Is there a home shop method of getting a grey finish, similar to a Browning Pigeon grade?

TIY,
Brent

depends on your home shop.....Now that I'm done being a wise ass, maybe I can help. I have the original browning dircetions for thier service centers. I could never lay my hands on the clear baking enamal they used. After much research I ended up using a clear auto body finsih thined down some. You also need to fill the engraving with black india ink. It took a fair amount of crap to pull off and I'm not looking to do anymore really, but not that hard either. If you are interested in what I used let me know, I'll dig it out of the rack of crap. requires a cheap airgun and a compressor, the results were as good as factory, if I don't say so myself.
Steve

I bought a Pigeon Grade Trap gun that someone had removed the factory finish and left the metal in the white. IMHO it looked better that way. I tried (without success)to find out what the finish was from Midwest Gunworks.

Ken

Brent,
Ken Hurst has mentioned etching with a toilet bowl cleaner.

Another would be to glassbead blast the surface.

I was experimenting with blueing/etching damascus with the RadioShack circuitboard etch and got a slightly etched (frosted) surface that was grey, after rustblueing with Pilkingtons and then etching.

The original finish is nickel plateing
bill

Bill,
The Superposed Pigeon grades that I've seen were a silver grey color. The only nickel plating that I'm familiar with is a yellow color like that on the K80 I had.

I'm going to try to lightly etch a small part starting with the tidybowl and move up in strength as needed. If it comes out well, then I'll finish the frame and clearcoat with baked enamel.

Thanks all!

Brent,
Give that rust blue/circuitboard etch a try on a sample as well, if you can find the time. I thought it was a real nice 'French grey'.

I will.

Yeti --- I have found that Lysoj TB cleaner works on color cased guns along with a wad of steel wool. It will produce a dark grey finish as you remove the color and progressively get lighter as you continue to polish with steel wool and TB cleaner. I like the lysol as it tends to cling to surface. Afterwards, I wash part with soda water to kill any remaining acid particles, boil in fresh water for a few minutes, dry and coat with oil. Once cool,I wipe down and use/store as usual. Works for me, Ken

Brownells sells baking lacquer in matte clear and recommends it for a French Gray coating.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1143&title=AEROSOL+BAKING+LACQUER

OB

Ken,
I'm going to try that - but I am starting with a polished, case-hardened gun, not a color case hardened piece. I'm going to experiment a bit on some small parts on the fore end.

Brent,
If it's that Miroku o/u, I think it's 4xxx series steel martensitically (thru) hardened to somewhere mid 30's to low 40's RC, and not case hardened. But, I could be wrong.

Yeti, it should still work. Might take a bit longer to get that grey look you are looking for. I have found soaking the parts in a "REALLY" dirty diesel crank case oil helps some. I believe it is the small amount of sulfuric acid that develops during use that's why I prefera oil that has been needing a change 4 or 5 cycles ago --- more acid build up. There is just enough acid to ever so lightly etch (yet leave a sheen) the surface & I believe the filthy oil tends to impregnate the pores of the steel some. Maybe this helps with the light grey color. FWIW, Ken

Here's Chuck H's Greying recipe - a pass of rust blue then ferric chloride etch. It's just what I was shooting for, a soft grey. The metal was highly polished before starting. I think some of the old rust freckling shows back up after the etch, as it was hidden by the polishing. Not a big deal, just a 'note to self'. I cut the Radio Shack etchant by 50% with water.