De-rusting and etching Damascus gun barrel

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by RDGAC

Howdy lads and lasses! Been a little quiet here of late, not too much to keep me occupied on the ethnographic weapons front; my jezail's barrel's in the works, and another of the monsters on the way, but that apart, no developments. Except...

Having taken a look at Spunjer's thread on the Silver Surfer (I do like the name, by the by ), I've begun to wonder if it might be worth trying to sort out this Damascus barrel we've got on the Museum jezail. In considering this, I have obviously to observe two conditions: that I do it right, and do the right thing. To address those in reverse order: whilst I'm aware that the consensus, on the whole, is that museums (and indeed collectors) should seek to preserve the objects in their care in their current condition, rather than seek to restore them, I'm increasingly of the opinion that this is a special case.

It seems a tragedy to let the world see one more rust-encrusted gun barrel, when a quick strip-down, taking no more than ten minutes, will reveal that that barrel was once, and might yet be again, a thing of exquisite beauty. Don't we have enough aged, unrestored muskets kicking around? Or am I just getting consumed with my (entirely transparent) desire to see the whole barrel regain the appearance that only its protected parts now hold, and have before me a genuine example of the wonders of Indo-Persian craftsmanship, whose qualities I can at last show to our beloved punters?

Morally, I can't help feeling that the best thing to do would be to work towards the eventual goal of restoring the barrel as best I can. But practically - even if the argument is sound, in other words - we still have the problem of doing it right; this is point one, of course. How does one go about this? What are the risks? This particular barrel is, as those of you who saw my first thread here will have seen, badly rusted. Mottled with it, in fact. So the question becomes, how do I remove the rust and then, moreover, how do I etch the barrel? Is there a high risk of damaging the pattern in that process?* The practical question that vexes me the most is that of avoiding damaging the remaining pattern on the barrel's surfaces; if, in the course of rust removal (chemical, preferably, to avoid mechanically damaging the pattern), I remove the patterning I'm trying to bring out, it's a bit of an own-goal.

So, yes. Arguments and help, go!

* Do beavers mate for life? Is there any means of knowing if there is a god? Has anyone seen that tin opener I lost some while ago? Etc...

Salaams ~ This entire subject is, I believe, very important to the whole forum since rust is encountered on most weapons and everyone has their own formulas for cleaning; some better than otheres perhaps. I have had some success with lemon acid and the occasional disaster with car battery acid in over pickling the object. I believe an article on cleaning techniques could be the answer and suggest moderator guidance on a forum produced guide. Perhaps this could take the form of an announcement across the forum... I for one would like some guide on what are the best ways to de rust an item .
Much liked this article by the way !

[Lee]

Received from Ken:

Lynton McKinsey used a saturated solution of Boric Acid to remove rust from important pieces. Soak and card with a brass brush daily. It is a long process, but won't attack the sound steel.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Lee

Received from Ken:

Salaams,
Moderator Staff,
I believe there are scores of different techniques out there. Would it be possible to open a forum A TO Z to which members could add their cleaning ideas as the forum roles forward which could then be an easily accessible resource ~ and ongoing.

Ibrahim Al Balooshi.

[imas560]

Hello all,
RDGAC did you find a rust removal and etching process that produced the results you were happy with and would use again?
Did you try the Ferric Chloride?
thanks

[estcrh]

Here is a rust removal process used by Ian Bottomley (Curator Emeritus of Oriental Collections at the Royal Armouries Museum based in Leeds). This was originally posted on the Samurai Armour Forum, Ian has had a lot of experience stabilizing and restoring Japanese armor, his process my be helpful to some forum members.

