Euripodes, I don't have an apprentice. But, I am working to make sure that my knowledge of this work is recorded to be shared. Thanks for the appreciation!
I am just blown away by your supreme skill Steve, where did you learn and as i live in England how can i buy one of your knifes? The pattern is just beautiful, you are an artist no question. Respect's sir.
SuperDiddzz Thank you for the appreciation!! I have about a 2 1/2 year waiting list of knife orders. However, I also make some knives to put on my table at knife shows. I occasionally have some of these knives available for immediate sale. They can be seen on my web site. www.culverart.com/knivesavail.htm Or, you may email me about placing a knife order. steve@culverart.com Thank you again!!
The coolest thing about a masterpiece like that, is its like a fingerprint, no 2 will ever be the same. The patterns in the way you work your magic are entirely unique to you and your style. Nice work sir. Nice.
Thanks Phanum, glad that you enjoyed it! I thought that I sounded pretty dull. LOL! Video production is not my forte. I might have tried to do a better job, if I had realized that so many people would watch it!
Many thanks for posting this excellent video, I find it strange that in this day of available information, there are still ignorant people that consider Damascus barrels to be weak ! how do they think that some of them have lasted for 200 years! Tell them to send me their Damascus barrels!
excellent presentation. thank goodness there are still some of us that do things "old school)...I use old methods with wood projects...keep up the good work!
Imagine Birmingham, England in the 19th century. Thousands of highly skilled workers producing millions of hand made parts, and assembling beautiful guns to be exported all over the world.
Wow! Thanks for posting this. A true artisan at work, is what I thought to myself. Hopefully you have someone you can pass your knowledge on too. It would be ashamed if true craftsmanship like this would be nothing but a memory.
I am glad I found this video. I have always wanted to see this process, having heard the process. This was professional and amazing to watch, Great job.
One of the best Japanese bladesmiths started off as a gunsmith. If you don't learn good forgewelding technique as a gunsmith making forgewelded barrels you don't last long.
Just....amazing. Absolutely mind-blowing. It's wonderful to know someone is doing such out of the ordinary work, and doing it so well...My hat's off to you, Sir.
I owned an old Parker CHE and I gather that was about the end of Damascus firearm production, it also was beautiful but only shootable with .410 inserts. Yours has a "tight" no void look that needs to be taught to young fellows so we don't lose that craftsmanship.
Wow! What a lot of work went into making that short barrel! I can't imagine the work involved in making two barrels long enough for a double barreled shotgun. Thanks for documenting this process!
Congratulations!! Very very very nice handwork! I hope it would be my job if I could have a second life!! Now Im retired and its my hope for many years to learn....such little parts of this art! Thanks from France.
Now I have even more respect for the old chaps who made the barrels for my double 12 bore! 30inch barrels with the patterns on each barrel a perfect mirror of the other. Even the top and bottom ribs are Damascus as well. I think the gun dates from about 1875 as it has rebounding locks but still the Jones underlever. The gun carries the name of Weekes & Son of Dublin but I think it was probably made in Birmingham, by the proof marks. The top rib carries the words 'New Barrels by Cox & Clarke of Southampton', which is near where I live. No idea what happened to the original tubes! It's properly nitro proofed for 1-1/8 ounce charge and still gets a few outings with my precious stock of old paper case cartridges, some of which are 50 years old. Modern plastic cartridges work perfectly well, but it's just not the same! Snicking back the hammers and dropping a fine, fast cock Pheasant is VERY satisfying...
+1946nimrod Thanks nimrod!! The 1875 date opens the possibility that the barrels were Birmingham made. British barrel making ended around 1903. Virtually all barrels after 1903 were made in Belgium. The nitro proof marks indicate a late proofing on the barrels. There's something special about the smell of the smoke from old shells. I don't know if it's the chemicals used or the aging of them. Maybe a hint of cordite? Just makes you smile.
+Steve Culver Indeed, almost certainly Birmingham barrels as very few provincial gunmakers would have had the facilities - or the knowledge - to make their own. I have various recipes for a Browning mixture - drinking them cannot be recommended. Keep up the good work!
You can get blackpoweder if you have permit. You cant get smokeless propellant uness it is for a licensed company. The law regarding a lot of this stuff is so complex here it's stupid
i gotta say that this is the coolest barrel iv'e ever seen. i couldn't believe how cool the pattern is! I know where to go if i ever want some of this steel ! =D
Saw you on Forged In Fire...as soon as you said you made spiral welded damascus gun barrels, i went straight to Google to find your work. Great Job...awesome work. -Monty from NC
With a coal or charcoal forge, you can control the heat in a very small section of the steel that you are working. Propane forges have large heating areas and are best for heating a large amount of steel. To weld a barrel, you must localize the welding heat in a very small section of the tube. My large propane forge, that I use to weld most of my damascus, was unsuitable for welding barrels. That's why I built the small barrel welding forge that can be seen on one of my videos.
My only complaint is the resolution of the video. I wish it were in glorious full HD. This sort of work deserves high production value. That said, it was still one of the most interesting videos on pattern welded steel I have seen.
This video is rather old and was shot with a camera that was not HD. RUclips's formatting was not as good at that time either. So, less definition than is common today. I have a GoPro camera for shop videos now. Check out my video, on this channel, of the Freedom's Steel Pistol build.Thanks for the compliments on the pattern welding process!!
