Keith Kearcher always did the kind of dark brown, no contrast, finish that the previous poster pictured of Kirk Merrington's work. That is not what we're looking for. Is this rocket science or something?
More like art than rocket science. High contrast is not what I would call historically correct.
It is absurd to think that contrast or color would remain exactly as it was when it was done a century ago.
Unless it was stored in the dark in a perfect vacuum, further oxidation of the original brown would have ocurred, and the portions that were etched would have also developed some patina.
I know it is somewhat more difficult to get a high contrast brown and white compared to black and white, but I have never myself seen any explanation for that. I would venture an educated guess that the etching step which provides the contrast must work slightly more aggressively on different iron oxides. Brown rust is ferric oxide (hydrate) while the boiling step converts that brown rust to the black ferro-ferric oxide. A highly polished iron or carbon steel surface is more resistant to rust than a rougher finish... one reason many guys doing rust bluing or brown do not polish beyond 320 grit. The etching solution will not only remove oxide, but it will also cause micro-pitting on bare metal. And we know from all of those corrosion tests that even the best state-of-the-art gun oils will eventually permit some corrosion to occur.
That all adds up to the fact that is is probably impossible to know exactly what a century old brown and white finish looked like when it was new.
Trigger warning.....
