doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DIY Gunsmithing @ doublegunshop.com getting color back into Damascus

Is there an easy home remedy to get color back into Damascus? Nothing too difficult, I heard of lemon juice and vinegar, but not sure how it works. Any helpful ideas would be great, I plan on finishing up with Renaissance wax, but would like to get some color back before I do, if possible. Thanks for all your help!!

Not really, at least as far as maintaining contrast. If you resort to quick fixes like Cold Blue, contrast will be lost. An etch can possibly improve contrast, (not on cold blue) but if the steel color is light, it will likely be lighter still.

More rusting cycles, boils, and etches is the sure way.

If someone out there has different methods, please post it.

Regards
Ken

The only mixture I know that works to re-brown patches on Damascus barrels though I am strongly not recommending its use at all because of the high toxicity. So it is just for information and another reason why our Victorian workers did not have long lives they could purchase anything.

2 fluid ounces of Alcohol
4 fluid ounces distilled water
1/4 ounce Mercuric chloride
1/8 ounce copper sulphate.

You just swab over the patch you want to re-brown it rusts the area in about half an hour, then use wire wool to card and blend in. Not forgetting we Brits live in a very damp maritime climate and anything that can rust will rust!
It was the folly of youth that had me convince my local friendly dispensing chemist to make it up so I could try it.

Yeah, the pattern is there just faded, I think I'll hold out for a professional refinish or touch up. I did soak them in oil and gave them a good scrubbing with frontier pads, got most if not all the rust or discoloration off, top coat of NuFinish and they look really nice. Thanks guys!

MY 2 P's worth and i have no science to back up why i feel this is the case but its just the sum of my experience; take it or not. Method below gives results i describe below on traditionally browned damascus barrels.

Years ago when i had my first damascus nitro gun, i shot it solidly through two very cold seasons pheasant shooting wearing some proper woolen gloves. After Two years of this my wool gloves had polished my nice brown barrels white around the forend and the gun looked quite tired as a result.

Around this same time i had got into black powder and was always told to protect the bores of my old black powder guns after cleaning with veg oil. Barrels still warm from the boiling water which i cleaned them with were liberally coated inside and out with veg oil and stored barrels down.

I noticed that for whatever reason it seemed to be that the pattern in the barrels looked renewed somewhat.

At the end of the following season i decided to deep clean all my guns, scrubbing all the bores with fairy liquid and hot water cleaning all parts and mechanisms and realized i didn't have enough oil for the job; all the old guns were treated with the veg oil treatment and again after a few weeks in the cabinet i noticed a renewed pattern on the worn gun. I have no idea why it should be the case but i think worth mentioning.

The improvement was discernible, try it, see if it works for you.

If barrels are basically in the white other than a faintly etched pattern; you will need to re brown.

Vinegar & lemon Juice are both acidic & will probably remove what bluing you have left, which would degrade your pattern.

Vinegar in particular is commonly used as a bluing remover.