Thank you all for the very kind words, and thanks to Daryl also for posting the results. Daryl's gun was tailor made for this project, and I'm glad it turned out reasonably well. Feel free to contact me if you have a similar or derivative project in mind.
As an oil painter, the old master techniques such as sgraffito (scraping away), scumbling, and transparent glazing that I have developed over the years in my paintings are now serving me well in this parallel endeavor. Oil-based gun finishes can be manipulated in subtle ways to mimic wood grain, although it requires a thorough understanding of color theory, and an understanding of the working characteristics of modern (mineral) and organic(earth)pigments and oil-based gun finishes. To be frank, it is a fairly difficult process that has kicked my rear a time or two when I was starting out, but if certain guidelines are followed, one can manipulate and control it easily enough.
Most of all, I'm glad to be able to contribute my skills to the gun fraternity writ large. As a 16ga. nut and someone who has been stricken with Lefever Fever, I have come to really, really love fine guns in general. Working on Daryl's beautiful Hollis was pure joy
