In this installation of “Learning on a VH” I will share how I rust blued the barrels.
Thanks to Jerry Early, Tom Flanigan and Brian Dudley for helping me out with this stage.
I borrowed a stainless-steel tank, purchased 2 propane burners (Bayou Classic SP10), set up a bench-top drill press with a .0025” wire carding wheel and got some 0000 steel wool for hand carding . Barrels were hung on wire suspended from 2 dowels in both the tank and over the work space. I used tap water (note Brian Dudley reports best results with distilled water) for boiling and Brownells’ Classic Rust Blue as the rusting solution (note Tom Flanigan suggests Laurel Mountain Forge Rust Blue or Pilkington’s and Brian Dudley proposes Mark Lee Express Blue)
First step was to degrease the barrels in a boiling solution of Simple Green and water. I immediately had issues with oil leaking from under the rib and staining the barrel. Jerry and Tom provided advice which led to me soaking the barrels in acetone for 3 days, then degreasing them with Simple Green in boiling water. After the first round of rusting, then boiling and carding, I was happy to see that whatever leaking was occurring from the rib did not affect the finish.
I added a 2 hour bake in the oven at 215 F after carding to make sure any water under the rib dried out before starting the next cycle.
The rust bluing process went exceptionally well through the first 4 cycles (rust/boil/card). The red rust stopped turning black in cycles 5 and 6. Once again the very helpful people on this forum helped me identify and resolve the issue. I carded the red rust and compared the VH barrel to my reference DHE and realized I was done! The key lesson here is that 5 cycles is standard, and it is possible to complete the job in 4.
The barrels were soaked in oil for 24 hours, then I used a Flex Hone to clean up the moderately pitted barrels. Finally, I removed the finish from the muzzle, the lump etc etc. using popsicle sticks and 600 grit sandpaper as well as 0000 steel wool.
Here are the before and after pictures:
B:A Rust Blue Barrel.jpg
B:A Rust Blue Detail.jpg
B:A Blued Barrel Detail 2.jpg
Next Up: The Stock.