doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com American-made Damascus

I cant find the article right now but an old gun report article mentioned that Charles Sneider went to England and made some fine barrels and may have made some for his guns. I have two Clark and Sneider guns and one Sneider gun. Ill see if I can get some better pics taken later. Maybe one of the other Clark and Sneider owners (who know a lot more than I do) could comment further. My hammerless gun has a more unusual pattern.
Clark and Sneider Barrels
Ross

Wonderful information Ed. I will shortly resume refinishing a set of Parker G grade hammergun damascus barrels. The gun was shipped in October of 1877. This set of barrels is interesting in that they are different than most of the G grade barrels produced on later guns. While they are the typical three iron crolle pattern, the scrolls are much larger and, in my opinion, produce a more dramatic effect than the usual Parker small scroll barrels. It may be possible that these barrels were produced in Meriden and not imported. I have not seen barrels like this on later guns, so who knows. Its an intriguing thought.

EDM,

Please let me know when you go to press. I will definitely pick up a copy. I will start looking for a trace of John Blaze.

Nope not me at Vegas.

Pete

Here are pics of the Damascus barrels on my early #2288 Parker 12ga. I didnt post here because the pics are too large and make reading the text too difficult.
Ross
Parker Barrels

Parker

Ed, that Pete is Peter B not to be confused with someone new called Peter B around here. Congrats on this information. You are getting better, grasshopper.

Ed,

I was able to locate John H. Blaze.

In the US Census of 1880
Page 39, Supervisor's Dist No 60, Enumeration No 895, Line 41.
159 Crompton, Worcester, MA.
John Blaze, boarder, married, age 70, occupation Blacksmith.
no wife listed at this residence.



He also shows up in the Worchester City Directory for 1878 (residing at 50 Beacon) and 1879:


And in the 1881 Worchester City Directory.



Tracing him back to England, he appears to have come from Lincolnshire, as a John Blaze, of the correct age, is recorded in the 1851, 1861 and 1871 British census. This last is a best guess, as I do not have full access to those records.


So as you stated, it appears a master blacksmith, well trained in the making of damascus was recruited and came to Worchester to impart his knowledge.

Pete

'W.W.Greener once commented how the English makers favored barrels that shot the best (English Laminated)'


....how does a barrel shoot best?

Cdr Gunther's Sneider article is in The Gun Report, May 1992.

From my observation of a few guns here------

Wesson [no name] has Laminated marked on the rib.

Ethan Allen [trapdoor] has Fine Laminated marked on the rib.

Ethan Allen [trapdoor] special order gun has Best Laminated marked on the rib.

In 1869 the Allen guns had Fine Stub Twist for the $100 gun, and Fine Laminated for the $150 gun.

Meanwhile Parker offered Plain Finish-Iron Barrel for $50, Superior Finish-Iron Barrel for $75, and Laminated Steel barrel for $100.

Whitney's sold for $60 in 12, 13, and 14 bore and $70 for 10 and 11 bore. No mention of the barrel material. But, two samples here show unmarked Laminated steel on one and the other is marked Homogeneous Wrought Steel on the rib. This last gun seems to be a very early one.

Daryl

June, 1909 Outer's Magazine had an article written by Uncle Bob Edwards. The article -------------

In 1861 Edwards went to work in Brookton, an Ithaca suburb, where there was a barrel factory with 25 men. They made steel barrels for the U.S. Government, and iron and stub twist barrels for the country gunsmiths and gunmakers of the period. The stub twist barrels were made of horseshoe nails brought in by the country's blacksmiths. From 1861 to 1865 Edwards worked at barrel making, and " to the best of his knowledge is today [1909] the only man in the United States working at barrel boring who ever made twist and damascus barrels"

Daryl