Thats alot of fkng work, wow, amazing what people can do. That guy must be physically in shape,extreme hard work. I am impressed. Back in the 1800s when they did this all by hand they didn't have battery operated drills or anything like that it was done in absolute unbelievable work exhausting work I'm sure it's amazing
Forge welding temperature is a very narrow range of heat. The mandrel is cold when you put it in the tube for closing the welds. There is no time for the mandrel to get hot enough to weld, before the barrel tube is below welding heat. The mandrel can actually cause problems with closing the welds in the barrel. It sucks the heat out of the coils and shortens the amount of time available to get the welds closed.
That has been the accepted theory. I do not profess to be an expert in ancient metallurgy, but recent discoveries suggest that we do not know everything about where pattern welding originated. Smokeless powder did not end damascus barrel manufacturing, but it was the destruction of the damascus barrel industry during WWI. Many old Damascus barrels were proofed for smokeless. You can today buy a gun from WW Greener with damascus barrels. These are made from 100 year old barrel forgings.
+Toolrific Thank you!! I made this barrel to be used on the flint-lock pistol part of a combination weapon. There is a video on my RUclips Channel, of me firing this piece.
For flux, I typically use 20 Mule Team borax. I have been experimenting with adding hard-wood charcoal dust to the 20MT. I used up to a 50/50 mixture for some of the welding on this barrel. Still testing this mixture, so have not decided if it is worth it. I build my own propane forges. They are very efficient and will run at a welding heat with a reducing fire.
MegaGouch The pattern is called, "Two Iron Crolle". The pattern is displayed in the damascus after an etching process that affects the two steels differently. Nickel in the 15N20 resists the etchant more than the non alloyed 1084. There are so many different bluing/browning mixtures that it is impossible to state with certainty how each will color the steels. Finishing damascus often includes etching and then sanding to remove color from the steel that is less affected by the etchant.
Wow, what an amazing piece of steel! Incredible workmanship. The finish on that is insane. Out of pure curiosity how much would a raw forged barrel sell for?
Thanks Eric!! I'm not certain that I could put a sales price on raw forged tube. I don't have this process down to a point where I would consider making a raw barrel to sell. Besides; the machine work to finish out a raw barrel tube is very complicated. I would have serious concerns about passing a barrel tube off for anyone else to do the machine work on. Don't mean to be elusive. Just can't put a price on it at this time.
Val I used 1084 high carbon steel and 15N20 steel. 15N20 is basically 1084 with 2% nickel content. I use this combination of steels for the damascus that I make for knife blades.
For flux, I typically use 20 Mule Team borax. I have been experimenting with adding hard-wood charcoal dust to the 20MT. I used up to a 50/50 mixture for some of the welding on this barrel. Still testing this mixture, so have not decided if it is worth it.
Sir you are without doubt an artist, that barrel was quite simply stunning, the patterning is beautiful. how strong are these barrels? would it be possible to manufacture a modern revolver barrel this way for instance?, I assume a Damascus billet could be formed to make the revolver frame from as well. I think a nice single action Colt Peacemaker in Damascus steel would look rather nice, although I dread to think how much it would likely cost to produce ( I may have to sell a relative or three)
Fascinating. I think the accepted theory is that Western gunsmiths learned the technique from the Moghuls of India in the 17th century. Only the most expensive sporting guns used the technique and it did not survive transition into the smokeless era. Pattern-welding really only made sense with the more primitive steel of past centuries.
I read an article in the publication Double Gun Journal where in 5 damascus steel barreled, late 1800’s American shotguns, proof load after proof load was fired in these barrels and NONE of they ruptured. In one shotgun the barrels ever so slightly went off-face. That’s it. Claims of modern, smokeless powder posing a risk are greatly exaggerated. I have a Colt 1873 hammer-fired shotgun with Damascus barrels. I fire 7/8’s load of 8-shot. No barrel rupture, barrels never came off face, no barrel-receiver wobble.
Many old shotguns that were originally proofed for black powder were subsequently reproofed for nitro powder. A gun in sound condition is perfectly safe to shoot with proper pressure and shell length loads.
"How do you keep scale from being trapped between layers when forging them together?" Well..... it's danged hard to do. Experienced manipulation of the welds is the key. Even the old gun barrel welders had problems with this. WW Greener (of Greener Gun Co.) stated in a book he wrote that they called slag inclusions "greys". That's because they inclusions wouldn't blue, but looked like specks of grey in the finish of the barrel.
Lane, I've not had anyone ask me about making just a barrel to sell to them. But, I would consider a serious request. A barrel of about his size would be in the $3,000 to $5,000 price range; depending on the specifications of the barrel ordered.
After drawing out the individual rods: 'wow those look sick! now just bore a hole through right?" after welding: "hmm. still going eh? they look ok i guess. hope it gets back to looking sick though." after coiling: "you did it again my friend! quite badass" after welding, drawing out and cleaning: "NOOO it's just a regular steel tube now :(" machined: "how could you... make something... so.... beautiful."
