E I DuPont's "Duco" as used on late Phila and Utica Fox guns was a nitrocellulose lacquer with added ingredient to make it somewhat more flexible when hunted in extremes of temperature. I'm quite sure it was sprayed to apply and suspect but don't know for sure that it had a coloring compound added to darken lighter shaded walnut. That Duco finish has become more brittle over the decades and as Craig noted, honest lower grade Foxes that were hunted will show chips, flaking, crazing, etc. The closest authentic finish you might do today is with Guitar nitrocellulose lacquer as available on Amazon and otherwise on-line in both liquid and spray cans. The liquid as applied using a small sprayer would probably give the best finish with a minimum of fine sanding between coats.
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