Anyone good at color case hardening?

[Clark Badgett]

I have an Italian copy of a Leech and Rigdon CS revolver, that was nice until my ex-wife stored it in a box of kitchen cleaning stuff years ago. It is currently in it's ugly bare metal state, but i would like to restore it as much as possible, if economicaly feasible. I need the frame re-color cased. Anyone feel up to the task?

[Dphariss]

Call Wyoming Armory, Cody WY.
But remember that good work costs money.

Dan

[shooter93]

Doug Turnball for one.

[Acer Saccharum]

Fred Heinzelman in Carlstadt, NJ.

Heinzelman Heat Treating Llc

790 Washington Ave, Carlstadt, NJ 07072-3008

Contact Phone:    (201) 933-4800

Business Category:    Performs Heat Treating & The Hardening Of Metal For The Trade in Carlstadt, NJ

They did a great job on a Sharps action for me, as well as a ladder sight, etc. I asked for Browns and Blues, and they hit it darn good. One of a kind jobs, or batches, these guys were good.

[Brian]

They did a great job on a Sharps action for me, as well as a ladder sight, etc. I asked for Browns and Blues, and they hit it darn good. One of a kind jobs, or batches, these guys were good.

You have a Sharps?  How come I don't have a Sharps.   

Everybody has a Sharps but me.   

[omark]

i dont have a sharps!!!!!!!   

[larrydavid]

Acer,

  Fred Heinzelman heat treating as far as I know still uses the cyanide process of color case hardening.
Your Sharps probably would have had the color hardening done using bone charcoal. The resulting colors and pattern created during quenching of the 2 methods are totally different. When you get color hardening done ask if the metal temperature is at the critical temperature (about 1350 degrees F)at quenching. I have found that Doug Turnbull matches color case colors and patterns very well with the old British gun makers.

 Larry

[Clark Badgett]

Thanks for the suggestions all. I am having to consider whether this little project would be worth the $$, as a new copy runs a little under $300 at DGW. If I could get a workable heating source I would attempt it myself since I have always wanted to try CCH. May have to look into some firebricks and see if I can get a small kiln up and running. I have seen one original that looks as if the entire pistol was blued, but that could easily be patina.

[brokenflint]

Whats a sharps 

[brokenflint]

Clark    I would think for $300.00 you could get yourself a nice homebuilt Kiln / propane forge to try CCH.

[larrydavid]

Clark,

I have done color case hardening. It is not a simple task. You have to quench at the right temperature,
and you absolutely must keep any air contamination (immediate oxidation) from happening before your parts hit the quench water. You can also have warpage problems. Oscar Gaddy had some wonderful articles on color case hardening  in The Double Gun Journal a few years ago.  Good luck if you attempt it.

Larry

[Leatherbelly]

  Don't all you guys have a sharps? What's going on? I thought everyone had a sharps.

[Clark Badgett]

Jerry, do you mean blocks that could bolt onto the bottom, back and inside surface of the frame, on blocks that completely encase the frame?

[T*O*F]

To add to the mix of the original question...............Many professsionals who do color case hardening will not touch a frame/lock/part that is made from unknown or questionable material.  This includes mostly imports from Spain and Italy.

[longcruise]

Whats a sharps 

It's a thing that people got what ain't got a Winchester.