Thanks for all of the kind comments!!!
Franc,
Yes; I have a tremendous amount of time invested in damascus barrel making. I have spent hundreds of hours poring through books on damascus barrels and researching on the internet. I have a copy of the video of old barrel makers, that Pete Mikalajunas sells on his web site. I have watched this video frame by frame. I am certain that I have seen things in this video that no one else has noticed. I have also spent several months of shop time designing and making the tools that I needed and attempting to weld barrels.
As to making longer barrels; I believe that it would be possible for me to weld a longer tube. However, the finishing out of the tube into a barrel is problematic. With the tooling that I currently have, I think a barrel of 12 inches is about the maximum that I could accomplish. I have a Southbend lathe with an 8 foot long bed. Even that large of a machine is not big enough to accommodate the tooling required to finish out a long barrel tube. Of course, I could build the machinery and tooling, or hire a machine shop to do the work. If I hired a machine shop, I expect that I would have to show the shop how to make the tooling required and teach them how to use it.
As to what I am going to do with this barrel; I should first explain how I got to this project. I am a member of the American Bladesmith Society. I hold the rank of Master Bladesmith. The ABS has a testing program, where knifemakers may submit their work for testing and earn the rank of Journeyman or Master Bladesmith. The testing program has been in place since 1988. Since testing and ranking was installed, there have only been about 150 knifemakers who have passed the Master Bladesmith test. Due to deaths and retirements, there are currently only 114 active Master Bladesmiths in the entire world. Besides being a Master Bladesmith, I am also a gunsmith; though I no longer do firearms repair for the public.
Throughout history, there have been thousands of combination weapons made; incorporating a gun and a knife into one weapon. In recent history, there have only been a handful of people who have made these weapons. A couple of friends of mine (Bruce Bump and Ron Newton) have each made a number of these pieces. In the knife industry, we call them cut and shoots. As I am both a knifemaker and a gunsmith, it seems logical that I should also make cut and shoots. Bruce and Ron have made some incredible pieces and have earned a good bit of notoriety in the custom knife industry for their accomplishments. I figured that if I was going to be noticed at all for making a cut and shoot, I would have to create something extraordinary; thus my decision to use damascus barrels on the cut and shoots that I make.
The project that I made this barrel for, is my first combination weapon. The piece is basically a flintlock pistol, with a bowie knife blade on the left side of the stock. It is a side-lock. I designed the lock-work on my computer, using a drawing program. It looks like the typical lock, but the geometry is based on my calculations. I am in the process of building the lock for this piece, using damascus for all of the major parts. Only the internal screws and parts are not damascus steel.
Below is a photo of the lock, as of today. The oversize lock-plate will be cut to final dimensions after all work on the lock is completed. The lock-plate is not etched, but it is of the same damascus pattern as is the blade that will be on the opposite side of the gun stock. The lock rests on some of the drawings that I created on the computer.
Once I have this cut and shoot build completed, I will offer it for sale. This is how I make a living and I must sell the piece to stay in business. Due to the scope of the build, the price will be high end. But, as it also incorporates what is perhaps a historic barrel, the value of it should be considerable.
