I am in the middle of bluing some barrels now. I`ll go with ATF
BUT I have a question, when you blokes are boiling your barrels, do you have anything in the water>> IE caustic soda or anysuch
Cheers
6878mm:
I prep barrels to 600 W-D grit as a final finish, then clean-prep with acetone.....
I use only pure rain water for boiling in the tank,
with nothing added.......
Caustic blacking solution of your choice --(I pour some of the solution into a wide mouth glass jar for ease of application to the patch)-- apply two coats each pass, drying in between each coat, onto the barrels while they are warm applying with a new clean soft cotton patch each pass, boil each pass for 5-8 minutes, card with a new clean 0000 steel wool after drying each pass.....Usually 8-9 passes for a nice black finish, less passes for blue or matt finish....
Like any refinishing
the preparation and attention to detail will determine the final finish quality.....
I drain and clean the tank after each set of barrels.....
I hope this helps....
Cheers,