Loving the video. Have a couple questions. 1) I'm assuming the process is the same for longer barrels? Any issues with jump welding unsupported, especially through the middle of the barrel when doing the jump welds in the forge? My thought is that the coil might bulge or slip when being welded in such a manner, and the tool you have seems to have a quite short mandrel, more for holding the piece rather than adding any rigidity.
Actually, the 19th century barrel smiths were very efficient with the process. Their charcoal forges were a much better heat source than a propane forge. Too, the iron and steel that they had available were much softer and easier to weld than modern steels. I had to work much harder than they did.
Thank you Glenn! Yes, these barrels take a LONG time to make. This video is a condensed look at it. The machine work to finish a barrel is also extensive.
2 questions. 1.could this be done with steel and brass then blued rather than the two types of steel? 2. could an octagonal barrel be made with damascus steel?
So what is the pattern? Is it because of the two different steels worked together still keep their original grain structure, so when the outer layer is etched off the two metals are seen twist into one? Does a rust bluing process then only blue one of the metals leaving the other exposed?
2) What flux do you use, if any? 3) What fuel do you use for your forges? My propane forge generates a lot of scale and has a hard time reaching welding temps with a reducing flame.
Do you grind the twisted bars clean before welding them together? I've found that scale on any nickel-containing steel is just too damn stubborn to reliably weld depending on flux. Don't do gun barrels, just blades.
I suppose anything could be possible. There were many old guns that had brass barrels. However, you can't hot caustic blue brass. The brass will be destroyed by the bluing salts. You could cold blue it. My intention is to replicate exactly as possible, the methods and Damascus patterns that are found in old barrels. An octagonal barrel is definitely possible. I have seen many old guns with octagonal damascus barrels.
Lane Making a damascus barrel is so very time consuming. That's the reason for the high cost. I could maybe build some more tooling to speed the process up, if I did this enough to make it worth it. But this isn't all that I do, so it's not high priority. There's lots of good forging information on the American Bladesmith Society Forum. You should check it out. You have to be an ABS member to post, but anyone can view.
I should also ask - is there a reason you're measuring the blackpowder by weight? I've tended to go with the rule that smokeless is measured by weight and blackpowder is by volume. Perhaps more exact?
I had not taken into account the very high temperature needed for steel to expand sufficiently. However, there is still a weak point. If you used two similar steels, the bond between the two steels may be pure, but the bond itself is a product of the two combined steels (aka bond product), and therefore a different metal all together. The difference between #1 and the bond product, and #2 and the bond product are the weak points. A true bond would ONLY be one product steel across the barrel
I have a matchlock from the Amber Fort armory, Jaipur. Looking along the barrel it is just possible to see a faint twist pattern It's about 0.6 " bore. Age? Difficult to say. I wish I had bought the rampart gun with an 8ft barrel; Imagine the work involved! I have the letter of authenticity from the armory with the number stamped on it. I only fired it once, using the powder from a 12 gauge shell. It's difficult to get black powder nowadays, due to the panic!
Toy, Sounds like a cool gun. But please, be careful about loading it with modern smokeless gunpowder. That could be dangerous. I can't imagine the work involved to make an 8ft barrel!
X-Ray Crystallography LOL!!!! Yea, I picked them up a lot! When the barrel tube is removed from the forge, especially to close a weld, there is only a few seconds to get the work done before the material cools too much. There isn't time to carefully place the tongs on something. I don't care where the tongs go, as long as they are out of my way. Once the forging is done, there is plenty of time to pick up the tongs and reset my tools for the next forging session. You know; I only included clips in this video where everything went correctly. Moving so quickly to get the work done, it isn't too uncommon to drop the hammer, knock the mandrel on the floor, or even drop the barrel tube. The camera was running those times too. I could put together a half hour video of blacksmith bloopers. :-) This wasn't my first attempt to make a Damascus barrel. There were many failed attempts before it. Those were filmed too. I could also put together a one hour video of how to ruin perfectly good damascus steel, by trying to make a gun barrel out of it. Thanks for watching my video!
The panic is totally justified... Enjoy what you have now because soon the shtf and survival and fighting for freedom and what is right will be every day
What a fantastic video thank you for posting it. I really hope you are passing on your skills to a younger generation it would be a tragedy if they where
Must have taken many years as an apprentice back in the day to learn how to properly make a musket barrel. How many teenagers scorched themselves on red hot metal or squat a part of their hand while hammering, I'll never know. They themselves would eventually become masters of the art, and take on young apprentices themselves some day I imagine, creating the tools that would be used to make history on the battlefield. History aside, it's fascinating to see how a damascus barrel is made, looks like that one is going to be used in a reproduction muzzle loading pistol. Why is it so much longer when it is loaded though? It appears to be maybe 5" when completed, but when loaded it looks like another 10" or so was attached. Is that what a breech plug is supposed to be? I guess it's the 'breeching system' that was referenced a couple times at the end. Need to brush up on my knowledge of muzzle loaders, the repeating firearms made between 1888-1956 is the primary era my interest started with. Great vid, thanks for sharing. Cheers!
Thanks Norman! The breeching system that I used for proof firing the barrel, was just a piece o f raw bar stock that I had in the shop. It's just a temporary tool and the length of it is arbitrary.
