Carding, and boiling at the end

[Harry Collins]

Bill, your Lefever barrels are beautiful. When you say you rust until no pattern is visible do you not card between rusting? You steam rather than boil. Do you place the barrels in a box with a humidifier? Do you etch with ferric chloride or sulfuric acid?
Thanks,
Harry

[Bill Graham]

Originally Posted by Harry Collins

Bill, your Lefever barrels are beautiful. When you say you rust until no pattern is visible do you not card between rusting? You steam rather than boil. Do you place the barrels in a box with a humidifier? Do you etch with ferric chloride or sulfuric acid?

Hi Harry. Thank you for your comments.

I converted the rust and carded just like I would a fluid steel set. The rusting solution (Laurel Mtn Forge) is diluted to 1 part solution to 5 parts distilled water.

I do not have space for tanks, so I used a schedule 40 4" PVC pipe over a perforated stock pot lid, with a stock pot on a propane burner. The barrels are suspended by wire and a chromed automotive breaker bar.

I have an old 6' school locker that has been sealed inside. A compact crock pot rests at the bottom.

I used ferric chloride, I think somewhere around 15%, in the same PVC set-up. I have not had an issue with the vertical approach, except that I cannot see the activity. I submerge and remove and rinse quickly enough to not experience significantly uneven etchings. That said, if I had the space available, I would at least etch in tanks so I could see and test the etching while it is underway. As it is now, I have to etch and rinse outside with a garden hose.

[Bill Graham]

Originally Posted by Harry Collins

Do you etch with ferric chloride or sulfuric acid?

Hey Harry. I just got an old PH today that is entirely brown. Since it couldn't make matters worse, I'm going to degrease it, plug the bores, and then submerge it in a very weak muriatic acid solution to see what it does with the twist pattern underneath the crud. I've used that solution on barrel flats with a q-tip to see what it would bring out, and it could be an interesting experiment. I will post before and after shots here when I try it.

This one is a tight 1892, uncut at either end, and with a fishtail top lever. The safety hardly moves it's so gunked up.