Thanks much Frank! More specific than I had imagined and I'm sure of some help in understanding the process.

There are several advantages to using a charcoal blue finish with custom work, especially engraved parts as the bluing shows the engraving at its best with no surface changes associated with rust bluing. One must remove ALL of the scratches and I would consider 600 grit required for a great blue. Some form of this process was, and still is used in England for double shotgun small parts such as trigger guards, top-levers, inspection plates, etc.

The action of this custom Marlin '94 was charcoal blued and the hammer and lever case colored by Doug Turnbull. I rust blued the barrel and nitre blued the screws. (Engraving by Michael Dubber.) There is a companion New Model Number 3 Frontier Target, (with work by Hamilton Bowen) but I don't have good photos.


Really sorry I missed you on your visit to Montana, Frank. Although only a workshop with no retail location, I welcome visiters as so many craftsmen have welcomed me into their shops at all stages of my career. Quite a few folks come through the area, as you know it really is God's country, and I almost always have time... BTW, very few know of my passion for S&W revolvers! Next time, don't hesitate! And thanks again for the references.
Best,
Steve