Dale's process is basically the Oscar Gaddy "Parker" process.

Anyone looking to get into Damascus Barrel finishing should first get copies of Oscar's articles and go from there. Any variation from the process would be strictly dependent on individual circumstances from person to person doing them as well as environmental.

Dale told me that he was told many times by people that he should document and write an article on his process, he said there is no need since it all has already been written down by Gaddy.


Dale's retiring has left a hole in this field, from both a quality and reliability standpoint. I intend on eventually trying to do my own in house, but that falls by the wayside in my lack of free time to devote to R&D. And I am still looking for a reliable supplier to get my Dam refinishing done by. I have one hopeful now that is doing some trial work for me. We will see...

Tom Flanigan's tutorial is an adaptation of Dr Gaddy's
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...z_9HMDdv4/edit

Dr Gaddy’s Damascus Refinishing Technique
Double Gun Journal , Vol 8, Issues 2 and 3, 1997 and Vol 14, Issue 1, 2003
http://www.doublegunshop.com:80/foru...page=1&fpart=2

I spoke with Dale for about an hour and a half's worth of great advice. I do have a math problem for the forum. I am mixing 3.5 liter solution of 10% Ferric Chloride. The ferric Chloride is a 38.4% concentration. The following are my naught naughts:

38.4% X = 10% 3.5 Liters

X = 10% 3.5 L divided by 38.4% (10% 3500 ml = 350)

X = 350/.384

X = 911.458 Milliliters

Almost 1/3 of my 10% ferric chloride solution will be ferric chloride. Its been a long time since I've had to do more the add and subtract. Please let me know if I'm on the right tack or off on a tangent.

Kindest, Harry

Forgot to mention that 912 ml FeCl3 + 2588 ml deionized H2O = 10% FeCl3 3500 ml solution. Or am I crazy?

Gaddy's article in DDJ states "15 percent dilution of commercial ferric chloride at room temperature" I take that to mean 15% of commercial product at its strength. I could be wrong but 1fc to 6 or 7 water seems to do alot.

Thanks Den. Every time I reread those articles I find something new.

Based on my talk with Dale, one place where he varies a little from Dr. Gaddy is by doing multiple brownings before any boiling. I've found this to work well. Less effort involved to brown multiple times to establish a respectable pattern contrast, and then commit by converting the rust.

I've also been having good results from carding the etchant with a very wet slurry of baking soda. This is in Mr. Flanigan's process. It gets the job done, is controllable, and baking soda will neutralize the etchant, which has to be done anyway.

Multiple brownings before boiling is more like the "Parker process" that Gaddy wrote a separate article on. This process had a boiling in logwood and ferrous sulfate at the end.

I have confirmed that the above calculation for a 10% Ferric Chloride solution is correct.

Harry

In one of the records of Dr. Gaddy's account of the Parker Process, it states 7-10 rustings before converting the rust. Then the process states to etch for 5 minutes, and then you should be able to rub off with a finger tip what the etchant removes. Does this sound right? That's a lot of bluing done before the etching, so maybe 5 minutes is required.

I've got two sets going now. One I'm doing this way, the other is being done the other way Dr. Gaddy articulated, which is rust, boil, etch, rust, boil, etch, etc. I tried it multiple ways, with different variations here and there, but for these I'm going to be very strict and do a comparison between the two processes.