Color case hardening?

[Captn Jack]

Howdy.
I am in the process of getting parts together for a KY. rifle build. I love the color of color case hardening, so I am looking at getting all steel metal parts. I mainly want to do the lock, hammer frizzen & pan. The buttstock plate and the front barrel cover. trigger guard and maybe a patch box. I have never done parts like these so does anyone find a problem with this I would be heating up to around 15-1700 deg when doing it. Has anyone done this? I really didn't find anything on it in the forum? Suggestions? Thanks.

[rich pierce]

Search only in the gunbuilding forum using the words color case hardening. There are about 20 topics.

[jerrywh]

Yes I have done a lot of it and taught others also.  My advise is don't do the trigger guard  or the butt-plate  they will warp pretty bad and keep your temp down to about 1550 ° F.  If you go over about 1600° the surface will start to become grainy looking. If you want great colors quench at about 1350. You will loose some hardness but the colors will be a lot better. You will have to quench the frizzen at 1550° or it won't be hard enough to spark well. If you decide to ignore my advise on the trigger guard and butt-plate do yourself a favor and do the in letting after you harden them. If you don't they won't fit after hardening and if you try and straighten them there is a good chance they will break. There is a lot more to case hardening than most people think. When ever you think something is simple you just don't know much about it. The soak temp on the frizzen should be 1 1/2hours at 1550°F. Quench in room temp fresh water not hot not cold. If the frizzen is made or 1095 you should put a thin layer of thin oil on top of the quench water. Some will say it isn't that complicated. They were lucky once or twice.  You asked. No charge.

[L. Akers]

You will get more colors if you quench in a column of air bubbles in your quench medium.  I use a bait bucket aeroator.  But you would be better off boxing up the parts and sending them to Classic Guns in Crete, Illinois.  They do a great job and guarantee your satisfaction.  Well worth the cost.

[Captn Jack]

Mainly looking for a lot of colors. . jerrywh are ou using charcoal and bone, a fire or kiln I can go either way.
Thanks.

[Willbarq]

You like or no? I was trying to decide.

[JPK]

It can be done but it's not a simple finish to do. Warping can be dealt with pre annealing, bracing and carful control of quench. Special equipment and lots of experience is required.

IMG_1099 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

[jerrywh]

 I'm doing some stuff today. I use 2/3 wood charcoal and 1/3 bone charcoal.  The water temp will be about 50°F and fresh water. I am going to quench at about 1350°F becuse I am not looking for a real hard surface but want better colors. If you keep you soak temp at about 1550 you will get more colors. don't soak over 1600° or you might get a grainy looking surface. I use a heat treating furnace with two pyrometers, one analog and one digital. I put the digital probe right on the canister fro accuracy.  It is important how your stuff hits the water. A lock plate must hit the water vertically or it will warp, especially at higher temps. Never try to straighten a warped plate without first annealing it.