[The Virginian]

I have repeated the process as many as 10x to get the right color so, 5x might not have been enough. Did you use a mild stainless steel wire brush? Sometimes over sanding and using brushes with steel that is too hard can cause details to get fuzzy. Boiling too long can also cause the blue to appear black, but give it time to "age" as it will mellow to a blue grey over the years.