I've been an advocate of nitrocellulose lacquer followed by Renaissance for Damascus and Twist tubes. It's traditional, as well as being protective and beautiful. The problem is that solvent based cleaners play hell with the lacquer. When these guns were made Black Powder was in use, with water being the main method to clean them. No problem for lacquer. Since then, nitro powders have become the Standard, as well as plastic hulls. Now, cleaners have solvents in them, and unless you're very careful you can easily remove the lacquer. I suspect this has contributed to the pattern deterioriation of countless Vintage tubes, as simple oiling (due to my observations on my tube samples over time) does not stop deterioration over time, with black tubes turning brown, and a reduction of contrast and pattern clarity. None of this bodes well for working guns.

I started an experiment nearly a year ago and may have found a solution. Here is a picture of a Laminated section from my collection. It was coated with a modern rust inhibitor and left on my table, those of you who have visited me may have seen it. It's a little blacker when seen in person. It has not degraded over time. I applied Renaissance Wax shortly before the shot. There is a Grade Three Parker set next to it with a lacquer and wax coating for comparison. Please excuse the crappy shop picture, but I think you can see my point. The inhibitor/wax combination is probably more functional for a gun getting use.

theinhibitor.com

I have had great experiences using Formby's Tung oil satin finish. Goes on very wet, flows well leaving no streaks, and has such a small percentage of solids that when dry it is thin but very durable. Gives great depth to the barrel coloring. Also is the very best finish for engraved actions, not filling the engraving with gunk. For actions I use a 3/8" camel hair artist brush but for barrels a folded patch cut from a blue shop towel works best--no lint! I thoroughly degrease with acetone or lacquer thinner paying special attention to the crevasse where the rib meets the barrels. Best not to apply too thin but not so much as to run. Dries in one day.

Sauer 12 gauge sidelock circa 1895 treated with Formby's.

I found the same to be true with cleaners degrading wax, and posted about that in another thread. Interesting the compromise to lacquer finishes as well. I would prefer just using oil, like I would on any other steel barrel, but did try Formby's and liked the application and look. That said, feedback I was given here stated that the tint of the tung oil would mute the contrast. I'm not convinced the tint would really make much difference to the naked eye.

It does. The higher degree of contrast you achieve, the greater the muting effect. That's why I don't usually use it, unless requested by the owner. I do like it on the other parts of the gun, Joe's application method work's really well. Same with Watco Danish Oil. Same with most other products. That's the dilemma, finding a true clear coating that will stand up to regular use.

I'm still leaning towards the lacquer & wax method, but the cleaning procedure is different than fluid steel barrels, which are simply rubbed and oiled after use. With L&W, the point is to avoid repeated rubbing on the tubes in order to maintain the coating.

Here's my cleaning method, as all my guns have L&W. First I wipe/lightly buff the tubes with a soft cotton cloth. Then, I clean the bores first with a bore swab, then with a Tico Tool, both of which are lightly moistened (slightly moist only) with rust inhibitor. The bore swab provides the initial cleaning. The inhibitor works as a bore cleaner. I make sure no excess gets on the outside of the barrel. It's the slopping of regular bore cleaners on the outside of the tubes that causes the problems. I then use a bore brush if I think necessary. Once the bores are clean, I use the TT again so inhibitor is in the bores. The last thing I do is lightly apply fresh RenWax, letting the tubes set while I clean the rest of the gun. Lastly, I buff the wax, reassemble the gun, and it's ready for the rack.

It's a little more involved, but the few extra minutes is time well spent to maintain the coating and pattern.

Regards
Ken

We have a Klingspor store here, which I finally explored in depth, and learned the have RenWax, BriWax, a bunch different lacquers and oils, rottenstone, abrasives. Picked up some BriWax to experiment with, and some rottenstone to see how that step in Larry Potterfield's process works.

Nice to be able to buy locally.