Variations in ribs

[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by Bill Murphy

I have no idea how the matting machine was used to process a tapered rib.

That raises an interesting question (in my mind, anyway). Has anyone ever seen the roll die used on that mysterious matting machine? Was it's circumference equal to the length of the rib, i.e. was the whole pattern, including blank space, and maybe even the ending bar, included on the rim of the die?

[Bill Murphy]

Certain gunsmithing firms claim to own or have owned the machine. I wonder if any of us are in a position to examine and photograph one of the machines?

[Bill Murphy]

Look in googlebooks for The American Machinist July 10, 1913, pages in the forties, for a full description of the building of Parker barrels, including pictures of the machines used in the various operations. In my research files, I have descriptions and inventories of these machines, but I have never seen pictures. The article describes the "one line at a time" procedure and also the procedure used to skip the cutter over the rib inscription and the end of the rib. Unbelievable.