I guess I'm not very observant either. I was there to see these barrels when they came out of the box from Dale. Asa and I had each sent Dale a set of barrels at the same time to save on shipping costs. Dale completed both sets at the same time and sent them both back for the return trip in the same packing for additional savings. I think what looks like a coating on the rib, is a matter of the photo and lighting. True, a picture doesn't lie. But as Bruce said, It's nothing real noticeable to the naked eye, or at least the naked eye with glasses.
My barrels were the Dam-1 barrels I showed a couple months ago with the very large Damascus pattern. Asa's barrels have O.L. Norsworthy engraved lightly on the rib ahead of Parker Bro. In phone discussions I had with Dale, he said he was afraid the light engraving would be obliterated by the various carding steps. He offered Asa the option of having the engraving re-done, but Asa opted to keep the rib original. So, it appears Dale did just that.
Dave
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