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Plum Brown

3K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  Strut10 
#1 ·
I'm currently working on a new rifle and just used Birchwood Casey Plum Brown on my metal parts(but not the barrel yet). I've browned a few guns before which came out great, but first time with this product. I wanted to try a few small parts first. I cleaned them with denatured alcohol, heated them in the oven then applied the plum brown. I re-heated 2 more times and hit them with the plumb brown. After they cooled I rinsed with water and dried them, buffed lightly with 4x steel wool, and gave them a coat of gun oil and let them sit over night on a rag. They looked really good at this point, but over night they seemed to rust some more and there is a thin layer of rust I can wipe off with my finger. Is this common? Will this rusting stop if I keep buffing with steel wool? Any advise is appreciated before I hit the barrel.
 
#2 ·
I've used Plum Brown before and it'll give your metal a rich, browning. Just card it again and keep giving it a light coat of oil. It will eventually stop but it's nothing to worry about. After 42 years, the gun I browned still has a nice finish to it.
 
#3 ·
I used the Mt Laurel. They kill the rust process by washing the parts in a baking soda slurry. Rinse. Towel dry. Heat. And then I sealed with boiled linseed oil (wipe excess.

After two very wet late seasons, zero rust.
 
#4 ·
I used Plum Brown on several rifle kits I built back in the 70's and 80's. I have since gone to Wahkon Bay browning solution and I like it a lot better. No heat required. It gets a final covering of boiled linseed oil and is a durable finish. Color of a Hershey bar.
 
#6 ·
Everything came out really well. I re-did the parts I had heated in the oven and used a torch. It seemed to get a better heat. First I used BC gun scrubber which totally degreased the part. Hit it with the torch and gave each part 3 coats of PB. After each part I washed them with a mix of dish detergent and baking soda, dried them well and oiled them. Let sit overnight, then very lightly hit them with oooo steel wool with soaked with oil and then buffed them with a cotton t shirt. Lightly oiled and let them sit a couple days. everything looks really nice. Now on to finish sanding the stock....
 
#7 ·
Saw a guy's Hawken today that had been Cerakoted plum brown.

Mighta been a hair too much on the plum side of brown for my taste. But, I guess, there are lots of different shades. So likely one would suit my eye better.

From what I understand, Cerakote is basically only vulnerable to Kryptonite. Tuff stuff.

I may consider it someday on my gun.
 
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