Good observation Craig, and yes, Steve would likely know
Henry Wilkinson, 1841
p. 70 Part III “On The Manufacture of Fire-Arms, And Modern Improvements”
http://books.google.com/books?id=0XJeF_oa3SMC For the finest...barrels, a certain proportion of scrap steel, such as broken coach-springs, is cut into pieces and mixed with the iron by the operation called puddling, by which the steel loses a considerable portion of its carbon, and becomes converted to mild steel, uniting readily with the iron, and greatly increasing the variegation and beauty of the twist. In whatever manner the iron may be prepared, the operation of drawing it out into ribands (rods) for twisting is the same. This is effected by passing the bars, while red hot, between rollers until extended several yards in length,
about half an inch wide, and varying in thickness according to whichever part of the barrel it may be intended to form...
The New American Cyclopaedia: A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge, 1859
http://books.google.com/books?id=kL9PAAAAMAAJ ...6 bars alternately with as many of steel, and the whole be then forged into one, and rolled into rods 3/8 of an inch wide, which coiled in a spiral produce the Wire Twist barrel; or into rods 3/8 of an inch square for being converted into Damascus iron. For this purpose each rod is twisted to the number of 14 turns to the inch, by which its thickness is doubled and its length reduced from 6 to 3 feet; three of these rods are then so laid together that the twists of the middle one run the contrary direction from those of the others, and the whole being heated are welded together and then rolled into a rod
11/16 of an inch wide for coiling in a spiral.
John Bumstead,
On the Wing: A Book for Sportsmen, 1869
http://books.google.com/books?id=Um8CAAAAYAAJ Notice whether the barrels are made of laminated steel or stub-twist; the difference is discoverable in the figure. The former is variegated and beautifully blended, while the latter runs around the barrel in a simple plain spiral. One mark of a good gun, to be noticed in the selection, is that the riband of iron forming the barrel in a spiral form, and welded, can be seen where the welding-line meets. In good and high-priced guns they are
6/16, and in the low-priced guns they are
5/8 of an inch in width.
Appleton's Dictionary of Machines, Mechanics, Engine-work, and Engineering, 1873
http://books.google.com/books?id=zi5VAAAAMAAJ “Gun Barrels”
http://books.google.com/books?id=zi5VAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA936&dq This is effected by passing the bars, while red-hot, between rollers until extended several yards in length,
about half an inch wide, and varying in thickness according to whichever part of the barrel it may be intended to form...
Scientific American Supplement, Dec. 1, 1888
“Manufacture of Damascene Gun Barrels in Belgium”
https://books.google.com/books?id=1vI8AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA10762&lpg Among the Liege makers five patterns are said to be in especial request, namely the “Bernard,” “Clou,” “Turc,” “Boston,” and “Crolle.”
For the “Damas Bernard it is necessary to have 81 rods (really wires) of iron and steel superposed one above another in 9 different lines. The iron wire is 14 mm square, the steel 12 mm, but when welded and drawn out, the rod thus formed is only 8 1/4 mm square, and is cut into lengths of 50 cm.
The “Damas Clou” is made in a somewhat similar manner, except that the number of iron and steel wires entering into the mass is only 26 instead of 81. In this case the iron wire is 12 mm wide by 6 mm thick, and the steel 12 by 4 mm. The mass is also cut in lengths of 50 cm, and drawn out to a thickness of 7 1/2 mm.
The “Damas Turc” is nearly similar in character to the “Clou”, with the exception that a finer quality both of iron and steel is used, and that the steel wire or thread is 4 1/2 mm thick instead of 4.
The “Damas Boston” is very similar to the “Damas Clou,” but is inferior to the latter.
In the “Damas Crolle” 16 iron and steel wires are employed, the iron being 12 mm wide and 10 mm thick, and the steel 12 by 7 mm.
12mm = about 1/2"
(No mention of Laminated Steel)
