Damascus colors

[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]

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