Quote:
Originally Posted by jefferyconnor
I looked around the internet a little bit. I may have been remembering reading about ferric chloride which is evidently used as a step before carding in basic finishing. The dip time is referred to as very short, like 10 seconds for that purpose. Does anyone recall it's use to freshen up Damascus finishes? The other possibility is logwood which blackens traps. Has anyone ever tried boiling old barrels in a logwood solution?
|
I have boiled old brown barrels to bring back some of the black finish. It works, but not the same on every gun. I guess it depends on the degree of brown. I wouldn’t use ferric chloride to try to get contrast back on old barrels that are not to be totally refinished. Ferric chloride will diminish the dark parts of the Damascus barrels also but to a lesser degree than the “white” areas.
On guns to be totally refinished, I card before the ferric chloride bath and I dip five seconds at the most. I have used Logwood but found its effectiveness minimal. I no longer use it. I would caution against using heroic means to try to restore original barrels with contrast. Other than boiling, they should not be messed with unless they need a complete refinish.