Black or Brown?
 

As new, were Parker twist and Damascus barrels high contrast? Were they black and white or brown and white when new? I had Turnbull refinish a PH over 25 years ago and he did them brown and white. I remember seeing a Remington in really mint condition that was black and white. I've never had a chance to see a truly mint original Parker first hand yet.

Black and white. Plenty of photos posted on multiple thread of original twist barrels.

I will agree that Damascus barrels and probably Twist as well, were black and white but we can’t paint all of Parker’s composite barrels with that same broad stroke.
I once owned an unfired, near mint, Grade-1 T/A 16 gauge hammer gun on the lightened 0-frame and with Laminated Steel barrels that were the prettiest dark chocolate brown and plum brown mix I’ve ever seen.

These pictures don't really do the plum color justice.

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That is really nice Dean. Would I be wrong thinking most English guns were that brown/plum, as compared to the black/white American doubles.

That's what I've heard and read Harold, but I really try to stay away from most anything but American classics. There's simply too much to know and it's a little late for me to get started learning about them.





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Kind of off topic, but I didn't see it (yet) in The Parker Story, but what is a T/A gun Dean? Is that a stamping of makers?

Sorry Andy - it’s a Top Action (top lever) as opposed to a Lifter.





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T/A = “top action” (as opposed to a lifter).

Dean’s third photo, above, shows a top action.

-Victor

off topic-have a friend with a lifter 10 ga I'm trying to get. Hasnt been fired in a hundred years. Barrels are good, stock has several cracks, 30" barrels. Of course then I'd need a 10 ga loader.

Wow...I feel kinda dumb now :eek:

Don’t feel that way Andy. These are some of the nuances of learning about Parker’s that we will continue to learn over time. You can never stop learning

Don’t !!
There are no dumb questions around here.





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You guys are awesome, thank you. JUST pulled the trigger on a VHE two minutes ago, will post photos when she comes in and all is proven OK. Will be my first one other than my Repro.

Like Dean I have a very nice laminated barrel T/A hammer gun that lettered as having been returned to the factory around 1903 for "rebrowning" of the barrels. This one also has a nice brown/plum colour. Generally speaking the Brits browned their barrels, but W.W. Greener wrote that a high contrast black/white finish was used in some cases especially where harsh conditons were expected.

The letter on my DHE 16 Titanic steel, states it was returned in 1910 for rebrowning, obviously they were still using that term for rebluing.

Original black & white Twist colors under the FE with the barrels "plum"

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL.../306366701.jpg

Grade 0 Laminated Steel

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL.../304215745.jpg

Austin's 4 Iron "Turkish" D4

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL.../304169916.jpg

Baker, Lefever, Ithaca & Hunter Arms were all finished in "black & white" unless specified otherwise

Bro. Walt's Crass 4E with "American Flag"

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL.../342319658.jpg

that Ithaca really stands out....charlie

My Grade 3 Ithaca Crass had plum brown chain link damascus

All american makers finished in Black/white.

Some will age to a brownish hue.

In regards to the OPs mention of turnbull giving them Brown/white. As far as I know Turnbulls shop has (Maybe not always) subcontracted out their damascus finishing. At that time they were likely using Kearcher, which would fit the Brown/White description as that is how his finishing tended to look.