Bren Gun Metal finishes

[Topfmine]

I was having a close inspection of the Bren gun pictured with Ronnie the Bren gun girl, seeing as its a freshly produced Bren gun, i noticed that the ovrall finish is parkerised with the barrel finished in a darker shade which i suspect is a black oxide blued finish. I was wondering what other parts on a Bren gun were finished in a black oxide and what parts were left unfinished like small ball catches and pins etc. A similar contrast of finishes happened with the war time M1 carbines, as carbine bolts were first blued and later parkerised during refits. We all know that Bren guns and other weapons were suncorited by the armourers even painted in greens and buff colours, the finishes i am talking about are factory finishes but it would be intresting to hear about other finishes.

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[Peter Laidler]

Up to the introduction of the far superior in every way bead blast, phosphate and hard bake paint finish from, say, 1944 onwards, the earlier finish was a controlled corrosion. Only while the finish was a controlled corrosion, you could easily re-start the corrosion part of the process to make it a totally UN-controlled corrosion finish.

[Brian Dick]

I suspect the Inglis Bren barrel looks darker because of the difference in the steel of the body vs barrel. The dark grey manganese Parkerized finish is the same but the color varies for this reason.

[c310pilot]

Brian,
Do you have any Suncorite left?

[Topfmine]

I suspect the Inglis Bren barrel looks darker because of the difference in the steel of the body vs barrel. The dark grey manganese Parkerized finish is the same but the color varies for this reason.

Yes you are right, it seems hardness and softness of steel and the content of nickel or chromium plays an important part in the shade of a phosphate finish. I have also seen small parts that have been blacked or blued, obviously made at a different factory where they have no phosphating facilities.

[Brian Dick]

I have very little paint left and need it for my own projects. Unfortunately, I won't be offering up the service anymore unless I can find some more. Sorry.

[c310pilot]

I have very little paint left and need it for my own projects. Unfortunately, I won't be offering up the service anymore unless I can find some more. Sorry.

What would you say the closest US available finish would be? Have you ever used ceracoat?

[Brian Dick]

To be honest, I really don't know. I reckon I should find out as I'll be needing some sort of paint to replace the original stuff. I've never used Ceracoat but have heard it's very tough. Powder coating seems to be the big industry innovation of the past 20 years or so too.

[Peter Laidler]

I would say that the best and nearest paint would be any spirit based oven drying exhaust manifold paint OVER phosphate. Simply because by definition it must be a like-for-like paint and system. The oven bake dries and cures it (that's the important part) and the fact that it will stand the temps of an exhaust tell me that if it'll take that, then it'll take the temperatures of a GPMG/Bren barrel. And in the great scheme of things, if it'll take that then your average MG, SMG or rifle is home and dry

[bentwrench]

Most of the semi-builders are using Duracoat or an equivalent applied over fresh parkerization. Duracoat is then oven cured. The result is very close to the original and very tough. I have seen various combinations of phosphate, paint, and bluing on Bren parts I have come across. I have even seen some butt slides that were left in the white.