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Here's a topic likely to get folks going or at least provide amusement over the question my mental integrity

A little over a year ago I acquired a Burnand of Newcastle hammergun with the intent of eventually having it sleeved, as it had been cut per UK law due to being been sold out of proof. Sadly, on receiving the gun, it was obvious that there was sufficient metal left in the barrels that it almost certainly would have passed proof if someone had bothered to go to the expense. What makes this particularly vexing is I hate to see decent Damascus barrels needlessly destroyed or sleeved. Oh well.

As shown in the photographic links below, the barrels were originally 13 bore black powder and both bores currently measure 0.720. However, the barrels are a whopping 0.75 thou at the cuts! Such a shame. Now, interestingly, the barrels were not cut in the standard manner with a rectangle being removed from each side. Instead, as shown in the attached photographs, they were merely cut in notches. This is what eventually got me thinking - yes, this is sometimes a dangerous thing! The wild train of thought occurred to me... Damascus is welded together�so�. might it be feasible with the right weld material to repair such a cut?

Now, I admit first off I'm not a metallurgist or anything approaching a professional welder and I know there are issues with variations in steel composition, annealing, work hardening etc. I�m also aware that one of the most stupid things I�ve seen are large patches welded across cutouts of barrels. But nevertheless I wonder if it is technically feasible. Now before you jump to the conclusion that I'm a complete cretin let me be clear that IF such a thing is possible then, as it were, 'the proof of the barrels would be in the testing' and they'd be submitted to the proof house as a final test. But back to my lunatic fringe idea, does anyone know if there might be an approach to weld repairing such cuts that might be deemed theoretically safe enough to warrant an experiment performing the work and submitting them for proof after clean up? I'd have to check as well that such a thing would be accepted for test.

Of course, apart from the probable impracticality of this admittedly hare brained scheme, even if successful it would leave a cosmetic scar on the Damascus and would doubtless be devalued compared to a straightforward sleeving . Nevertheless, despite such drawbacks the idea of such a test intrigues me. Worst case it could be sleeved subsequent to experimentation.

I�ve included a few other photographs of the gun to give a sense of it and the shame of having the Damascus destroyed. It is an early enough gun that it was produced when Purdey�s patent was still in force for his has new double bite bolt as shown by the patent markings on the �table�.

An interesting piece which realistically I shall probably have sleeved via the normal process with blacked barrels but it would a shame to see the Damascus barrels go quietly into the night without one last desperate grasp at existence. 

Well then... have at it

Jeremy

https://www.dropbox.com/s/f8m8ac6pzl6xpnu/burnand-cut-web.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hlusrdl4lmsmkb3/burnand-cut-2-web.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2jgg265yuo4y9dy/Burnand-Measures-web.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/e9bgmrplbt502ws/Burnand-proofs-web.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/oflzagj5pry39x9/Burnand-Pat-web.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2kht77it753jx3b/Burnand-side-web.jpg?dl=0

My first thought after looking at the pictures was:

Who ever made those cut's made sure that these barrels would never be used again.

IMO these barrels are well beyond repair.

0.75 thou ??? That is 3/4 of one thousandth, or, .0075".

Did you mean .075", which is 75 thousandths ? Another way of saying it would be 75 thousandths of an inch. If that is what you meant.

I shoot damascus guns but, I would NOT shoot a damascus gun that had been welded. I even have a steel barrel that has had a crack welded, not too far from the muzzle, but not damascus. You'd be trying to weld steel and iron at the same time and I do not believe it a possibility to achieve a good and proper weld in doing so.

SRH

In near muzzle areas I have seen repairs made. Mostly brazed holes on lesser guns. Near the muzzle the risk of castrophic failure are low. Mid barrel like that example would be a repair I would never feel safe shooting. It was a shame to do that to your gun. It does look like there was more than enough metal to have saved those barrels without cutting holes in them.

Could does not equal should

If it were my gun I�d be inclined to attempt a repair. With modern welding techniques it certainly looks doable. However, the cut is in a bad spot should the repair fail. If I attempted such a repair I�d certainly want to follow up with non-destructive tests https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nondestructive_testing followed by a proof test with a load far heavier than anything I�d shoot through the gun.

Steve

This is the treatment the proof house gave the barrels that failed re-proof on an old Boss gun I once owned:



Sleeving was the only option other than making a 12ga derringer out of the gun...Geo

Damascus barrels have been successfully welded in the past using TIG. That said, I would not attempt a repair in that location. I like my eyes and fingers too much.

If even possible, the repair process would be extensive, let alone expensive.

Just to speculate, I'd say that first, replacement sections would have to be sourced from the appropriate donor tubes. Then, the sections would have to be fitted to the holes before attempting the welding. Then, after the welding, the bores would have to be honed/reamed to insure a smooth bore. Next, the exterior would have to be shaped and the barrels refinished. Lastly, the gun would have to be proofed. (formally or informally). You probably would proof the gun prior to refinishing, just in case.

Just my opinions, it's up to the individual. Just the attempt process would be an interesting article.

Regards
Ken

Working at a metal shop once, they had a large cracked cast iron vice that they were going to toss out. I suggested that I braze weld it. Most of the guys scoffed at me, but I did it anyway after work one day. They gave it a real test the next day....just to prove me wrong. It held up...even after one guy put a pipe on the handle just to try and break it. Done right, molecular bonding will occur, just like 'gluing' aircraft parts does.

just say'n