Period Correct Gun Finishes

[Quartermaster James]

What manner of gun finishes would be period correct?

[Littleneckhalfshell]

don't forget 'bright' or unfinished, polished steel or iron as an acceptable finish

[Cascabel]

Blue, black, and brown finishes all existed in the period. Also, black paint over all, including metal parts was sometimes used for shipboard weapons for protection against rust.

You have to be careful when forming an opinion from examining period examples, as natural darkening of unfinished steel parts that were originally polished bright can be mistaken for a deliberately applied brown finish. Originally blued finishes can also turn to a brown color with age, depending on handling and storage conditions. The blueing process is actually a controlled rusting, which with the proper chemicals becomes various shades of blue or black, depending on the process used.

>>>> Cascabel

[the Royaliste]

Aye, and as above mentioned, 'Military Bright' finishes go natural (brown) without steady maintainance. But don't forget the wood....Modern guns as well as replicas all have very fine wood finishes..Sandpaper is a modern invention. Back in the 'Day', wood was finished with stones, and depending on application, not very smooth..Scratches were prominent in bygone times.

[MadMike]

I recently blacked my doglock musket (hand painting). Thing looks ugly as hell but rust is a real problem where I live (near Gulf of Mexico).

Yours, Mike

PS- will post pics and link

[Hawkyns]

A few years ago, I had the privelege of talking with Kit Ravenshear and handling a matchlock he had built and finished with period finishes. Absolutely correct (I saw the documentation) and not one of us would have paid money for it. The black paint on the barrel was similar to roofing tar and the stock looked like it was painted with redwood deck paint. The polished wood finishes we see are a product of the later 18th century or very fine guns of the earlier period. Many earlier guns have also been refinished to a later standard. Miltary arms were cheaply finished in a manner that would hold up to abuse and weather, absolutely ugly to our eyes.

I have a couple of early pieces that I have let the metal age and patina naturally, and finished the stock with black leather dye and butcher's wax. Not pretty by a modern standard but they look more natural than a fine polished stock and blued steel.

Hawkyns

[Bully MacGraw]

The barrel of my CenterMark Fusil has a brown finish that is just rust! The builder told me how that is done. There is a product the is sold at Track of the Wolf the rushes the rusting process. I used the product on a second gun.

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(cvvaho22z...m=TRACK-BROWN-2

Basically, you wait for a humid day and apply it to a very clean, oil free barrel or other parts. If I recall correctly, several applications and some sanding in between creates the finished product. The barrel is then oiled.

On the topic of barrels, does any one season their guns? Some thing like seasoning your cast iron cooking gear. Clean your bore very well and leave her unoiled. Put it our side on a very hot dry day then oil the bore very liberally.

I clean my guns the traditional way with boiling water down the barrel with the touch hole plugged. I then use the ramrod with cotton and clean her own. DO this several times until the bore is clean. They oil the bore. Be sure all the gun is very dry and keep the lock dry.

Ed

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

I was wondering about boiled linseed oil for the wood. I know it is commonly used for 18th cent. gunstock repros today, but how far back does it go really? I have two that have this finish, and every spring I have to use denatured alcohol to remove the waxy build-up stuff from the grip and forend before I carry them. (Otherwise it is like the time I carried a jackrabbit I shot back to the truck by it's ears... YUK!) I use gun oil on my stocks and have for a long time now.

Bo

[Quartermaster James]

I was wondering about boiled linseed oil for the wood. I know it is commonly used for 18th cent. gunstock repros today, but how far back does it go really? I have two that have this finish, and every spring I have to use denatured alcohol to remove the waxy build-up stuff from the grip and forend before I carry them. (Otherwise it is like the time I carried a jackrabbit I shot back to the truck by it's ears... YUK!) I use gun oil on my stocks and have for a long time now.

Bo

The little I have been able to dig up indicates BLO has been in use at least three hundred years, and probably longer. Not scholarly research by any means, however, as most of this information is from uncited references from paint manufacturers.

A big difference in our modern BLO is the addition of solvents. These are added to increase penetration, not to speed drying time. BLO does not dry by evaporation but by oxidation*. This is part of what makes proper application a lengthy and time consuming processes. Boiling does two things to the raw flax oil: 1) it drives off residual moisture, making a stable product, 2) it partially polymerizes the oil, slightly increasing viscosity.

Where many people go wrong with modern BLO is in not following traditional techniques. This is not a finish that can be gooped on, let to soak in, and then rubbed off. If you do that you will end up with a piece that takes forever (literally) to dry. The outer surface may oxidize and polymerize enough to seem hardened, but will seal off the inside from full curing. You will find these pieces sweat gunk in the heat.

Proper application of BLO is done by repeated application of very, very thin layers. Each layer is rubbed into the wood (I liken it to burnishing the wood). With the large stock on my fowler, each layer was maybe a teaspoon of oil, and much of that remained on the rag. Rub it in, not just on; you should feel the heat build up in the stock as you do this. The old timers rule of thumb is once an hour for a day, once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year, once a year for life. It was not uncommon to apply a hundred layers or more for a really fine finish, although just a couple of weeks with this technique will give you a really beautiful piece. Properly done, BLO provides a hard and durable finish.

Folks who refinish historical houses sometimes use IR heat lamps to help speed the curing. I am also given to understand that UV light helps the curing (i.e. let the stock cure in sunshine). It's been too rainy for me to leave the stock outside much with this current project.

Here's a link to some folks who make historic finishes using actual 18th century techniques: Tried & True Wood Finishes

*(Note: Oxidation also generates heat. BLO is the oil that starts "oil soaked rags" into spontaneous combustion. Seriously, don't let your used BLO application rags accumulate dry - submerge them in water.)

Edited February 15, 2009 by Quartermaster James