Laminated Steel Patterns

[Brad Bachelder]

As with Damascus, restored laminated steel allows us to see exacting pattern variations. The top barrels are from a Parker lifter gun circa 1874. The address line reads "laminated steel". each tube is stamped with the letter L ahead of the barrel flats. The left tube is stamped 010. There are no English proofs at all. The pattern appears to be English Laminated.
The second set of barrels are from a W&C Scott hammer gun circa 1870's. Marked laminated steel. Obviously English Laminated. The bottom ribs are both simple wound steel.
The fourth picture is from a Parker hammer gun circa 1883. The type of steel is not identified on the address line. The right barrel flat is stamped with a large L and a smaller superimposed E. This pattern is typical Belgian Pointille laminated steel. I don't know yet how many different patterns exist under the classification of " Parker laminated steel", but we will continue to photograph, catalog,and post examples as we restore them.

Brad

[Dean Romig]

Very nice Brad. I wonder what gives some of the laminate a brownish hue in the pictures... does it appear brownish in the hand as well?

[Brad Bachelder]

Very nice Brad. I wonder what gives some of the laminate a brownish hue in the pictures... does it appear brownish in the hand as well?

Dean, part of that hue is the pictures, however in hand they do have bands of brown. we do quite a number of english barrels and most of the patterns have brown bands.I firmly believe that the english used two different types of Iron, one being high in carbon yielding the brown coloration. English twist, laminated and even most Damascus sets show this color. This brown combined with the fading of the black , I think is what led some refinishers to believe that English barrels were that horrible plum brown color. Acutally they were three colored.

Brad