It been mentioned a little, but I think Doug's nice work has quite a bit to do with the prep he does before he starts to blue the barrels. Some mirror surfaces have good finish application, but reflect ripples and distortion.
That is correct Craig....I don't use any wheels, buffers or power tools of any kind, all my polishing is by hand to the level required by the customer based on his requested finish. I have my own way of preparing barrels, blacking/blueing and finishing barrels which I have learned "by doing" just like anybody else.
Anybody can rust barrels, it is the preparation that is labor intensive. Just like painting a car or airplane, the better the preparation and details, the better the final finish.
Preparation and detailing is the hardest part of refinishing barrels. Since this is the hardest part, and very hard on your fingers, in many shops this is left to the lowest man on the totem pole sorry to say.
Somehow in our modern world, we have kicked hand craftsmanship to the curb in favor of the almighty dollar/pound sterling/euro/yen etc.
Granted, the market for more expensive hand craftsmanship with quality refinishing is not nearly as large as the "cheap and dirty" process.......
