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No experience with it, several products offered on the market, but I was wondering if the end finish is durable, a couple of the advertised products call for a clearcoat as a last step. That sounds like the blackening is not durable at all. Only reason I'm fooling with stainless take-off barrels is I have them laying around.


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I've only "blackened" stainless with two finishes. The first finish I can't do at home and had to send it out, that was melonite.

The second finish I do at home and it's very durable. I use molybdenum. I get it from John Norrels, his company calls it moly resin. You need an oven long enough to fit your barrel and a gunsmithing thermometer, since the one on your oven isn't accurate enough. And don't do it when your wife is home, otherwise she'll complain about the smell.

The surface has to me slightly roughened with some sand blasting. If perfectly smooth with bead blasting or polishing, the molybdenum finish won't be durable. I found it works best with stainless but also good with regular steel and it is least durable on aluminum. My guess is that it works better with metal that has longer heat retention, but I'm not a chemist or metallurgist, so that's just a guess

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No experience... But my brother bought a new (circa 1969) Rem 700 BDL 7MM Rem Mag with a factory Blued/Blackened? stainless steel barrel... That rifle has been as far north as northern Alaska and as far south as the Louisiana coast in the last 54 yrs and the barrel still looks nearly as good as when it was new...

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Originally Posted by flintlocke
No experience with it, several products offered on the market, but I was wondering if the end finish is durable, a couple of the advertised products call for a clearcoat as a last step. That sounds like the blackening is not durable at all. .......

Lots of detailed information readily available that mostly says true blackening of the stainless steel metal is an EPA regulated hazmat producing industrial process including such fun things as molten salt baths for actual blackening.

All over including bore or exterior only is another major concern.

As for a top coat and durable durable under what circumstances of abrasion or chemical (including atmospheric water) exposure? BirchWood Casey suggests:
Quote
Black oxide finishes do require a sealant of some type because the black finish itself has a porous crystal structure. Although the sealant is primarily responsible for the corrosion resistance, the underlying black coating acts as an absorbent base, holding the sealant in contact with the metal substrate.


Durable enough; remember that for many years many people complained about holster wear with gun coatings and complaints have lessened with more careful higher heat applications.

I suggest for a first approximation deciding on the objective. Coloring stainless steel or coating stainless steel? Folks have been known to plate with mild steel then color the mild steel or paint with anything from undercoating/bed liner for protection to a full range of Cerekote and competition brand colors.

Not much point in cutting and pasting industry instructions and anything less is liable to be incomplete and misleading.

As always YouTube is full of folks showing how they did it - mostly smaller pieces that are easier to handle for uniform results than a barrel - while Birchwood Casey and others offer full and complete instructions on the process in general and the use of their respective products.

Last edited by ClarkEMyers; 02/06/23.
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Early .17 Remington barrels on the BDL 700's were stainless. They were copper plated, then blued.

Probably doesn't add anything to the OP's question...just a little factoid.

Good shootin' -Al


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Originally Posted by Al_Nyhus
Early .17 Remington barrels on the BDL 700's were stainless. They were copper plated, then blued.

Probably doesn't add anything to the OP's question...just a little factoid.

Good shootin' -Al

Interesting. I've had a bunch of trim pieces re-chromed on British cars over the years and always sought out platers who did it correctly by what we called "triple plating". That entailed plating a layer of copper first, then a layer of nickel, and finally the chrome. Made for a very durable job, with kind of a "depth" to the finish that's hard to describe. It was all about providing the best substrate for the subsequent layer.


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I got no problem with the appearance and utility of browning as found on muzzleloaders...which is heavily copper based...maybe I will play with some stainless scraps, see if it will take. I just can't abide stainless, subconsciously suggests pimps and cardsharks I guess.


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Originally Posted by ptmn
I've only "blackened" stainless with two finishes. The first finish I can't do at home and had to send it out, that was melonite.

The second finish I do at home and it's very durable. I use molybdenum. I get it from John Norrels, his company calls it moly resin. You need an oven long enough to fit your barrel and a gunsmithing thermometer, since the one on your oven isn't accurate enough. And don't do it when your wife is home, otherwise she'll complain about the smell.

The surface has to me slightly roughened with some sand blasting. If perfectly smooth with bead blasting or polishing, the molybdenum finish won't be durable. I found it works best with stainless but also good with regular steel and it is least durable on aluminum. My guess is that it works better with metal that has longer heat retention, but I'm not a chemist or metallurgist, so that's just a guess

Brownell's has this product. The secret is preparation. I have tried it and it works real well on the phosphate finish on like an AR upper or lower. Just make sure all oil and finger prints are gone. Steel needs glass bead blasted to get the right finish. kwg

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...quid-ptfe-moly-gun-finish-prod24784.aspx


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have it blued

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I you want durable, have them black nitrided. Not a DIY project though.


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