browning metal

[GutHook]

I just ran across the thread about using Plum Brown.  It got me to thinking about the time I had trying to get the browning even on my Lyman GPR last year.  It took some doing, but it finally turned out.

Anyway, regarding browning, I have a question.  I had a guy tell me that if you weren't in a rush, you could do something in the way of peeing on the metal (over time) to get a nice brown effect.  Has anyone else ever heard of that?  If so what is the process?  Before modern chemicals, how was it done?  Thanks.

[Ramrod]

You are talking about a cold rust brown. Many chemicals can be and have been used to start the rusting, and yes, pee has been one of them. The idea is to keep the barrel damp, and to card off the rust every day, until the desired level of brown is achieved. Obviously, you want the bore well greased, and plugged up too.