Is there a desire for Damascus barrels or just the appearance thereof? If the desire is for the latter would it not be a lot easier to finish the externals of modern steel barrels in a kind of "faux Damascus" in a similar fashion to what is currently being done with some production knives? Greener notes that, in the old days, similar "tricking up" was done by laminating a thin layer of Damascus onto plain iron barrels or by by "decalomania".