case hardening compound

[L. Akers]

A recent thread on hardening reminded me of this question.  I have some case hardening compound I bought from Herter's 40-some years ago.  I had been using it mostly to harden screws, pins, etc. but discovered a few years ago, when I did a percussion breech, that when quenched  it gives a mottled pattern like a black and white picture of color hardening.  The mottling is shades of grey with some occasional blue.  A lock hardened with this stuff is really pretty on a black gun.  It is white in color and has a strong ammonia smell when heated.  I've done some internet searching and suspect the ammonia smell is sal-ammoniac.  Does anyone know what this compound is composed of?

[gunmaker]

 I had a can of Royal hardening powder, it was white...."1980's" tho

[greybeard]

i still have some  casenite that is a white kind of fine granular powder.
    bob

[44-henry]

It pays to be careful when messing with older chemicals of unknown origins. I doubt it is Kasenite as that is a dark gray powder. Sometimes potassium ferrocyanide is used and that is a yellowish color, older formulas of Kasenite are I believe largely composed of the latter with some additional ingredients. Neither of these are particularily toxic though I certainly wouldn't eat the either.

Two compounds that are white powder are potassium cyanide and barium carbonate and both have been used for casehardening, though the potassium cyanide is the only one of the two that could be used like Kasenite with a hand torch, the carbonate must be used in a sealed container. Both of these are highly dangerous poisons and difficult to purchase today, 40+ years ago Herters might have sold potassium cyanide so take care.

[ddoyle]

Machinist's Bedside Reader  by  Guy Lautard Vol #3  has some good reading on this topic. Of course it is Canadian so might be too wordy for foreigners   Jokes aside he reports some interesting results comparing packs and methods.

as an aside he also gives a pretty good explaination of why the 'nannies' are ascared of Barium. 

[L. Akers]

ddoyle,

I have all three of Guy's Readers and enjoy rereading them every so often.  Good stuff in them, but his bullseye mixture is not what Herter's compound is.

[Hungry Horse]

 Some years ago I stumbled onto a can of case hardening compound in a local hardware store. Since Kasenite was getting hard to get, I bought it. When I tried to harden a frizzen with it, it got hard as the dickens, but wouldn't spark at all. Now I tend to half sole the ones that won't spark.

  Hungry Horse

[ddoyle]

Alkers,

Yeah I agree they are fantastic. Unfortunately I only have the digital versions now and do not enjoy them as much. I mentioned vol#3 cause I seem to remember he reported the results of experiments with bean charcoal, bone meal and various other packs. Could be a trick of memory but I think he also mentions the use of Barium (and it's hazards) in some of the newer powders and not to be a saftey nazi but it is worth knowing about.

Off course last time I read it I had just finished happily playing with a safe non-cyanide compound.