Ok here's a question I'm betting one of you can get me set up with.

B

Blacksun

Inactive
Alright so maybe a two part question.

1) I want a Damascus hammer and trigger for my old style vaqueros. Complete drop in set.

2) what should engraving cost my pistols? I'm not talking about the holy grail just some nice engraving work?
 
Hi Blacksun
I don't know anything about engraving but that's some excellent wisdom from your Dad.
 
Engraving...I think your question might be a little open ended/subjective. I've never had any engraving done but I think you'd have to give a pretty detailed explanation of what you want to get an estimate.

Maybe some folk here that have had engraving done can show him what you had done and what the price was.

As to Damascus hammer and trigger...do you mean case hardened:
https://www.google.com/search?q=cas...KAhUP6mMKHTwqDN0Q7AkIJg#imgrc=xg-aUwaYQV4amM:

or maybe jeweled?
https://www.google.com/search?q=cas...=isch&q=jeweled+pistols&imgrc=Rb8oGWGYuPG1zM:
 
No sir I have a two case hardened vaqueros I want Damascus hammers and triggers. My dad had a Caspian 1911 that is in a safety Deposit Box made with a Damascus Slide, Trigger and hammer. I thought it would be very cool to have my vaqueros have triggers and hammers. The trigger I see as a small thing but the hammers ........ That's just cool
 
I'm not sure what you refer to as "Damascus Steel" for a hammer. Old shotgun barrels were made of Damascus steel, but were for blackpowder only, and are not safe to use with smokeless powder pressures.

Damascus steel consists of bars of iron and bars of steel twisted and welded so as to form the "horse shoe" pattern or similar patterns. It is a form of forging, similar to the old Samurai swords. If your gun is truly Damascus steel, it is not safe to fire.

My guess is that the gun may have had an etched pattern to resemble Damascus, but actually the slide would be machined steel bar stock.

As to engraving a gun, cost varies with coverage. At least the cost of the gun, say $500, and on up to $5000.

Bob Wright
 
Howdy

Yup, Bob Wright is correct. Damascus barrels for shotguns were made up of laminated and twisted layers of iron and steel, welded together to form a tube. This was done because a good way to drill a long, straight hole through a bar of steel, long enough for a gun barrel, had not been invented yet. Knives and swords were also made by the Damascus process before modern steels were invented. The Damascus process for a sharp blade resulted in a blade that was hard enough to hold an edge, but flexible enough to not break when stressed.

That's pretty much it as far as Damascus steel and weapons are concerned.

The slide on your Dad's 1911 was made from an ingot of Damasteel. Damasteel is made by a company in Sweden. Damasteel is something like old fashioned Damascus steel, but it starts out very differently. Damasteel uses modern powdered metal technology to make its ingots, very different than the way Damascus barrels were twisted and welded together. The ingots are then conventionally machined to final shape, such as the slide on your Dad's 1911. After machining an acid etch brings out the patterns in Damasteel.

The bottom line is, nobody is making what you are looking for. Nobody is making a drop in kit of Damasteel hammers and triggers for Ruger revolvers.

By the way, your Vaqueros do not really have Case Hardened frames. Ruger used a chemical wash to simulate the colors of case hardening. If I recall the term they used to use was 'color case' or something like that so they would not get caught in a lie. There is no point Case Hardening Ruger Investment Cast frames, they are heat treated to be hardened all the way through. True Case Hardening such as Colt still does is a much more labor intensive, expensive process.

Vaqueros_ColorCase.jpg
 
Sometimes engine turning is called damascening.
Maybe the OP could show us a picture of what he is talking about. He is not likely to find pattern welded SAA parts.
 
As far as engraving (and possibly Damascus parts) contact Doug Turnbull in NY.

Restorations and such are what he makes his rep on.
 
Supplied links and pics to the info about the Caspian stuff. I am very familiar with the steel and its process. I wish I had pics of dads pistol but it is locked away. I figured if they could make a 1911 hammer they could make a Vaquero hammer.
 
Depending on the steel I would try using mustard first. You just apply regular mustard to the part. The mustard has a mild acid that etches/ rusts the steel. Thats how knife makers fake Damascus.
 
Well, this post did send me on a search and I did learn something.

DAMASTEEL® manufactures a beautiful patterned – and stainless – damascus steel with superior strength and durability.

We accomplish this with modern powder metallurgy with a technique we hold the world wide patent for. Damasteel’s smiths have a passion for their profession, which is visible in the final product. We simply manufacture steel that gives our customers around the world incredible opportunities for personal creativity. Your high standards on design and function are also our priority. Our highest quality premium steel should always be your first choice.
Click to expand...

Not much is said comparing DAMASTEEL to other steels available for gunmaking. Seems most comments I found were concerning knifemaking.

As near as I can tell, its primary function is decorative appearance. Again, its not truly Damascus steel.

Bob Wright
 
Interesting stuff...I knew about Damascus shotgun barrels.../ but nothing about the Damasteel process.../ great info guys !
 
Old shotgun barrels were made of Damascus steel, but were for blackpowder only, and are not safe to use with smokeless powder pressures.
Click to expand...
This is a popular myth. Many damascus shotguns were proofed for smokeless. Double Gun Journal did a test with comparable Parker(?) doubles, one with damascus barrels, the other fluid steel. The two were tested to destruction and the damascus barrels held longer.

Hamilton Bowen has done several custom single actions with damascus barrels, not Damasteel, sleeved with a steel liner. Including Colt SAA's and Ross Seyfried's famous #13.

Modern damascus steel, forged just like the old days, is very practical and tough. It is just very time consuming (expensive) to make. I am VERY skeptical that what the OP wants is NOT physically possible. The tough part will be finding someone to make the parts. I know that David Clements makes hammers and triggers that are cut from plate steel with an EDM. If the material is deemed suitable, it is entirely possible. The only question is, at what cost?

If you think about it, being able to buy an entire slide made from Damasteel for $1000 is not bad at all. Their hammers are only $117. Beware that Damasteel is stainless and can't be browned.

Engraving is easy. You have guys who are not master level but will do an excellent job for as little as $400-$500 like Jim Downing and Michael Gouse to those who do master level work for Colt like Mike Dubber, add a zero to that.

Web pic of the Bowen/Seyfried #13.

Im003108.jpg
 
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