Thanks for posting the picture Steve. These two barrels were done many years apart the one on the right is the older set and when you look at them in the flesh it has a plum tint to it, there is not much of a difference in the formulas used but my belief is the chemicals have changed a lot over the years especially in the last eight to ten years and this is part of the problem, formulas I used for blacking and browning for years no longer worked as well so I have had to experiment and adjust things, finishing barrels is a lot harder now than it was ten years ago, perhaps chemicals are too pure these days, some chemicals are no longer available, I have a recipe for black and white that I have never tried because I cannot get all the ingredients. Samuel Johnson my grandads father was working in Birmingham before moving to London, in 1925 his advertising leaflet offered etching, black, blue black, Brown and white, chocolate brown, and black and white. As for contrast you can play around with them to improve it but you can only pull up what is there, some barrels have a great pattern but poor contrast others the opposite sometimes a cheap old Belgium gun would have stunning Damascus with a cracking contrast. the metal also plays a part in the final colour, Dickson barrels come up one shade some Greener barrels another, I once saw some Damascus pistols my grandad had finished with the brown and white pattern, the lighter strip had a blue shimmer they were stunning sadly I have no idea how he did this. Sorry I don't think I have really answered any questions other than its getting harder to do this work. pictures of different shades can be seen here.
https://www.facebook.com/StevensAndJohnson
