doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com "Damascus Anomalies" album-send pics!

We're now up to album #35 and I seriously need professional help
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=18015717
I've posted the pics from Ross and Doug. I agree with Doug that we're probably looking at the end of individual 'strands' of wire which were braided, then twisted around the mandrel.

This courtesy of Tom Flanigan; a Parker GH Three Iron D2 with an apparent weld line




So gentlemen: please check your damascus barrels for odd patterns, flaws, etc., take ultra-close-up pics like those posted, and send by jpg attachment to revdoc2@cox.net and thanks!

BTW: what would you give for a time machine that enabled us to visit E. Heuse-Lemoine in Nessonvaux (and speak French) and talk damascus barrel production with one of the workmen?! I don't want to give away too much, but Pete M may have found one!! More to follow.

revdocdrew:

According to W.W. Greener, there is an attempt in making the barrel out of rods but to make the barrel to appear to be made from 1 rod viz.; "By tracing the twist, a confusion will be found to exist for about an eighth of an inch, every six or seven inches; and from this appearance you may conclude that, for a barrel so joined, the welder had not the best price."

This may account for some of the imperfections or perturbations.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse
rse

Thanks Raimey-I'll add that to the intro page (but am not entirely sure what manner of 'English' that is )

revdocdrew:

If need be, I will attempt to take a pic of the pages it is contained within and email it to you.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Found another one guys. I think this is Leighton Stallones Remington 1889 'Fine Twist' hammer gun. Similar anomaly in the middle of the right barrel with a possible weld just to the right of it

Leighton sent two close up pics

The first with the flaw and a weld line



The second with several 'bullseyes' near the receiver, that he believes to be part of the pattern rather than related to the re-finish.

Courtesy of David Trevallion, 12b c. 1867 MacNaughton of Edinburgh sleeved from damascus to steel...back to damascus; with silver between all 4 joints. By John Foster and Graham Bull, England. Obvious crolle pattern barrels, but the rib appears to be laminated steel?





After the sleeving it was submitted for Proof at the London Proof-House; passed 70mm x 950 bar.

OK, not a Damascus Anomaly, but thought this was the best place for it:

http://www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=8276617



Pete

Thanks Pete.
I found this in the 1907 Greener's The Gun on p. 237

“The numerous twistings and weldings of gun-iron rods and ribands are fully detailed…and it must have occurred to the reader that the Damascus barrel is one mass of welds from breech to muzzle. This is so. Unfortunately a certain amount of burnt metal, or scale, is imbedded within some of the welds, and in the finished barrel this fragment of scale forms a “grey”…which will not colour in harmony with the other part of the barrel, but is made more apparent by the finishing processes of polishing and browning. These “greys” may appear some time after the gun has been in use, the hard metal composing the barrel being eaten into by rust…They are developed in the inside by the chemical action of powder gases, and are almost ineradicable. The harder the Damascus the greater the liability to “greys”…

I'm not sure the bulleyes on Leighton's Remington are "greys"

Drew,

Interesting observation by Greener. I have had barrels redone. In the process they had to be redone several times because some areas, or sections did not react to the chemicals in the same way resulting in an "uneven" look. I remember reading the same thing here by several different posters. Perhaps Greener is on to the reason.

Pete