Restored Damascus
 

For us Parkerphiles who enjoy properly restored Damascus, here is a recently restored set. Upon close inspection, one can almost detect the presence of four colors, as opposed to simple black and white. This set has an exceptional top and bottom rib, demonstrating very unique patterns from what we usually see. Enjoy!

Nice 3 Iron 'Oxford' D3 Brad. Did Channing do those barrels?

No Drew, he didn't do the barrels, but like Shake & Bake chicken, he sure helped alot. Channing and I do the barrels together.

I added the last pic here Brad
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfg2hmx7_192fcpp4khn

Brad,Absolutely stunning work!:bowdown: Please send me your address I have a set of twist barrels to send ya.

Fantastic Brad! I would love to have some turn out like these; have to give it a try some day. BTW Drew, are we going to do a "Damascus-in-the-Desert" this year?

I'd like to Greg (and Phil) but maybe at Ben Avery. I'll make a post on all the Forums in the winter and see what sort of response we get. Some Fox fellas are also interested.
I guess another option would be to meet in Sonoita and chase some Mearns together in Jan. Lots of rain this Monsoon on Las Cienegas :)

Dave thanks for the interest, by the way all of our barrel work is of the same calbre.
You can contact us at Bachelder Master Gunmakers, 1229 Michigan N.E., Grand Rapids MI 49503. 616-459-3636. My wife Lori will direct your call to me. Thanks, Brad

Thank You Brad... I will be in touch.

Drew I was out this weekend down south. We have been recieving some rain, hope it keeps up. The Mearns should be very good if the rains keep coming. Took out my A2 and shot some pigeons for my new shorthair. Let me know if a doubles in the desert is on this year, I will help where I can. Otherwise we will go chase some quail .

Phil........i want to go!:rotf:

Here's a picture of a P grade Bachelders did the case colors and the barrel.
Looks to me like the receiver was dirty or had oil spots left on it during the process?

Travis after the great job you did on my barrels how could I possible ever say no. I will be posting my DH completed project this weekend.

Phil

Phil........i just have to get there right?:banghead:

That's right, and be sure to bring your good hunting boots. My GSP's can cover a lot of ground.

Here is a sample of our bone charcoal color case. Dave's P grade receiver was done with a different process using tricalcium phosphate color enhancing. In that process the gun isnt restored like it would be in traditional bone charcoal color case hardening. Rather it is a less expensive way to add some color to a shiny shooter. Our traditional bone charcoal process involves tireless hours of polishing, as well as total degreasing. Here is a very similar P grade we recently totally restored.

Well, I received a phone call from Brad Bachelder. And in all fairness to Brad, he wasn’t aware of the situation, and has offered to redo the case colors, at no charge. Which seems more than fair to me.

Original Parker color case hardening.

The original colors are difficult to duplicate although I have seen it done. Bone charcoal case coloring does it best although a skilled applicator with the cyanide process can come very close. Cyanide processes do not have to result in tiger stripes and gaudy colors. I am not familiar with other coloring processes.

Highly engraved surfaces do not hold the colors as well as non engraved surfaces, but regardless there is a tendency to get the colors too thick and heavy so that they look painted on. Jay Shachter showed me some of Brad's work at the UP shoot that Jay had on display and I thought it was pretty good.

Its very hard to judge case colors from photos and without the gun in hand, as so much depends upon lighting. For example, the B shown below can under some light conditions look dark whereas it looks light in the below photo.

Sweet pics Bruce!

Bruce, which of those pictured have been recolored and which are original?

All are original.

Bruce ;The gun with the Quail on the sides of the receiver,do you know if this is a special type of engraving or is the engraving so much more in depth because of a higher grade gun? You see other high grade guns that don't really have this treatment, just curious ,this is very nice ! Cabelas have a BHE 12 Ga. at their Pa. store with very similar engraving, is your gun a B Grade as well ! The guns are all very nice condition !

Russ, just normal cut quail engraving on a CHE. Rem Parker gun and the quail you sometimes see as a variation.

The bead sculpted gun is a 1911 BHE. About a box of shells through it.

I posted those photos as examples of correct and original Parker case hardening colors, which vary. Those can be compared to modern attempts to duplicate colors and people can make their own decisions. I will say that inadequate finishing, buffing the frame, and failure to remove oil can leave the frame and engraving worse looking than it was before.

Bruce, great pictures! Thanks for noting the fact that engraving obscures the case pattern. UV rays, solvents, and handling, serve to wash or lighten the vivid colors produced by the factory. It is my belief that surviving original examples, affected by these factors, are significantly lighter in overall color and definition of pattern. New color case looks fresh and new, and our goal is to duplicate original colors and patterns as close to factory as possible. In my 35 years of gun restoring, I have yet to discover a way to mechanically emulate the effects of time, other than hunting and shooting with your Parker everyday.

Brad

NICE ! Thanks Bruce.

Thanks you Bruce for the nice discription, the Quail almost look shaded ,this is why I ask about the engraving, I keep looking at my DH 28 Ga. and debating sending it to Turnbulls but the gun appears to be original and conforms to the factory letter , I wish it had a little more condition ,as to case colors but really I wouldn't want to do anything to ruin the originality of the gun while I am the " care giver "with that being said ,it sure would look pretty with" correct " case colors back on her !

While beauty is always in the eye of the beholder ( therefore we have Ogden Pleissner salmon river paintings and Elvisii on black velvet) , I think you have to ask yourself if these guns would be improved by re case coloring.

The first is the Adm. Fletcher AH. Note the scene off Annapolis and the sailing rig offshore.
The second is the little 2O ga CHE with the single wood duck on the bottom.

Bruce; You are an intelligent fellow, point well taken, I don't believe you could improve on either !!! I never really looked at it like that, You search and search for good quality original guns and you get wrapped up in the colors and bluing etc. but when you look at it like that, it's plain to see high quality and non messed with can be as good as it gets ! One more thing,I keep selling and swapping and saving, I am waiting to hear that little beauty with the roundel engraving is for sale !

There's a long line for that one Russ :)

AW ,Come on Dean ; Give me a Chance !!! :rotf:

I have no intention of selling it but it is fun to look at and shoot.

No arrows on the rib markings. Unusual for a 1904 gun.

We had three C 20's together for a Kansas hunt last January, two damascus barreled and one fluid steel.

xxx

xxx

I LOVE THAT WOODDUCK !!!!!

Bruce, I just happen to have one of those CH guns without the arrows at each end of the rib inscription. I say 'rib inscription' because it was not done with a roll die but was engraved. This one is obviously a Bernard barreled CH.

Hey, you guys just keep giving the rest of us more reasons to buy another !!

The very early hammerless guns had hand engraved rib inscriptions, but by the mid 1890's all I have seen were roll stamped. The early hammerless ones sometimes omitted the arrrows, but this one is unusual because it is a 1904 gun and should have had the arrows. It is roll stamped.

Bruce,
I don't have any pictures handy but my 1902 Whitworth barrels have the inscription engraved and are also without the arrows.

My CH Bernard is ser. no. 84088 an 1896 gun. I wonder what determined wether the rib legend was roll stamped or engraved within the same grade?

My BH grade Damascus gun #84709 is roll stamped with arrows and so is D grade #84212.

Is it possible that Parker didn,t have a roll stamp for Bernard guns? Does anyone have one?