Background: I bought a Grade 2 Elsie (1896) a few months ago. It was pictured and described as having blued bbls. Upon inspection by my gunsmith, he informed me that they were in fact damascus bls. I wanted to bring back the look of the damascus bbls, so we set about stripping the bluing. The solution he normally used to remove bluing didn't do a thing. He ended up buffing the bluing off of the bbls. Barrels were a flat grey color at this point with the damascus pattern barely visible. He than applied muriatic acid, thinking that would bring out the pattern. It did not. Further research indicated that the aggressive buffing may have "closed the pores", thus muting the damascus pattern. My gunsmith says that this problem has gone beyond what he has the equipment or skill to do. He says it may require sandblasting to prep the bbls for browning.

QUESTION: Does anyone in Elsie Land know of any process and/or person capable of doing the process needed to bring these barrels back to their former "browned" damascus look?

I would much appreciate any recommendations and or contacts that could help with this challenge.