I would think that a shop or an individual who has been color case hardening long enough to earn a reputation of high regard in replicating original color will have long ago gone through the 'trial & error' phase where they might have crystallized the steel. I'll stick with the professional who doesn't make such mistakes. But that's why I am asking these questions.
A lot of DT's colors these days are much too dark solid blue and not like the bright translucence that he used to produce much earlier, and much like the Remington Parker colors CJO showed in his pictures.
I know all about the differences between Parker Bros. color case hardening process vs. Remington's processes in later years... I am NOT looking for the chemically done colors such as cyanide which was used by Remington in the thirties and forties.
I have to agree with Dean, the colors that I have seen from DT in the last few year (just talking Parker colors) are too dark blue (or deeper blue) and different from his earlier colors (yes I had a few done by Doug in the early days of Creekside shop). I consider Doug a friend, so I am not taking sides just my observation. I also have a Colt SAA that Doug did so perfectly that no one would know it was a complete basket case that Doug would not even show before and after pictures because as he told me, "I will never take on another project like that" !
