Greetings all, first post, but I have been lurking for a while and have found this to be a great place to get good information on S&W. I have been a S&W fan for practically all of my life.

I'm trying to find out all that I can about S&W bluing methods. I know they used the proprietary "Carbonia" method after WWI (aproximately) but I am really curious about what they did before that. I have generally heard they heat blued using organic carbon sources (eg bone/wood charcoal) but that's about all I know. What did they do 1870-1920?

More than anything I'd like to get my hands on a book or two that provide a lot of details.

I do a lot of my own gunwork and have built and modified a number of firearms. I just picked up a nice 1896 HE that is great except 60% of its finish is gone, but it still has good markings, a good bore, and no bad pits. I figure it would make a nice restoration subject. But I'd want to use a period-correct bluing method.

Any help would appreciated. Except I'm not looking to touch off a "should I refinish or not" debate. I am $150 into this gun and am ok with the possibilty that it's value would be destroyed by my hands. Might feel differently if it was a nicer specimen...