I have a W & C Scott from 1870 finished in B & W and quite attractive. But the design is not nearly as well defined as modern trends. And it shows no evidence of the damned acid etching so common today.
Joe,
many barrel finishers use a very strong FECL solution to etch which can attack the metal leaving it slightly pitted. I practiced quite a bit with some of the published formulas for etching and found them way too strong and unmanageable. I reduced them dramatically and neutralize after each etch and have none of the undesirable micro-pitting that you sometime see. As was pointed out to me a by a board member who does excellent damascus work, many people place far to much emphasis the etch. Hopefully Barrel Browner will chime in, his work is the gold standard.
Steve
