The baking soda is used after submersing in the acid bath. Carding is done after boiling and before the acid bath.

I believe it is both. In Flanigan's tutorial, the converted black oxide soot is carded dry, and then there is wet and gentle carding with the baking soda slurry to help remove what the etchant attacks. Regardless of the tutorial, I'm going with the consensus of using steel wool for any stage of carding.

All done with my first set. Dale Edmonds was kind enough to discuss the finer points with me, which was very generous of him.

Looks good. Hard to tell from the photos, but watch your carding in the hard to reach places. The cracks of the ribs look awfully dark. Could just be the photo.

Thank you. Yes, hard to get to, and I'm not set up well for taking photographs, so it's likely both. I could have etched another time or two for more contrast, but I decided to let it be. When I find some more material, I'll test out some more techniques and focus on those trouble areas.

Great work!!

looks really good to me...charlie

These are from a Smith hammer gun I finished this week. Still without a logwood tank, but hope to have one sorted out soon.

These photos are mid-day, overcast. They'd look brighter overall in direct sun perhaps, and then possibly over-dark inside a room. The hue is the same in person, even though the underside looks lighter, it isn't really. Four coats of wax.

I still find myself using baking soda as a soft slurry for carding after etching. I like it. In a way it's flexible, in that you can use less or more, impregnating some steel wool or just fingertips, depending on how you need to deal with irregularities in the effectiveness of the etching. Calcium cabonate (whiting) is what Dr. Gaddy wrote about, and will try that also, but the soda accomplishes the same purpose and neutralizes the acid. Still working on it.

On the list to sort out is the coating of the bores with urethane or shellac without making a big mess.

Do not use scotchbright pads to card; they will scratch the barrel surface because they are too rough. Stick to 0000 steel wool. Also carding with baking soda slurry makes for uneven results.

I don't use Scotch Brite pads. The slurry I make is very wet, about the consistency of cream and works well.