All, I thought I would just publish details of a russet mask undergoing cleaning. The mask in question was very badly spotted with secondary rusting, some of which had developed into quite bad active rust encrustations. I used my usual mixture of boiled linseed oil thinned with white spirit in a ratio of approximately 50 / 50 - it isn't critical. The mixture was applied with a paint brush over a small area and allowed to soak in for a few minutes before rubbing the area with a chisel shaped piece of stag antler. You can see that it is working because the secondary rust comes off and forms a brown slurry which you need to wipe off with tissue. Some of the bad rusting was particularly stubborn and needed considerable pressure on the antler and repeated applications of oil to remove it. You can tell when you have managed to get the area clean because the antler slides smoothly over the surface. When finished it still looked a bit marked so I resorted to lightly rubbing the oiled surface with fine wire-wool. Again, more rust came off and gradually a fairly clean surface was obtained. I will give it a week or so for the oil to oxidise then I will finish it off with a coat of wax.
Ian Bottomley

I did think long and hard about how to treat these pieces as well as the consequence of doing nothing. I include a picture of the surface of the helmet which I have yet to tackle. You will note the extensive patches of secondary rusting, some of which are beginning to become serious. Rust is hygroscopic, attracting moisture from the atmosphere and converting more of the iron back to its stable oxide. Left alone, this secondary rusting would eventually have destroyed all of the original russet surface. I could have just covered the whole thing in a sealing coat of oil or lacquer, but to my mind it would have looked terrible. Yes, the treatment might take off a minute amount of the original russet, but very little if done with care. I also include an image of the surface of the mask which has had as much cleaning as it is going to get. You will note the slight etching of the original surface where the rust patches were. Sadly there is no way of restoring this damage, only making it as inconspicuous as possible. I will give it a light coating of wax in a couple of weeks which will help. When new, the helmet and mask would not have been covered in unsightly blotches of rust and I see no logical reason to keep it that way. The only downside may be that the surface looks slightly darker. Even this sis debatable since the original russet would have been oiled or lacquered to preserve it. The ultimate fate of all iron is to revert back to its stable oxide. Short of keeping it in a vacuum, all we can do is to try and prevent it reacting with oxygen and water. This treatment will only last a certain length of time, but at least it delays the inevitable.
Ian B

[RDGAC]

Hah! I got as far as getting the FeCl, but have yet to get round to trying it. Partly this was from caution, partly from lack of a suitable workspace, and partly from a lack of time. We're hoping to get a Heritage Lottery Fund grant for a refurbishment, so (in the hope that we will), lots of frenetic admin activity has been taking place over the past 14 months. It's all excitement and adventure, at least until the money runs out.

I like the look of this process, estrch. I've met Ian - he very kindly came to look at our small collection of Japanese swords from the 2nd World War - and he's a thoroughly good bloke, not to mention exceptionally well-versed in all matters Japanese arms and armour (as you are doubtless well aware). Any preparation with his seal of approval probably deserves a crack; this one, moreover, sounds a lot less potentially invasive than the acid route, albeit far more time-consuming. Only one thing puzzles me - where the hell I'm going to find a bit of deer antler...

- Meredydd (aka Harassed of York)

[Iain]

Antler technique sounds intriguing. New one to me! There seem to be plenty of antlers about on UK eBay. I'm in a rural area myself and shouldn't have a problem to get a piece. The results displayed look promising, however I would imagine steel wool and oil would get the same result?

[DaveA]

If you are looking for an abrasive, I highly recommend that you control the grain size. Other members have commented on the need to control hardness and force used when removing rust. Grain size in your abrasive is also important.

I have had excellent fortune with a product called "37-948 3M Micron Polishing Papers" available from Amazon and elsewhere. It comes as a 6 piece pack of 8 ½ x 11 inch papers in assorted grain sizes ranging from 30 microns to 1 micron. They are color coded so you can easily recognize which is which; otherwise it would be very difficult. The particles on the paper are micron graded aluminum oxide and silicone carbide in a slurry that is affixed to the very flexible backing material. When you work with grains at the micron level, it does not leave visible marks and it is easy to control how much material you want to remove by choosing the right size. The smaller grain sizes, when used in sequence larger to smaller, bring a super luster shine to the metal. That said, if you use the 30 micron size with lots of pressure and over a long time, you are definitely stripping more metal off than you should!

The 3M papers are nearly indestructible and the papers can be used again and again. The paper does not rip or separate, even with vigorous use. I typically cut a small piece for easy handling. They work wet or dry, on flat or curved surfaces with ease.

Best Regards,

Dave A.

[Dmitry]

DaveA, can you post examples of the work you've done with the 3M papers? I'm always keen on finding new ways to clean and preserve. Thanks.