IMHO, blacking fluid steel is very different than pattern-welded barrels. I use completely different types of wheels for each, and even yet different ones for Brown & White. Fluid steel is considerably easier, with the one exception being barrel prep, with the final grit being much higher. I have found that ragged wheels in some instances can leave scratches in the finish, and also lose considerable efficiency since Damascus and Twist require a little more aggressive carding, depending upon the rusting stage. It's much more of a build-up, tear-down process, necessary to achieve both pattern clarity and high contrast.
Just a little clarification between fluid steel and pattern-welded tubes, I also use a similar, six-inch wheel mounted in my drill press running in one direction for fluid steel. However, I don't use it for Damascus or Twist.
Regards
Ken
Last edited by Ken61; 05/07/17 08:19 PM.
