doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Browning Solutions

I stay confused as I guess many do, as to the BEST browning solution to use to BROWN barrels. I have about 5 different solutions on my table, ranging from Greeners formulas, Ordnance 1841, an English formula given to me and a bottle of Mark Lee's.
I have found it difficult to get a good brown in my area, and I think it is because of low humidity? I am having good results with Mark Lee's solution which reportedly does not use Mercuric Chloride. However, I am confident that it must have some type of
Chloride salt to get the ferric ion , which gives the brown colors.I suspect they may have substituted Ferric chloride.
The point of this, I think, is that I seem to have about the best browns from the Commercial Mark Lee solution.
The 28 ga bbls below are some that I just finished with Lees solution, although this is not solid proof of anything regarding the other solutions ability to produce good browns..
Any helpful comments are welcomed.

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I have gone over exclusively to the following formula which came from a variety of sources but I traced it back to Angier:

Ferrous sulphate 1.6 gms
Sol. ferric nitrate 28% 5.7 gms
Sol. ferric chloride 29% 9.0 gms
Made up to 100ml with distilled water

It seems to work pretty well on all types of twist and damascus, is quite gentle and keeps well.
Humidity in my workshop is low except in high summer so I use a tented arrangement with a tray of water laid underneath. I allow 24 hours rusting between passes but if the action is very slow (low humidity and/or temp) I find a second coat applied 1 hour after the first helps things along a great deal.
Most barrels take about 15 to 20 passes to get a good intense brown colour but one has to be careful not to continue on until the contrast becomes muddy, an easy thing to do.
Washing off with a very dilute solution of Sulphuric acid (10-12 drops 7M concentration in 25ml) can recover the situation but you must neutralize this with weak caustic soda solution and maybe apply a couple more passes afterwards to re-intensify the colour.
The browning solution does not seem to after rust at all but to play safe, I soak the finished barrels in 1oz:12lts caustic soda solution at 50-60 deg C for one hour before scolding, drying and oiling.

Toby,
Thanks. That is the first time that I have seen Ferrous Sulfate in a formula. (Except when you gave it to me a few months ago)
I have to now find some Ferric Nitrate to try it.
I a going to relook at my Angiers to see his comments.

Leighton, my rusting "cabinet" for flintlock barrels is a 6" diameter section of PVC pipe. Stand it upright over a can of water, hang barrel (I use a piece of coat hanger wire) and cover the top. Works great, stores easily, and is cheap. Our local humidity is extremely low--in fact, rust on guns is virtually unknown!

After trying most commercially available browning solutions over the years, I would agree with these two quoted sentences Leighton......

I've had, by far, the best success with Mark Lee's products, both blacking and browning, Express Blue #1 and Browning Solution #2.....

My experimentation ended years ago and I use Mark Lee's products exclusively.......I sent some to Tony Treadwell a few years back and he was utterly amazed and used it exclusively as well until his passing.......

Carding, clean up, waxing and the results while using these products are much better IMO......

One of Tony's Greeners that he did.....


Best,

Not the best of answers I know but is there a best solution , or can you just have a favourite ? I've been using the slightly altered version of 'ferrobronze'or french trade brown from Angiers book.
An old chemist I know gets me the ingredients, he did tell me that he supplied the sol. ferric chloride at a different weight than in the book, I can't remember why but as I'm running out at the moment I'll pay him a visit soon , find out why and let you know. I also add a drop or two extra hcl than the original formula but have had no issues with after rust.
It gives a lovely black and when I've experimented, I can get good results in under three days, start to finish. It also worked well to brown damascus barrels, again, no after rust problems. I wouldn't give someone their barrels back without a scald and neutralise but experimented by leaving my own or old scrap tubes hanging in a damp outbuilding to see what happened. I blacked a very old air rifle action, gave it a wipe with oil after the last carding and left it hang for a year. It was fine.
I'll probably find it's limitations one day and have to use another formula but for now it's my favourite.
I have the ingredients for mercury based salts but don't really want to mix and use them. Well not yet anyway.