doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Rib Enlightenment Thanks to Steve

Many thanks to Steve for sharing this remarkable image



Then Raimey posted this very high grade Hufnagel barrel with a 'Star' rib



and the (dim) bulb turned on The rib is the same material, just ground to a deeper lever, and possibly turned slightly!

It is clear that the manufacture of ribs was another specialty of the gun maker's art, with a knowledge base that was part of, but in addition to, pattern welded barrel technology.

The Gun and Its Development: With Notes on Shooting
William Wellington Greener 1885
http://books.google.com/books?id=LAsAAAAAQAAJ
p. 265 "Ribs are forged from rods twisted in the same manner as described for the manufacture of Damascus iron. They are then forged to the required shape upon a grooved anvil. Plain iron ribs are used for very common guns, in which case they are rolled for the gun to the required shape."

Some makers, esp. British and Parker, made their ribs as another work of incredible art, and now we know how!





The side is 'K' above



Lots more examples here http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/21182597
and https://docs.google.com/a/damascusknowle...SIx2xJM9bA/edit
and once again many thanks to Steve for my Eureka moment!!

Another beautiful Parker rib that looks like 'J' above. The barrel is Parker D6 - 6 Iron Turkish

As much as I read the descriptions of how to read Damascus patterns I'm lost...for me something just isn't clicking.

Here is a close-up of my Parker GH barrels. I really can't figure out what type of rib looking above. Heck I can't figure out scroll count or any of that stuff. I just know I think Damascus barrels are so darn pretty. A little help would be appreciated.

I always figured the rib was just a length of "ribband". That bolder pattern on the second picture may be the same or similar pattern as the barrel, just drawn out farther when forging. I suspect the grinders are underappreciated craftsman. Maybe they just work with what they're given, but their contribution affects the appearance. Thanks for the great historical inquiries.

Sadly most of these guys probably died of pneumoconiosis/silicosis which increases the risk of TB. Very likely this killed W.H. Baker.

Detail from "Venus at the Forge of Vulcan" Jan Brueghel the Younger of Antwerp, Belgium c. 1605

From Puraye. Note the giant grinding wheels in the background

Drew, I'm glad that the drawing I posted was enlightening to you!

As I mentioned in the other thread, these drawings are a fair representation of what the pattern will look like as the bar is being ground into. Perhaps a better example would be to actually grind a rod of twisted laminate and photograph it at the various stages of stock removal. I can use my surface grinder to remove very controlled amounts of material from a rod. I know that I have a twisted rod in the shop, but need to check it to see if it will be suitable for this demonstration. When I make damascus steel for a project, I will choose alloys that will finish out best for the type of finish I want on the project. It would be best for the photographic purposes of this demonstration, to use a rod made up of steel alloys that would display a distinct black and white coloration after etching. I'm not certain that the alloys I used in this rod will do that. If necessary, it would be no problem for me to make up a twisted rod of different alloys. I will do this in the near future and post the photos on this forum.

Some time between 1897 & 1907 the Henri Pieper conglomerate exchanged their 2.4m grinding wheels for either Pratt & Whitney or Loewe grinders. Peter may have a more accurate date. Pratt & Whitney seemed to have better enroads to the Belgian makers but Loewe did have presence as did the F.E. Reed Company regarding gun barrel lathes, France's Barriquand & Marre miller as well as other American makes. I'd say most of this effort was more than likely on fluid steel tubes and what we may find is that the tubes on pre-WWI American offerings were made on Pratt & Whitney machines in Liege.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Sorry Bill - Your GH has the usual Parker D3 (3 Iron Oxford) and I believe the rib is a large scroll likely 2 Iron Oxford (notice the scrolls are oblong rather than round) but oriented 90 degrees to the barrel pattern, but could certainly be wrong. The Hufnagel barrel with a 'Star' rib at the start of the thread probably are the same pattern, but as Craig said the rib was ground deeper.

More information here
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/19025099

Could you please post an ultra closeup of the pattern of the side of the rib?

Here are a photos of the side and top of my Parker GH rib I just snapped.