Steve, you make it look easy which is always the sign of a competent tradesman. Anyway now I've filled your head with flattery, I read your answer further below to someone else stating that it took you 3 weeks from start to finish ... could I ask for that in man-hours? How many hours did you stand in front of that furnace and/or lathe to turn the steel blocks into that fine 'stubby' barrel. You know the (inevitable) question I'm leading up to, right? Well go on ... what's that barrel worth? Or how much would it cost? Cheers mate, may "Tennis Elbow" be a complaint that others suffer from. ;-)
Thanks MrFred! I'll try not to grow out of my hat size! LOL!! How many hours........ Honestly, three weeks is a little shy of what it actually took. Didn't really keep track of hours, but it was steady work. About 60% of the hours went to forge work, the rest in machining. It is HOT next to the forge. About 125f, when working right next to it. Cost of the barre? I value the barrel in this video at $5,000usd. Yes, tennis elbow is very closely related to "blacksmith's elbow, from swinging a big 'ol hammer! I recently finished work on another spiral welded damascus barrel. This one is a .45cal, octagon barrel. It is a much more complicated damascus pattern. LOTS more time at the forge and in the machine work. I'm building this barrel into a pistol. Not yet at the point of finishing the barrel so that it will photograph well to display the damascus pattern. Will post some videos of the build on this channel when the work is completed.
***** Do you make Damascus barrels as a hobby or do you sell them? They're out of my price range, regardless. Also, the patterns in the steel are mesmerizing.
Well Steve thanks for taking the time to reply. Your stuff is for presentation guns for heads-of-state or CEOs, or the super-rich, or people who can pay to have the best of the best. That's fine. Thanks for the insight and as I say, long may your joints remain pain-free.
1959Edsel Thanks for the appreciation 1959!!! I am a full time knifemaker. So, everything that I make is for sale. Building guns with damascus barrels is an extension of my knifemaking work and they are also for sale.
Barskor1 It doesn't matter, There is no concern about the forge welds being affected by the rifling, or the force of spinning a bullet. Sound forge welds are as strong as the metal that it joins. Thanks for your question!
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Such skill, such artistry. I hope you have an apprentice. Men who know how to make something from nothing are a dying breed.
Euripodes,
I don't have an apprentice. But, I am working to make sure that my knowledge of this work is recorded to be shared. Thanks for the appreciation!
I am just blown away by your supreme skill Steve, where did you learn and as i live in England how can i buy one of your knifes? The pattern is just beautiful, you are an artist no question. Respect's sir.
SuperDiddzz
Thank you for the appreciation!!
I have about a 2 1/2 year waiting list of knife orders. However, I also make some knives to put on my table at knife shows. I occasionally have some of these knives available for immediate sale. They can be seen on my web site. www.culverart.com/knivesavail.htm Or, you may email me about placing a knife order. steve@culverart.com
Thank you again!!
The coolest thing about a masterpiece like that, is its like a fingerprint, no 2 will ever be the same. The patterns in the way you work your magic are entirely unique to you and your style.
Nice work sir. Nice.
Enjoyed your video! The fact you talk so clearly and keep things simple for everyone to understand the process is great! Thank you for posting this.
Thanks Phanum, glad that you enjoyed it!
I thought that I sounded pretty dull. LOL! Video production is not my forte. I might have tried to do a better job, if I had realized that so many people would watch it!
It is good to watch a craftsman at work, I believe that it would take a long time to learn. The result is a work of art.
Many thanks for posting this excellent video, I find it strange that in this day of available information, there are still ignorant people that consider Damascus barrels to be weak ! how do they think that some of them have lasted for 200 years! Tell them to send me their Damascus barrels!
excellent presentation. thank goodness there are still some of us that do things "old school)...I use old methods with wood projects...keep up the good work!
Thank you John!
Imagine Birmingham, England in the 19th century. Thousands of highly skilled workers producing millions of hand made parts, and assembling beautiful guns to be exported all over the world.
There's quite a few folks still doing that today! Not so much on the damascus barrels............
Most English barrels were made in Belgium
@@markcooper9063watch: canon damas de fabrication. Here on youtube. Early 1900s footage of Belgian men making damast barrels.
There is a lot of knowledge and skill behind that, nice job.
Thank you Richardsen!!
Wow! Thanks for posting this. A true artisan at work, is what I thought to myself.
Hopefully you have someone you can pass your knowledge on too. It would be ashamed if true craftsmanship like this would be nothing but a memory.
Thanks Dave,
I'm sharing the information with some other smiths and also writing it all down. Might become a book, some day.
I could watch this work all day. A true artist.
Thank you xram!
I am glad I found this video. I have always wanted to see this process, having heard the process. This was professional and amazing to watch, Great job.
Thanks Eric!! I'm glad that you enjoyed watching it!
A master at work ! Thanks for taking the time to make these vids .
Thanks for the kind comments, MrRichinil!!
One of the best Japanese bladesmiths started off as a gunsmith. If you don't learn good forgewelding technique as a gunsmith making forgewelded barrels you don't last long.
Fastastic! Thanx. While watching, I kept thinking of equipment available to do this in the 17th and 18th centuries. Wow!
Thanks Ray. Actually, they had some pretty cool tools back then! And they worked smarter than most of us do today.
man that is gorgeous! i wish all my rifles had barrels like that! i could just stare at them all day haha
Thanks bob!!!
Wow. Impressive. I didn't see how it could turn into a barrel. It turned out beautiful.
