I have an imported over under shotgun with an engraved receiver that is a bit too bright for my tastes. I would like to darken the recessed areas to both highlight the pattern, as well as dim the overall effect. I'm sure most here know the look I'm after.

When I was a kid building plastic models I used to paint the chrome parts with black paint, then wipe away the excess, leaving some paint behind to make it look more realistic. Ive thought about trying the same technique, but wanted to ask if there was a professional gunsmith trick to doing this correctly. I would appreciate any thoughts or advice.

when I have french greyed receivers in the past I have used India ink. Rub it in to the engraving, wipe off excess, let dry and go over with a pink eraser. The ink is left in the engraving cuts.
Steve

In my engraving, I use Giesswein antique flat black. It has very fine pigment and adhears well. The technique I use is to put a light coat of the paint on by dopping the areas with a Q-tip. Let it dry for a couple of minutes and use a smooth leather pad to "palm off" the excess on the high spots. It's easy to do. Hope this helps.

I have to show my lack of knowledge here and ask how French Greying is done. I like the look but have never seen it explained.

Von Gruff.

Generally, it is ordinary rust blueing that has been treated with an acidic solution to lighten the color. That leaves the hardness and corrosion resistance of rust blueing and a lighter, nickel (the coin, not the process) color. Hence the other name: coin finish.

Specific techniques are often closely guarded.