Not by any means wanting to disparage Doug's work, Beautiful it is.
However my personal preference for a field gun, which is what mine are/were, I actually prefer the matte/satin finish to a high shine. This does't mean it should be done just any old way, it still needs quality work done to make it look right. I am just not of the school where "Shiny" is the end all for every thing.
I used to go to a lot of antique tractor & engine shows. Many of them gave prizes to the "Best Restored" engines. The boys with the deep pockets who were having professionals paint their engines were winning all the prizes. They were taking them to body shops & having the castings all filled in & a shine put on you could shave in. The Real Engine men who did them original didn't have a chance. They got to complaining, said these engines were "Not Restored" not a one of them left the factories with anything other than a coat of paint directly on the castings, with all the pores showing. End result was they just quit having the "Contests". I believe that most of the older American Doubles did not have a high shine originally but had the matte finish.