Just....amazing. Absolutely mind-blowing. It's wonderful to know someone is doing such out of the ordinary work, and doing it so well...My hat's off to you, Sir.
Thank you Just!!!
Some of the prettiest patterns I've seen.
Thank you B. Constable!!
I owned an old Parker CHE and I gather that was about the end of Damascus firearm production, it also was beautiful but only shootable with .410 inserts.
Yours has a "tight" no void look that needs to be taught to young fellows so we don't lose that craftsmanship.
Wow! What a lot of work went into making that short barrel! I can't imagine the work involved in making two barrels long enough for a double barreled shotgun. Thanks for documenting this process!
Thank you!!
Congratulations!! Very very very nice handwork! I hope it would be my job if I could have a second life!! Now Im retired and its my hope for many years to learn....such little parts of this art! Thanks from France.
Thank you Mr. Alwayson!!
You are both an inspiration and a hero.
absolutely fascinating, I want to be a blacksmith now, thanks for the lesson Master Culver.
***** Thank you for the appreciation!!
thanks for posting. this is what you tube should be all about.
I wish I was this talented.
santhony,
I don't see myself as more talented than thousands of other smiths. You just have to want to do it enough to just go for it. :-)
What an incredible process. Great video, much information. It must have been like magic to do this in the hand job days.
+stanthology Thank you!!!
Wow that view of the damascus pattern was just beautiful.
Now I have even more respect for the old chaps who made the barrels for my double 12 bore! 30inch barrels with the patterns on each barrel a perfect mirror of the other. Even the top and bottom ribs are Damascus as well. I think the gun dates from about 1875 as it has rebounding locks but still the Jones underlever. The gun carries the name of Weekes & Son of Dublin but I think it was probably made in Birmingham, by the proof marks. The top rib carries the words 'New Barrels by Cox & Clarke of Southampton', which is near where I live. No idea what happened to the original tubes! It's properly nitro proofed for 1-1/8 ounce charge and still gets a few outings with my precious stock of old paper case cartridges, some of which are 50 years old. Modern plastic cartridges work perfectly well, but it's just not the same! Snicking back the hammers and dropping a fine, fast cock Pheasant is VERY satisfying...
+1946nimrod
Thanks nimrod!! The 1875 date opens the possibility that the barrels were Birmingham made. British barrel making ended around 1903. Virtually all barrels after 1903 were made in Belgium. The nitro proof marks indicate a late proofing on the barrels.
There's something special about the smell of the smoke from old shells. I don't know if it's the chemicals used or the aging of them. Maybe a hint of cordite? Just makes you smile.
+Steve Culver Indeed, almost certainly Birmingham barrels as very few provincial gunmakers would have had the facilities - or the knowledge - to make their own. I have various recipes for a Browning mixture - drinking them cannot be recommended. Keep up the good work!
Allways interesting to see this stuff. Just wish that here in the UK we were allowed to do stuff like that.
Thank you Gordon! Regrets that you are not allowed to do this kind of work. Maybe saves you a good bit of frustration though. :-)
Gordon, the ban is on blackpowder and potential firearms or even general blacksmithing and equipment?
You can get blackpoweder if you have permit. You cant get smokeless propellant uness it is for a licensed company. The law regarding a lot of this stuff is so complex here it's stupid
i gotta say that this is the coolest barrel iv'e ever seen. i couldn't believe how cool the pattern is! I know where to go if i ever want some of this steel ! =D
Thank you adam!!!
Saw you on Forged In Fire...as soon as you said you made spiral welded damascus gun barrels, i went straight to Google to find your work. Great Job...awesome work. -Monty from NC
Thanks Monty!!Did you see my RUclips video of building the Damascus Steel Pistol? It's my best video, also on my RUclips channel.
Beautiful work, btw. This makes making bar stock for knive blades look easy- at least a blade doesn't have to have a hole running end-to-end.
Beautiful Video. Excellent work. Hats off to You MR.
Thank you, Math J!!
With a coal or charcoal forge, you can control the heat in a very small section of the steel that you are working. Propane forges have large heating areas and are best for heating a large amount of steel. To weld a barrel, you must localize the welding heat in a very small section of the tube. My large propane forge, that I use to weld most of my damascus, was unsuitable for welding barrels. That's why I built the small barrel welding forge that can be seen on one of my videos.
facsinating,didnt know anyone was still doing this---great film
My only complaint is the resolution of the video. I wish it were in glorious full HD. This sort of work deserves high production value. That said, it was still one of the most interesting videos on pattern welded steel I have seen.
This video is rather old and was shot with a camera that was not HD. RUclips's formatting was not as good at that time either. So, less definition than is common today. I have a GoPro camera for shop videos now. Check out my video, on this channel, of the Freedom's Steel Pistol build.Thanks for the compliments on the pattern welding process!!
That was really cool to see how that is done!
Thank you Tom2112Tom!!
Thats alot of fkng work, wow, amazing what people can do. That guy must be physically in shape,extreme hard work. I am impressed. Back in the 1800s when they did this all by hand they didn't have battery operated drills or anything like that it was done in absolute unbelievable work exhausting work I'm sure it's amazing
Thanks Wayne! Yea, buddy! It's hard work!
