Faux Damascus Finish

[FrankenMauser]

I've been considering a faux damascus finish on some of the parts for my 336 project mentioned in the action wrench thread. I'm interested in a proper finish involving the metal, not an appliqué, or 'painted' finish.

However, I haven't been able to track anyone down that offers the service, other than hobby-level knifemakers and a supremely expensive artisan gun builder.

Anybody have any other leads or experience?

[Pahoo]

I've read that back in the late 1800's or early 1900's when they transitioned from Damascus to solid steel, this was done by some gun makers in order to pacify some doubts, on the new barrels. Eventually all excepted the change .....

I am not aware of a process for doing a Damascus surface application. Perhaps some kind of bead blasting cold work. ....

Be Safe !!!

[TATER]

laser or acid etching maybe?

[Bill DeShivs]

The old patterns were acid etched.

[FrankenMauser]

I've read that back in the late 1800's or early 1900's when they transitioned from Damascus to solid steel, this was done by some gun makers in order to pacify some doubts, on the new barrels.

Yea. It was also done to fool buyers into thinking they were getting a higher quality firearm, when it was actually a cheaper knock-off.
Over the last few days, I've learned more than I ever wanted to about Damascene, 'faux damascus', dye treatments, glazing, etching, and the various "true" damascus variants.

Many of the methods used to fake the look 100+ years ago were so effective that most people couldn't tell the difference. However, that knowledge seems to have been lost. There are records of the process, from many of the (dangerous) Western European knock-off builders that did the best 'faux' work; but the little artisanal tricks and details that really make it work have been lost to history.


I did find a guy that uses a piece of shag carpet and a layered "rainbow" of different bluing, browning, and dying agents to achieve an English "twist" appearance that's pretty decent - at least on barrels. But, even he won't give up more than the basic process (not even which bluing and browning agents he uses).

[James K]

I have read that those fake Damascus barrel finishes were done by simply wrapping cord around the barrel and soaking it with acid. NOTE: I have read this, but have NOT done it, so I can't say what the result looks like.

Jim

[FrankenMauser]

James - I've read the same, and I've seen some photographs of attempts to use that method; but no one seems to be able to get it to work in this new "technologically advanced" world.

From what I've been able to dig up, it sounds like the guys getting the best results are actually using acidic foods and foods with vinegar. Oranges, mustard, onions, apples, sauerkraut, lemons, pineapples, tomatoes, pickle juice, etc...

If I have to learn to do this on my own, my wife will kill me. But, it may have to happen that way.
She says that nothing I do with guns surprises her any more, but a gun covered with cotton string, mustard, and slivered onions might be enough to get me committed.

[Crankylove]

She says that nothing I do with guns surprises her any more, but a gun covered with cotton string, mustard, and slivered onions might be enough to get me committed.

Knowing her, she would probably only get upset if you used up all the onions. She'd probably just roll her eyes and walk away muttering about the weird crap you're doing with her food.

[Hawg]

Awhile back on one forum there were several guys that wrapped muzzle loader barrels in old t shirts soaked in white vinegar and left in the sun for a few days and kept wet. The vinegar etched the metal and gave a damascus like look to it. Unfortunately that forum is no more and I don't have access to pics.

[FrankenMauser]

Thanks for the suggestions. Please keep them coming.

[kduffy]

When I brown a muzzle loader, I use an old trouble light on a very wet towel generally in fluorescent light bulb box (flip lid cut in the side) with the parts wiped down with muratic acid on steel wool several times over the next week or two, it has been 15 years since I did one, so I may have some mis-rememberance. But I get a very coarse rust scale in the end, that builds rust tubercles much like you would find on Civil War items dug up this morning. I suspect if you were to knock the protective tubercles off, they would leave the appearance of Damascus. It would be easy enough to try with a 4 watt light bulb in a shoe box. The twisted wrap of linen around a barrel may be just the ticket to get that done in a pattern that looks familiar. Sounds like a nice science experiment! Good luck.

[James K]

Damascus, or "twist" barrels came about because in the early days it was impossible to drill a hole in a long piece of steel or iron, so the only way to make a barrel was to build it up from smaller pieces. The best known of those processes involved wrapping strips of white hot twisted iron and steel around an iron bar called a mandrel, and welding them together by beating the joints with a hammer. The result is a barrel with a distinctive "barber pole" or "candy cane" appearance. The process was said to have originated with sword makers in the Middle East, and it acquired the name "Damascus steel". Just rust coloring or "browning" won't look like Damascus.

Later, other processes were used for thicker rifle barrels, but the Damascus process continued to be used for the thinner barrels of shotguns.

The high labor cost of making the barrels was reflected in the price of the gun, so Damascus barrels came to be associated with the most expensive (and thus the "best") guns. That, plus the undoubted beauty of Damascus barrels, led some makers of the "cheap" solid steel barrels to try to copy the Damascus appearance.

For years, some buyers of high grade shotguns simply refused to believe that solid steel barrels were actually stronger than built-up barrels, but eventually even the old timers were convinced and both Damascus and fake Damascus faded away. Some Damascus barrels made in the old days are still strong and those guns have been fired with modern shells and modern powders. But, as one might expect, over the years, corrosive primer and powder residue seeped into the multitudinous cracks and crevices in those weld joints and ate the iron and steel from inside. Many of those barrels look good on the outside, but are a mass of rust beneath the surface.

In spite of those (mainly English) folks who insist that their Damascus gun barrels are as strong as, or even stronger than, solid steel, I recommend no Damascus guns be fired or at the most, fired only with black powder. Replacement fingers and eyes are in short supply these days.

Jim