Finish on a Long Hawken TOW Rear Sight

[Swede Creek]

Built my first Kentucky flintlock 55 years ago, as a high school shop project.    Had strayed away from muzzleloaders for a long time but got pulled back in after a visit to the museum of the west in St Louis.    Was taken by the rugged utiltarian looks of a Great Plains rifle, and got the bug again.     

Long story short, contacted the folks at Pecatonia and they shipped me the parts for a Kit Carson half stock percussion in .50 caliber.    However, I really liked the TOW long adjustable rear sight, so immediately went off the trail, with using the TOW long sight v.s. the typical blade rear.   

OK, getting to my question:   So what would be an appropriate finish for the rear sight?

The trim is all steel.   Will be sending the butt plate, lock, tang, trigger guard, and trigger plate to Alan Springer to have him color case harden them.   Will be using Mark Lees Brown # 2 for the finish on the barrel and under rib.     

?? Should I Just use Mark Lee's on rear sight ?   Or use something that gives it a more silver patina?   give it a heat blue (heat and oil bath)?      For context, I do plan to boil the Mark Lee's ... to give the color more of a plum brown.. v.s. the chocolate brown.

Have really enjoyed the forum.   Have picked up a number of tips and techniques that have helped me "get back into the game".     In the past 50 years, I've forgotten a lot of things, so the advice of the membership has been greatly appreciated.

[Clark Badgett]

Sight the same as barrel. Also need to color case the plug bolster.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I concur with Clark.  And correct me if I'm wrong, but won't boiling a browned barrel make it a rust blued/black barrel?

[smylee grouch]

I have never used Mr. Lee's solution but the one I have used will give a blue finnish if boiled water is poured over it like Taylor mentioned.

[Craig Wilcox]

Mr. Lee's will give a beautiful blue-black.  Hard and long-lasting.

[Swede Creek]

Thanks for the input!

RE: the boiling a ML # 2 finish... I had a hunk of leftover under rib and did a trial run.   Did 4 rounds of standard (apply ML # 2, card off) then did one additional round of ML # 2, then just poured boiling water over the part (really did NOT fully immerse and boil).    It came out a (IMO) nice plum  brown.... lost the chocolate and moved toward the purplish brown.   

Heading out of town but will try to get a pix of my sample !

[bluenoser]

In my experience, there is no difference between the Mark Lee bluing and browning solutions.  The difference is in the process.  The instructions on the Mark Lee website are much more detailed than those that come with the product.