Doug, I think you just took the oft stated notion that it is a waste of time to polish finer than 320 grit, and blew it right out of the water. Beautiful work!
Doug,
What was the final grit used on those barrels? Did you go beyond 400?
Ken
Keith and Ken:
Some people say it is a waste of time to go beyond 320 grit because at 320 grit the "porosity" of the metal surface "makes bluing/blacking" much easier. The steel surface with
more open pores and not as slick accepts the rust bluing/blacking solution at a faster rate making their job easier.
Going beyond 320 is by no means easy, requiring lots of extra polishing and work. The bluing/blacking process is much more difficult requiring more work and more attention to detail.
It's not for everyone, but I've been doing this for 55 years since I was a teenager and I have my process quite well defined
and I really like the results.
I still do some field grade guns at a lower polished level as requested by the specific customer.
Best Regards,