You, sir, are a poet. Beautiful work, and thanks for sharing! I believe I saw the finished pistol in Blade Magazine...
Thanks Jeffery!!!
Yes; that's the pistol with this damascus barrel, on the cover of the July, 2014 Blade Magazine.
very hard work bro. I appreciate all of the time and energy that you put to learn us something. Thank you
Thanks BB!
Forge welding temperature is a very narrow range of heat. The mandrel is cold when you put it in the tube for closing the welds. There is no time for the mandrel to get hot enough to weld, before the barrel tube is below welding heat. The mandrel can actually cause problems with closing the welds in the barrel. It sucks the heat out of the coils and shortens the amount of time available to get the welds closed.
That has been the accepted theory. I do not profess to be an expert in ancient metallurgy, but recent discoveries suggest that we do not know everything about where pattern welding originated.
Smokeless powder did not end damascus barrel manufacturing, but it was the destruction of the damascus barrel industry during WWI. Many old Damascus barrels were proofed for smokeless. You can today buy a gun from WW Greener with damascus barrels. These are made from 100 year old barrel forgings.
I have an L.C. Smith double barrel 10 gauge. I always wondered what went into making these barrels. Great video and fine work💪
Thanks Moss!
Man this is hard work!..respect for the craftmanship, very interresting so thanks for sharing!.
Thanks!!!
A craftsman that know's his stuff. Never misses a beat. Beautiful final product. Pistol barrel?
+Toolrific Thank you!! I made this barrel to be used on the flint-lock pistol part of a combination weapon. There is a video on my RUclips Channel, of me firing this piece.
For flux, I typically use 20 Mule Team borax. I have been experimenting with adding hard-wood charcoal dust to the 20MT. I used up to a 50/50 mixture for some of the welding on this barrel. Still testing this mixture, so have not decided if it is worth it.
I build my own propane forges. They are very efficient and will run at a welding heat with a reducing fire.
MegaGouch
The pattern is called, "Two Iron Crolle". The pattern is displayed in the damascus after an etching process that affects the two steels differently. Nickel in the 15N20 resists the etchant more than the non alloyed 1084.
There are so many different bluing/browning mixtures that it is impossible to state with certainty how each will color the steels. Finishing damascus often includes etching and then sanding to remove color from the steel that is less affected by the etchant.
Omg! Very impressive! I'm looking at my 1880 double barrel 10 gauge with 32" barrels like totally different now!
Thank you Jason!
Thanks for this beautiful video !
Respect.
Thanks!!!
Beautiful work. Thanks for the upload.
Thanks! Glad you like it!
Wow, what an amazing piece of steel! Incredible workmanship. The finish on that is insane. Out of pure curiosity how much would a raw forged barrel sell for?
Thanks Eric!!
I'm not certain that I could put a sales price on raw forged tube. I don't have this process down to a point where I would consider making a raw barrel to sell. Besides; the machine work to finish out a raw barrel tube is very complicated. I would have serious concerns about passing a barrel tube off for anyone else to do the machine work on. Don't mean to be elusive. Just can't put a price on it at this time.
Val
I used 1084 high carbon steel and 15N20 steel. 15N20 is basically 1084 with 2% nickel content. I use this combination of steels for the damascus that I make for knife blades.
For flux, I typically use 20 Mule Team borax. I have been experimenting with adding hard-wood charcoal dust to the 20MT. I used up to a 50/50 mixture for some of the welding on this barrel. Still testing this mixture, so have not decided if it is worth it.
Sir you are without doubt an artist, that barrel was quite simply stunning, the patterning is beautiful. how strong are these barrels? would it be possible to manufacture a modern revolver barrel this way for instance?, I assume a Damascus billet could be formed to make the revolver frame from as well. I think a nice single action Colt Peacemaker in Damascus steel would look rather nice, although I dread to think how much it would likely cost to produce ( I may have to sell a relative or three)
No imagine doing that on a 30 in side by side 12ga. Holy hell a lot of work
I couldn't pull that off in my little shop! :-)
@@SteveCulverMS1 you still one up on me. I couldn’t pull it off with the right setup! Lol
Thanks honda!
Fascinating. I think the accepted theory is that Western gunsmiths learned the technique from the Moghuls of India in the 17th century. Only the most expensive sporting guns used the technique and it did not survive transition into the smokeless era. Pattern-welding really only made sense with the more primitive steel of past centuries.
I read an article in the publication Double Gun Journal where in 5 damascus steel barreled, late 1800’s American shotguns, proof load after proof load was fired in these barrels and NONE of they ruptured. In one shotgun the barrels ever so slightly went off-face. That’s it. Claims of modern, smokeless powder posing a risk are greatly exaggerated. I have a Colt 1873 hammer-fired shotgun with Damascus barrels. I fire 7/8’s load of 8-shot. No barrel rupture, barrels never came off face, no barrel-receiver wobble.
Many old shotguns that were originally proofed for black powder were subsequently reproofed for nitro powder. A gun in sound condition is perfectly safe to shoot with proper pressure and shell length loads.
fantastic, a real craftsmen wish I could watch in real time ,be there I mean great work ,
+LOZBRY Thank you!!
Quite amazing craftsmanship!
Thank you!!
Richard,
Anything is possible. :-) But, it would be an enormous job. And expensive.
