill vent holes ,not to relieve pressure but to drain out any water that gets in them out. If they are leaking badly then strip and relay the ribs before you waste any more time as seeping water will marr the black.

Thanks for the info guys. I will not bother with the hole. However, I will submerge them first as Eugene mentioned to see if or how badly they leak.

I've done mostly L.C. Smiths, and all that I have done have a hole beneath the barrel lug (for-end fastener). As gunman has said, if the water does not come out, and it weeps out in other places, it wil ruin your finish.
I use a propane torch and run it up and down the barrels to get the water out, takes a few times, and you don't want to make them too hot, just enough to get the water out.
Also taping them against your hand helps get some out.
The more junk underneath the ribs, the harder to get the water out.

I think you will find that most barrels do leak to some degree. That means water to some degree will get in. As they are hanging to dry, keep an eye on them for drips coming out of the void in the ribs/barrels because that is where your water spoting will come from. Generally I don't put a hole in the bottom rib if I don't have to but if the water won't come out quickly enough to avoid spotting you may have to put one in.