Fluid Sleel Damascus

[Harry Collins]

Stopped by one of the local gun stores and there were two very nice Parkers. One was an 1883 hammergun with alot of color on the side plates and trigger guard and the barres were a little faded, but very nice with litely pitted, but shiney bores. The other was an 1892 DH with close to 70% case color or better and very nice pattern on the barrels and the trigger guard showing little use. The hang tag listed them as "Fluid Steel".
I showed them "Damascus" written on the barrel and the "D" on the barrel flats. I was told that in EDM's book there was reference to Parker putting a fake Damascus pattern on fluid steel guns and he thought this was one of them. I took the serial numberand told him I would look it up. I reported to him that the "Book" listed it as a Damascus Parker and that I had checked The Parker Story and fluid steel was not offered on DH Parkers until 1897 or some five years after this gun was made.
He is an upright gun dealer and I am sure he has changed the "Tag" not to read Fluid Steel.
I have not reread EDM's "Old Reliable" nor TPS, but I do not recall ether mentioning that Parker made fluid steel barrels and marking them or coloring them to be otherwise. When an honest gun dealer makes a mistake in his belief and passes it on it really scares me to think what others might do.

Harry

[Bruce Day]

Originally Posted by Harry Collins

....... I was told that in EDM's book there was reference to Parker putting a fake Damascus pattern on fluid steel guns and he thought this was one of them. .......Harry

A failure of memory. What Ed said, to paraphrase, was that unscrupulous and cheap makers were known to paint damascus patterns on cheap rolled steel barrels to emulate the costly and sturdy true damascus barrels. It had nothing to do with Parker other than being in a book about Parkers.

I've seen a couple of these, they rattled, they looked cheap and like they might blow up if you put a cherry bomb in the chamber. Ed said they were intended to fool people, and I think that's right. I was at Dale Edmunds' one day when he had one of these damascus painted barrels that a customer had sent in thinking that it was real damascus. It would have cost more to refinish real damascus than the gun was worth. So it fooled somebody in present times.

[Harry Collins]

Thanks Bruce. That is what I remember as well. I did not recall ever hearing or reading that Parker had done such a thing. The dealer is a friend and I was infront of some customers and employees and did not want to call him to task. Just said that I would check on it for him which I did.

Harry

[Drew Hause]

Brad Bachelder recently posted this "Damascus finish" barrel



Another example of "Faux Damascus" is a roll graved twist or crolle pattern.
See http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfg2hmx7_302dwsjk9cs

[charlie cleveland]

a dumb question but here goes. does faux damacus stand for false or fake damacus. ive heard the same tale on a lot of guns withsteel barrels with a damacus finnish.to my eyes these guns all have had damacus or twist or some thing besides being steel. charlie

[Bruce Day]

Faux is French for fake. Its the popular term now instead of harshly calling something fake. Its widely considered, and I share the opinon, that barrels with painted on damascus patterns are cheap, inferior, and dangerous today. A person can be fooled unless he looks closely, and I surmise that was the intent of the maker.

[Old and Reliable]

Let the buyer beware- words of wisdom-- Harry, you are a true gentleman NOT to have raised the question to your dealer friend about those barrels in front of other customers in his shop. If he is an upright gentleman, he'll re-label the tag on that shotgun- So much mystery extant now that the shotgunning cognoscenti has discover that SOME Damascus barreled double gun are very shootable- (with proper loads and ONLY after a competent gunsmith has given them the A-OK--

A segue- but about 25 years ago, a small mom and pop gun store in Grant, MI (Schroeder's if memory serves) had a mis-labeled 12 M21 in the used gun rack- it was marked as a M24 (believe it was an early M21 with DT, possibly a non-ejector like the M24-- a good friend was looking at it with serious intent to buy- at $200 and change- this was way before the BATF 4473 and NICS checky-checky- just as he was getting out his checkbook to close the transaction a PITA "know-it-all" told the clerk- hey, that's one of them custom Model 21 shotguns- sells for over a thousand bucks new- so the clerk, not wanting to lose his job, put the gun away until the store owner could sort it out-It was later re-tagged as a 12 M21 and not a M24 and repriced- the Ying and Yang of life I guess!

[Harry Collins]

Francis,

Yes he did change the way it was listed. I telephoned him and explained that the "Book" listed the gun as Damascus and that Parker did not put fluid steel barrels on D grades until 1897. He said that that answers that question and thanked me. It is still one of the nicest DH's I have ever seen.

Harry

[Old and Reliable]

I haven't seen any DH or DHE Parkers, either Titanic or Damascus barrels, that I didn't like- a friend has a DHE possibly 1926-27 Meriden gun with the original 30" Titanic barrels, No. 2 frame- both Full choked and it patterns coppered pigeon loads like my 32" Full & Full 2E Smith- and shoots right to point of aim- but is also has a set of re-fitted (Del Grego?) not sure 28" Acme Steel barrels choked Mod. and Imp. Mod- very few pheasants keep on a truckin' when that DHE is "on the job" just one of those great Parkers that fulfills its destiny- to kill birds dead in the air-

[Weston Croft]

How does one fake a damascus pattern?