"How do you keep scale from being trapped between layers when forging them together?"
Well..... it's danged hard to do. Experienced manipulation of the welds is the key. Even the old gun barrel welders had problems with this. WW Greener (of Greener Gun Co.) stated in a book he wrote that they called slag inclusions "greys". That's because they inclusions wouldn't blue, but looked like specks of grey in the finish of the barrel.
Extremely nifty!
How do you keep scale from being trapped between layers when forging them together?
Why don't the coils weld to the mandrel?
Lane,
I've not had anyone ask me about making just a barrel to sell to them. But, I would consider a serious request.
A barrel of about his size would be in the $3,000 to $5,000 price range; depending on the specifications of the barrel ordered.
After drawing out the individual rods: 'wow those look sick! now just bore a hole through right?"
after welding: "hmm. still going eh? they look ok i guess. hope it gets back to looking sick though."
after coiling: "you did it again my friend! quite badass"
after welding, drawing out and cleaning: "NOOO it's just a regular steel tube now :("
machined: "how could you... make something... so.... beautiful."
Very cool. Thanks for sharing
Thanks jaces!
Loving the video. Have a couple questions.
1) I'm assuming the process is the same for longer barrels? Any issues with jump welding unsupported, especially through the middle of the barrel when doing the jump welds in the forge? My thought is that the coil might bulge or slip when being welded in such a manner, and the tool you have seems to have a quite short mandrel, more for holding the piece rather than adding any rigidity.
...nice to watch the process...about how many hours are involved?
Enjoyed that!
Thank you!
Actually, the 19th century barrel smiths were very efficient with the process. Their charcoal forges were a much better heat source than a propane forge. Too, the iron and steel that they had available were much softer and easier to weld than modern steels. I had to work much harder than they did.
Beautiful! And that (work involved) is why it's expensive.
Thank you Glenn! Yes, these barrels take a LONG time to make. This video is a condensed look at it. The machine work to finish a barrel is also extensive.
***** May I ask, how long did take for the entire process shown?
Edit: Ah I see someone asked this already - 3 weeks. Thanks.
Amazing work
Thanks Greg, I hope to have another gun barrel video to post soon.
So many gun shots in Damascus now !!!
Any type of gun powder can be measured by volume or by weight. Charge weight is the standard method of measurement.
Thank you, thank you thank you for a wonderful video and a lot of work😳❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
2 questions.
1.could this be done with steel and brass then blued rather than the two types of steel?
2. could an octagonal barrel be made with damascus steel?
Absolutely beautiful.
So what is the pattern? Is it because of the two different steels worked together still keep their original grain structure, so when the outer layer is etched off the two metals are seen twist into one?
Does a rust bluing process then only blue one of the metals leaving the other exposed?
2) What flux do you use, if any?
3) What fuel do you use for your forges? My propane forge generates a lot of scale and has a hard time reaching welding temps with a reducing flame.
Do you grind the twisted bars clean before welding them together? I've found that scale on any nickel-containing steel is just too damn stubborn to reliably weld depending on flux. Don't do gun barrels, just blades.
I suppose anything could be possible. There were many old guns that had brass barrels. However, you can't hot caustic blue brass. The brass will be destroyed by the bluing salts. You could cold blue it.
My intention is to replicate exactly as possible, the methods and Damascus patterns that are found in old barrels.
An octagonal barrel is definitely possible. I have seen many old guns with octagonal damascus barrels.
Wow! Thanks for this great video!
powermugu You're welcome!!!
craftsman, pure beauty
Thanks for the appreciation Sully!!
Lane
Making a damascus barrel is so very time consuming. That's the reason for the high cost. I could maybe build some more tooling to speed the process up, if I did this enough to make it worth it. But this isn't all that I do, so it's not high priority.
There's lots of good forging information on the American Bladesmith Society Forum. You should check it out. You have to be an ABS member to post, but anyone can view.
I normally use anhydrous borax mixed with flourspar and boric acid, about a tablespoon each to a cup of borax. Works well on nickel steels.
I should also ask - is there a reason you're measuring the blackpowder by weight? I've tended to go with the rule that smokeless is measured by weight and blackpowder is by volume. Perhaps more exact?
amazing video
Thanks Danny!!
I assume you're using some 4140 or similar in there, how does it behave in forge-welding compared to higher-carbon stuff?
Lane
I wish you all the best in your quest for MS!! If there is ever anything that I can do to help you, do not hesitate to contact me.
I had not taken into account the very high temperature needed for steel to expand sufficiently. However, there is still a weak point. If you used two similar steels, the bond between the two steels may be pure, but the bond itself is a product of the two combined steels (aka bond product), and therefore a different metal all together. The difference between #1 and the bond product, and #2 and the bond product are the weak points. A true bond would ONLY be one product steel across the barrel
This is so cool. But the quality strains my eyes.
Can this be fixed? I want to see the forging and bending processes more clearly.
jtjjbannie
Sorry about the video quality. Not taken with an HD camera and then compression to upload lowered it more.
I have a matchlock from the Amber Fort armory, Jaipur.
Looking along the barrel it is just possible to see a faint twist pattern
It's about 0.6 " bore. Age? Difficult to say.
I wish I had bought the rampart gun with an 8ft barrel; Imagine the work involved!
