Well, one of the final aspects of the piece that was undecided utill the end was the finish.  One option was to paint it flat black (the original plan) , another was to polish the steel to a shine (an look I began to like the more I looked at the polished parts during fabracation) and a final idea was to patina it.  In the end I did a cold, gun blue patina.  I first ground all the steal down to a smooth polish, I then completely cleaned it with acetone and then sponged the gun blue on.  I let it dry and then lightly buffed it with a clean towel.  It was then sealed with 1 part mineral spirits, 1 part Penatrol and a dash of Japan Dry.

I’m really pleased with the way it came out.  It’s nice and dark and I was able to get out some great blue/green colors.