Damascus colors

[Parker Bachelder (Brad's Profile)]

The age old name used for the process is "browning".The ultimate color is dependent on the use of live steam for conversion from brown to black. Steam converts brown ferric oxide color to ferro-ferric black. In all of the accounts that I have read about the "Parker browning process", the steam room was used for conversion. Live wet and dry steam is the best converter to accomplish the correct contrast and color for a black and white finish.
In time black and white will somewhat brown as ferric is more stable than ferro-ferric, but is still black and white.
It is my belief that all Parker composite barrels were finished in black and white.

Brad

[wayne goerres]

This may be a dumb question but what is live wet and dry steam.

[Parker Bachelder (Brad's Profile)]

Wayne

Live steam is generated by a boiler. Wet or dry refers to the degree of humidity in a room or a cabinet. In the conversion step of the process the level of humidity and temperature are critical to convert without rusting. If the steam causes red rust, the humidity is too high or the temperature is too low. It is a delicate balance.

Brad

[wayne goerres]

Thank you for the explanation Brad. I would like to see this proses.

[jsd245]

Brad- when you talk about the steam, is that during the rusting process or the conversion of the brown to black? I always saw this described as "boiling", and assume true barrels were placed in boiling water.

I will say that the look of those browned Damascus barrels in the thread about the G grade are pretty cool looking.

[Parker Bachelder (Brad's Profile)]

Jeff

In finishing Damascus boiling is only done at the point of final contrast. This step is actually dying the black and fixing the color. The conversion from brown to black is very gradual. The brown color is only part of the recipe.
It is very easy accomplish basic contrast with heat and various rusting agents.The deep, bold contrast as done by the factories is much more complicated than simply applying a rusting agent and boiling.
Both Angier and Gaddy understood that composite barrels were finished to black and white.
I have had the opportunity to see countless high original condition Doubles. I have never seen any Double with composite barrels finished to brown or plum color by the makers.

Brad

[Double Trouble]

Brad:

Are you saying that not even the English makers had a brown/white color to their composite barrels ? I know nothing compared to you, but I always heard that the English did brown/white, while here in the states we tended to do black/white.

I have an old J. D. Dougall that (under the fore end wood) has nice brown/white damascus. That part of the finish looks original. (...but it's had 139 years to oxidize.)

[Parker Bachelder (Brad's Profile)]

John

As you know that question is a "hotbed" topic. I have worked on English guns my entire career. I have not researched English processes to the depth that I have American ones.
The English refinish their guns much more frequently than Americans, it is a part of their culture. The English never condemed Damascus as we did. They never stopped refinishing them.
I can only sight experience and observation. Every "London Best" original condition or factory refinished composite barreled Double that I have worked on, was finished black and white. I have observed brown and white in very early antique shotguns and rifles, but not in contemporary design composite barreled shotguns.
I believe that the English brown and white we see in vintage imports is a result of the way the refinishers did it, not the gunmakers.

Brad

[Erick Hodge]

Moved to Private message.

[Hammer Gun]

Brad, While photographing some guns this weekend I ran across a gun with Plain Steel barrels, it is a 4 digit ser number gun but these are not composite barrels they are steel barrels and they look blued or black . Are these early barrels made from rifle stock that was left over from the government contracts Parker had during the Civil War? I have not run across these barrels before! Looks like they would have to be blued rather than the damascus process, your thoughts please, Gary