I have the letter of authenticity from the armory with the number stamped on it.
I only fired it once, using the powder from a 12 gauge shell.
It's difficult to get black powder nowadays, due to the panic!
Toy,
Sounds like a cool gun. But please, be careful about loading it with modern smokeless gunpowder. That could be dangerous.
I can't imagine the work involved to make an 8ft barrel!
X-Ray Crystallography
LOL!!!! Yea, I picked them up a lot! When the barrel tube is removed from the forge, especially to close a weld, there is only a few seconds to get the work done before the material cools too much. There isn't time to carefully place the tongs on something. I don't care where the tongs go, as long as they are out of my way. Once the forging is done, there is plenty of time to pick up the tongs and reset my tools for the next forging session.
You know; I only included clips in this video where everything went correctly. Moving so quickly to get the work done, it isn't too uncommon to drop the hammer, knock the mandrel on the floor, or even drop the barrel tube. The camera was running those times too. I could put together a half hour video of blacksmith bloopers. :-)
This wasn't my first attempt to make a Damascus barrel. There were many failed attempts before it. Those were filmed too. I could also put together a one hour video of how to ruin perfectly good damascus steel, by trying to make a gun barrel out of it.
Thanks for watching my video!
The panic is totally justified... Enjoy what you have now because soon the shtf and survival and fighting for freedom and what is right will be every day
What are the benefits of this process? Getting ready to build an AR and am curious about it.
You, sir, have my respect.
Thank you Machinist!!!
Hi. What type of Iron / steels did you use? If it were all the same type, I doubt if the pattern would emerge.
What a fantastic video thank you for posting it. I really hope you are passing on your skills to a younger generation it would be a tragedy if they where
Thank you kats!!! I'm trying to find someone else who wants to work this hard to make a gun barrel.
Nice work man!! Awesome.
Thanks James!
from the looks of your weld and the thickness of the barrel,you won't have a problem.going to be a heavy pistol! or cannon !
rcmoot,
Safety first!!
Great video - thanks!
Thanks Ross!! Glad that you enjoyed it!
Must have taken many years as an apprentice back in the day to learn how to properly make a musket barrel. How many teenagers scorched themselves on red hot metal or squat a part of their hand while hammering, I'll never know. They themselves would eventually become masters of the art, and take on young apprentices themselves some day I imagine, creating the tools that would be used to make history on the battlefield.
History aside, it's fascinating to see how a damascus barrel is made, looks like that one is going to be used in a reproduction muzzle loading pistol. Why is it so much longer when it is loaded though? It appears to be maybe 5" when completed, but when loaded it looks like another 10" or so was attached. Is that what a breech plug is supposed to be? I guess it's the 'breeching system' that was referenced a couple times at the end. Need to brush up on my knowledge of muzzle loaders, the repeating firearms made between 1888-1956 is the primary era my interest started with.
Great vid, thanks for sharing. Cheers!
Thanks Norman!
The breeching system that I used for proof firing the barrel, was just a piece o f raw bar stock that I had in the shop. It's just a temporary tool and the length of it is arbitrary.
Steve, you make it look easy which is always the sign of a competent tradesman.
Anyway now I've filled your head with flattery, I read your answer further below to someone else stating that it took you 3 weeks from start to finish ... could I ask for that in man-hours?
How many hours did you stand in front of that furnace and/or lathe to turn the steel blocks into that fine 'stubby' barrel.
You know the (inevitable) question I'm leading up to, right? Well go on ... what's that barrel worth? Or how much would it cost?
Cheers mate, may "Tennis Elbow" be a complaint that others suffer from. ;-)
Thanks MrFred! I'll try not to grow out of my hat size! LOL!! How many hours........ Honestly, three weeks is a little shy of what it actually took. Didn't really keep track of hours, but it was steady work. About 60% of the hours went to forge work, the rest in machining. It is HOT next to the forge. About 125f, when working right next to it.
Cost of the barre? I value the barrel in this video at $5,000usd.
Yes, tennis elbow is very closely related to "blacksmith's elbow, from swinging a big 'ol hammer!
I recently finished work on another spiral welded damascus barrel. This one is a .45cal, octagon barrel. It is a much more complicated damascus pattern. LOTS more time at the forge and in the machine work. I'm building this barrel into a pistol. Not yet at the point of finishing the barrel so that it will photograph well to display the damascus pattern. Will post some videos of the build on this channel when the work is completed.
***** Do you make Damascus barrels as a hobby or do you sell them? They're out of my price range, regardless. Also, the patterns in the steel are mesmerizing.
Well Steve thanks for taking the time to reply. Your stuff is for presentation guns for heads-of-state or CEOs, or the super-rich, or people who can pay to have the best of the best.
That's fine. Thanks for the insight and as I say, long may your joints remain pain-free.
1959Edsel
Thanks for the appreciation 1959!!!
I am a full time knifemaker. So, everything that I make is for sale. Building guns with damascus barrels is an extension of my knifemaking work and they are also for sale.
If you were going to rifle the barrel would you go with the forging twist or against it or does that even matter?
Barskor1
It doesn't matter, There is no concern about the forge welds being affected by the rifling, or the force of spinning a bullet. Sound forge welds are as strong as the metal that it joins.
Thanks for your question!