Sorry Doug, you must have been part of the same conversation, or name was similar. At any rate, never too late. The articles are still around, and Oscar derived a lot of info from Angier's book.
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Pete,
I may give Dale a call. I'm currently searching for a rusting agent that yeilds a lighter than normal color of rust for browning. I've got a couple of Angier's recipes in mind to try, but he may save me some leg work. I'm also curious about plugging the barrels. There isn't a process in refinishing damascus that would require vent holes in the plugs he uses. Boiling water won't harm the bores, and the etchant isn't hot, hence no expansion of air trapped in the bores during that part.
Jim