Solution for Browning Gun Barrels.—Make a solution by putting together in a glass vessel, spirits of nitre, three-quarter ounce; tincture of steel, three-quarter ounce; black brimstone, one-quarter ounce; blue vitriol, one-half ounce; corrosive sublimate, one-quarter ounce; nitric acid, one drachm, and copperas, one-quarter ounce. Mix with one and one-half pints of rain water, and bottle for use. Clean the barrel till entirely bright, rubbing it over with finest emery paper, then apply the solution with a clean white cloth. Set away for twenty-four hours. At the end of this time a rust will have formed over the barrel. Go over it with a steel scratch-brush, then rub off all the rust with a woolen cloth. If you find the brown not dark enough, cover again with the solution and set away twenty-four hours longer. Remove the rust exactly as in the first instance, then, the color suiting, wash off with a wet cloth, rub to thorough dryness, and finish by rubbing with linseed oil, to prevent further rusting.
This application browns the barrel beautifully, and in case of twist leaves the markings prominently plain.
The tincture of steel is sometimes not to be obtained at a small drug store, in which case the unmedicated tincture of iron may be made to answer reasonably well.
2. Sulphate of copper, one ounce; sweet spirits of nitre, one ounce; water, one pint. Mix. In a few days it will be ready for use.
3. Tincture muriate of iron, one ounce; nitric ether, one ounce; sulphate of copper, four scruples; rain water, one pint; if the process is to be hurried, add two or three grains of oxymuriate of mercury. Put in lime water to neutralize acid.
4. Spirits of nitre, one pound; alcohol, one pound; corrosive sublimate, one ounce. Mix and cork for use.
5. Tincture of muriate of iron, one ounce; nitric ether, one ounce; sulphate of copper, four scruples; rain water, one pint.
6. Alcohol, one and a half ounce; tincture of steel, one and a half ounce; corrosive sublimate, one and a half ounce; sweet spirits of nitre, one and a half ounce; blue vitriol, one ounce; nitric acid, three-quarters of an ounce. Mix and dissolve in one quart of warm water. Keep in glass bottles.
7. Nitric ether, six ounces; alcohol, one ounce; sulphate of copper (blue vitriol), one and a half ounce; muriated tincture of iron, one and a half ounce; tincture of gum benzoin, one and a half ounce. Dissolve the sulphate of copper in water, add the other ingredients, previously mixed, and then add three pints of boiling water.
8. Spirits of nitre, one pound; alcohol, one pound; corrosive sublimate, one ounce. Mix in a bottle and keep corked for use.
9. Soft water, one quart; dissolve in it blue vitriol, two ounces; corrosive sublimate, one ounce; and one ounce of spirits of nitre. Put on one coating, and in about an hour a second one, then let the work stand twelve hours. Oil and rub with cloth.
10. One ounce nitric acid; one ounce blue vitriol; dissolve in four ounces rain water, and mix all together in a pint of water. Warm the mixture slightly and apply gently with a sponge.
11. Nitric acid, one-half ounce; sweet spirits of nitre, one-half ounce; alcohol, one ounce; blue vitriol, two ounces; tincture of iron, one ounce; soft water, one quart.
12. Sweet spirits of nitre, one and a half ounce; nitric acid, one ounce; tincture of steel, two ounces; alcohol, one and a half ounce; blue vitriol, one-half ounce. Dissolve the blue vitriol in cold rain water, and add the other ingredients to make one quart.
13. Apply the following fluid by means of a clean white cloth: Spirits of nitre, one pound; alcohol, one pound; corrosive sublimate, one ounce. Mix in a bottle and keep corked for use. Apply one coat and set in a warm, dark place, until a red rust is formed over the whole surface, which will require, in warm weather, from ten to twelve hours; in cold, from fifteen to twenty hours. Then card it down with a gun-maker’s card, and rub off with a clean cloth. Repeat the process until the color suits, as each coat gives a darker shade.
