Name that pattern

[Jim Kremmel]

Originally Posted by Harold Lee Pickens

My PH 16, circa 1891 letters with Twist steel barrels per the Order book. The stock book says Plain Twist. What is the difference between the two?
The rib inscription says Twist.
Sorry, meant to start a new thread, but dont know how to move it now.

I asked the same question a couple month’s back, and I’m not sure I got an answer as to whether there is a difference. My barrels from 1907 were identified in the thread as “plain twist”, and they are marked “twist” on the barrel.

[Drew Hause]

I appreciate the link that I provided has lots of information.

Here is the short version.

Plain Twist (and Stub Twist) are 2 of the many patterns that fit under the general category of "Twist" - thin strips of alternating steel and iron which are "stacked" into a "lopin" WHICH IS NOT TWISTED (as is crolle damascus) before being run through a rolling mill at high heat and pressure to form the rod, which is then wrapped around a mandrel and helically welded to form the "rough forged tube"

This is a segment of Plain Twist which happens to show the end on rod when it was added to the ribband - the white is iron and black is steel



So for practical purposes, when a U.S. maker labeled their barrel "Twist", or a lower quality Belgian gun was marked "Laminated Steel", it had the appearance of "Plain Twist"

This a Dr. Gaddy's English Twist, Plain Twist, Common Twist, Birmingham, or “Scelp/Skelp” sample segment, which was referred to as "Wire Twist" by W. Greener in 1835.



It is likely that Parker Bros. DID source some Twist (and Crolle Damascus) from Birmingham for Lifters, but certainly the vast majority of top lever guns had "rough forged tubes" sourced from Belgium.