doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DIY Gunsmithing @ doublegunshop.com Damascus refinishing is fun!

You sir have a talent. I have re-done several barrels, and not well. You and Ken can have my share.

Thank you, but you're too kind. They're taking me longer than I want them to; still working out the details of the process I like, and acquiring better tooling. Practice, practice.

Are you looking for "Constructive Criticism"?. If so, anything I point out will be offered with a solution. If not, feel free to decline my offer. If you prefer, we can do it by PM.

Regards
Ken

Yes, I am interested in constructive criticism, and solution recommendations. I am not in the position to attend a school per se.

Feedback here, on in PM, is fine with me. I wish to qualify upfront however that my means are limited, my interest in the craftsmanship of this process is high, I've done three sets and wish to do more, and someday perform a modest amount of this work for others as a second career.

OK,

A few points. First, the good. Pattern clarity is fine, with no egregious faults visible. I can't tell by the pic, but the pattern should go all the way to the rib, without any dark lines between the pattern and the rib. Tell me if a line is present and I can offer a solution.

Now the bad, but not too bad. Your crolle is nowhere near filled. Too much intermittancy and light lines. The fortunate thing is you have an example of nicely filled crolle by looking at your first effort. You should strive for the same results. This goes back to a point I made earlier, smaller crolle requires many more cycles. Not only rustings, but etchings as well. How many cycles of each did you perform? For me, three iron often takes over 20 rustings and four or five etches. I would judge your barrels to be about half done, still needing the all-important light rustings to fill the crolle and bring out contrast.

The other negative I see is the rib. These ribs have very nice patterns, yours is nowhere near visible. Again, more cycles. Also, I see what may be the beginnings of streaks, which are major faults to be avoided, mostly by proper prep and carding.

All-in-All a worthy effort, and once these issues are addressed you'll be much happier with your result. You can just continue with the cycles as they are now, and progress until the issues have been resolved.

Or, you can reject my critique and be happy with them as they are.

Hope this helps.

Regards
Ken

Terrific council. A few questions for clarification:

* What order to the alternating rust/etch do you subscribe to? For example, multiple rustings (browning or boiling), and then a single etch after a certain number? Or, rust, etch, rust, etch, etc? I have tried it both ways.

* Wax or lacquer at the end?

* Do you coat the bores, lug and/or lumps with anything to save having the clean them up at the end. I'd prefer to not have to do so much clean up.

To answer your questions:

* I did about half as many passes as you state is needed for 3 iron.

* I have pattern all the way to the rib, and along the sides of the rib, but poor photography skills/environment. I use black plastic putty knives with a bevelled edge to press steel wool into the area between the barrels and ribs for carding.

* The rib itself is showing pattern, faintly.

Thank you. Very kind to provide this feedback.

First, an initial etch before the first cycle. After that, I etch each time before I dilute the solution by half. Usually, after three to five rusting cycles. So, generally, for three iron it's five etches with around 20 rustings, with the fifth etch at the end. Sometimes more cycles and etches, whatever I think is necessary. It's all subject to how the pattern and contrast are developing. Once I can barely see the pattern, it's time for the etch.

Lacquer, allow ample drying time, then Renaissance Wax. Spraying lacquer is better than brushing.

I coat with shellac, it's easily removable with alcohol.

Easy on the rib and rib edges, they won't be so bright and it'll allow the pattern to build. Be aggressive with rib joints.

Regards
Ken

Things are getting better, rusting to the point of barely seeing the pattern, and then an etch. It looked well done, and I lacquered it, however it's darkened more than I expected and I think I'll need to strip the lacquer and etch again.

Thoughts for today are how to estimate the lacquered/waxed end result appearance, while the barrels are completely dry. Additionally, I've found it difficult to stock the etchant on the entire barrel quickly enough to not risk the production of some irregularities in the contrast.

You're omitting two steps. After the rustings, the barrels need to be cured, usually by soaking in an oil, then they are degreased, polished, and finally lacquered.

Etchant is best used in a tank, such as a PVC tube. I believe Stallones has said he brushes his on, so it must be a matter of technique. I brush on vinegar for a clean up, I do it very quickly.

Regards
Ken

OK, now I see. Yes, missed that in the written process. It wasn't discussed with the fellow who shared his process with me, so I lost track of that.


I use a PVC chamber for an etchant tank.

Starting to get a little better I think.