for your consideration...

I have been intrigued for some time with the process of "Japaning" ferrules and reel seat hardware.

This was an accepted pratice for many old dead guys. It's not as easy as it looks and yet is.

This was sent to me, yet again, by Royce Stearns in Oregon. He's more than getting the hang of it and I hope to learn some good things from him.

Now these two pictures really don't do justice to just how nice this piece of metal looks, but it's damn pretty. It's something I would like to offer at some point and there is still some lot of work to be done but I like it.
If one wants to "truly" blacken a piece of nickel-silver...Japaning is absolutely the only true black I have seen.
Even the original Payne Formula, as almost perfect as it is, will leave you an oxidized, blue/black (black pearl) beautiful finish, but it's not truly black.