Metal finish ideas?

[Bugflipper]

With the old guns that have had decent care there is usually a hint of a brown rust patina on them. They are black but have a very subtle dull brown on top. If oiled it disappears and turns to deep black. So I guess it could be described as a flat brown hue on top. I like that finish and would like to try and duplicate it. Pictures I have seen of brown bluing usually look to red for what I am thinking of. I'm looking for ideas on how these custom builders recreate that. So basically wondering if you can mix brown and black cold blues? Maybe brown rust blue a black barrel, if that's even possible? Or maybe some ideas on what will force a patina on metal. Maybe even stripped down to bare metal and soaked in vinegar for the dark gray patina look? I just haven't seen pictures of browned rifles that didn't have the red tint. Maybe I haven't seen a good looking one though. With the old black I will post a pic to try and show what I am talking about. Just looking for ideas and maybe pics of what you fellows have done. If you used a commercial product and can remember what it was that could help to.
Thanks

[bubba.50]

with cold rust brownin' solutions such as laurel mountain forge you can boil it for 10 minutes and get a black finish. then ya can rub it back with steel wool til it gets the worn look yer after. if ya sign up over at the muzzleloading forum ya can learn more about it than ya ever thought there would be to know. besides all the info on the boards there's a pretty thorough tutorial on it. luck & have a good'en fiend, bubba

[JonnyReb]

 Bug your're going to love that renegade, it has that deep blue/black but brown hinted surface you speak of, a patina of sorts and much deeper than anything on a newer rifle. I have no doubt you may still strip it to achieve a more worn look, but still look forward to hearing your reaction, particularily after reading your post. I wish I could reliably get my other, newer rifles to look like that.  Jeff

[Bugflipper]

Okay Bubba, I got registered on that one to, will snoop around after they approve it. BTW got that sent off the other day so look for it next week. Thanks


That's good to know JonnyReb. May not have to do much to it then. I have heard of people moistening coffee grounds a little and soaking metal for a day or so to stain it. On knives I soak them in distilled white vinegar and it gives a gray to matte black parkerized looking finish depending on how long it sits. That is with bare carbon steel though, no idea with a blued barrel. I have also used crushed up black walnut hulls in vinegar and gotten a very dark matte black patina. 1095 rusts easy down here with the humidity. The forced patina  helps out by pre rusting it I guess? They don't get the red oxide rust on them anyhow, so guessing the black rust seals the metal a little. It beats keeping them soaked with oil all the time.

[Mike in Virginia]

I knew an old man (long dead now) that built muzzleloaders.  The way he finished his barrels was to degrease them, plug the barrel an vent hole, then leave it outside in the grass.  Every few days he would card it with fine steel wool and then put it back outside.  All the while he was working on the other parts.  I only got to see one of his finished barrels.  It was not evenly rusted, but pretty good for such a simple method. 
My best results have been with the solution Track of the Wolf sells.  I built a plywood box with pegs to keep the flats of barrel not touching the wood.  Put wet rags in the box and a very small lightbulb of low wattage.  Carded the barrel everyday.  The end result was a deep chocolate color, very even.  It soaked up a lot of oil.