Pete, are you talking about the bright frames with black background?

When I do French gray finishes, taking the bluing off the scroll, the background has been stippled with a single point tool and remains somewhat dark but to highlight the engraving I mix a very small amount of lampblack into some Renaissance wax and give it a couple of coats, then two more without the lampblack. Gives good protection and highlights the engraving.

Sam Welch