Years of exposure to oxygen and UV light will turn a black ferric oxide back to a brown ferrous oxide. Theoretically, boiling in water will reverse it back to black. Properly cleaned and degreased, I believe it would work. Please share your results.
Most of the barrels I’ve worked on have some problems, pitting, dents and other issues that require more preparation for a good refinish than a simple degrease and boil.
Parker used a logwood dye decoction for the boil to enhance contrast. Logwood is not lightfast. It was outlawed as a textile dye in Victorian England because it faded when exposed to light. Luckily there are fixatives that are known now that alleviate that problem.
The question about the iron being black and the steel being white, or vice versa, deserves its own thread. I honestly don’t know the answer, but I have theories. If carbon content is the key, know that contrary to logic, pig iron has a much higher carbon content, 2.5-4% versus steel at around 1%. But then wrought iron has a carbon content down at .5%. So what type iron and what type steel was used in pattern forged barrels that made those elements different enough to create the contrast?
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