Browning Recipes for Twist and Laminated Barrels.—1. Sweet spirits of nitre, one-half ounce; tincture of steel, one-quarter ounce; corrosive sublimate, one-half ounce; aqua fortis, sixty drops; nitrate of silver, four grains; a small lump of chalk and one pint of rain water.
2. Tincture of sesqui-chloride of iron, one-half ounce; corrosive sublimate, one drachm; sulphate of copper, one-half drachm; nitric acid, one drachm to one and a half drachms; alcohol, six drachms; water, eight ounces. Dissolve the corrosive sublimate in the alcohol, then add the solution to the other ingredients and let the whole stand for a month or six weeks, when it will be ready for use.
3. Sweet spirits of nitre, one ounce; tincture of steel, one-half ounce; blue vitriol, one-quarter ounce; nitric acid, six drops; corrosive sublimate, fourteen grains; water, one pint. When the barrels are dark enough, drop a few drops of muriatic acid in water and wash the barrel slightly to brighten the twists.
4. Muriatic tincture of steel, one ounce; alcohol, one ounce; muriate of mercury, one-quarter ounce; strong nitric acid, one-quarter ounce; blue vitriol, one-eighth ounce; water, one quart. Thoroughly mix the ingredients. Let them stand about thirty days before using. Wet the barrels with the mixture, applied with a sponge, about once every two hours. Scratch off with wire card every morning until the barrels are dark enough.
To Blue Gun Barrels.—A very pretty bluish color may be imparted to gun barrels by dressing them off to brightness with fine emery paper, and then rubbing them over quickly with nitric acid. When the desired color has appeared, wash them off with clean water, rub dry with a soft cloth, and then rub with linseed oil to prevent any further action of the acid.
Brown Tint for Iron or Steel.—Dissolve, in four parts water, two parts of crystalized chloride of iron; two parts of chloride of antimony; and one part of gallic acid, and apply the solution with a sponge or cloth to the barrel, letting it dry in a warm place. Repeat the process according to the depth of color desired. Wash with warm water, and dry; then rub over with boiled linseed oil. The metal receives a brown tint and resists moisture. The chloride of antimony should be as little acid as possible.
Transparent Blue for Iron or Steel.—Put together Demar varnish, one quart; fine ground Prussian blue, one-quarter ounce. Polish the metal to brightness, and put on thinly with a varnish brush. A beautiful transparent blue color, but one that will not stand rough usage.
Varnish for Browned Barrels.—1. Dissolve ten parts clear grains of mastic, five parts camphor, fifteen grains sandarac, and five parts elemi, in a sufficient quantity of alcohol, and apply the varnish without heat. The articles treated with this varnish will not only be preserved from rust, but their metallic lustre will not be in the least dimmed by exposure to dampness.
2. Another varnish may be made by using gum shellac, one ounce; gum sandarac, one ounce; Venice turpentine, one drachm; and ninety-eight per cent. alcohol, one gallon.
3. Another formula consists of shellac, one ounce; dragon’s blood, one-quarter of an ounce; alcohol, one quart. A little less dragon’s blood may be used if the color be too great.
Finish for Browned Barrels.—There are many ways of finishing barrels after browning. Some gunsmiths warm the barrels and rub them while quite warm with a flannel cloth and finish with a little bees-wax and turpentine. Some polish with a steel burnisher or rub with white wax; others use a wash of thin shellac varnish laid on carefully and evenly with a camel’s hair brush. Some finish off with a solution of two ounces of shellac and three drachms of dragon’s blood dissolved in two quarts of good alcohol.
To Remove Old Browning.—To remove old brown browning, plug the vent and muzzle of the barrels; immerse the browned parts, for about one hour, in hot lime water, or strong lye, to remove the varnish or grease; wipe them and put them in vinegar, in a wooden trough, for an hour or less, when the browning may be wiped off with a rag.