As promised a few weeks ago, I am ready to post pics of the forend inlay that I had done on my Dickinson Estate .410. I've had it back for several weeks but wanted to do a refinish on the wood before posting the pic(s).
I cannot express how pleased I am with the job Mark Larson did for me. He was extremely easy to work with and knocked it out of the park, IMHO. I requested ebony and did not specify jet black ebony (Gaboon?). I'm glad now that I didn't, even though I did have black in mind.
There will be "before" forend pics and an after. I drew roughly what I wanted it to be shaped like on the wood itself with a "lead" pencil, but asked him to use his artistic talents to fine tune the size and shape, and of course, symmetry. Being a Libra, I'm pretty anal about symmetry.
I just finished up the refinish on the wood a couple days ago. It consisted of three applications of the 1:1 Tung Oil and Marine Spar Varnish + mineral spirits + Japan drier sanded in with 320 grit wet-and-dry, one application sanded in with 400, and one with 600. Then, four applications of the 2:1 finish itself diluted with mineral spirits, then softly wiped off with a clean, soft flannel cloth. It bears small resemblance to the wood finish it carried when I bought it new.
Before . . .
![[Linked Image from jpgbox.com]](https://www.jpgbox.com/jpg/75741_800x600.jpg)
After the sketch I did . . .
![[Linked Image from jpgbox.com]](https://www.jpgbox.com/jpg/75742_800x600.jpg)
The finished (pun intended) product . . .
![[Linked Image from jpgbox.com]](https://www.jpgbox.com/jpg/75743_800x600.jpg)
And, the buttstock after the refinish . . .
![[Linked Image from jpgbox.com]](https://www.jpgbox.com/jpg/75745_800x600.jpg)