Author Topic: Hawken finish  (Read 2156 times)

Offline porchdog48

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Hawken finish
« on: June 24, 2019, 05:50:29 PM »
I am finishing up a Hawken build and was trying to decide on the metal finish. How were the originals finished. Was the lock, barrel, and furniture all finished the same?
Dave

Offline rich pierce

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Re: Hawken finish
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2019, 05:57:06 PM »
I believe the Bridger Hawken has a lot of original finish and iron furniture and breech and tang and lock and triggers were color case hardened. I think barrel is blued. Whether others which are now worn were finished that way is not 100% certain to me. On old ones furniture and lock and barrel is now brown.
« Last Edit: June 24, 2019, 06:47:39 PM by rich pierce »
Andover, Vermont

Offline Daryl

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Re: Hawken finish
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2019, 02:37:53 AM »
Rust blued barrel and colour cased steel. Under rib rust blued, with barrel.





Looks brown, but is rust blued.








Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Offline Mike Brooks

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Re: Hawken finish
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2019, 02:45:45 PM »
I don't know nothin' 'bout no Hawkins rifles, but I imagine there was quit a bit of variance in metal finishes from gun to gun depending on price point.
NEW WEBSITE! www.mikebrooksflintlocks.com
Say, any of you boys smithies? Or, if not smithies per se, were you otherwise trained in the metallurgic arts before straitened circumstances forced you into a life of aimless wanderin'?

Offline porchdog48

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Re: Hawken finish
« Reply #4 on: June 26, 2019, 01:02:02 AM »
Thank you for the replies. This is a rifle my son requested and asked that I didn't brown it. Since this is freebee I probably won't go the color case route , but will probably rub back a light rust blue. Thank you again for the information.
Dave

Offline rich pierce

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Re: Hawken finish
« Reply #5 on: June 26, 2019, 01:55:00 AM »
You can fake color case hardening with a torch. Not durable but renewable.
Andover, Vermont

Offline Dphariss

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Re: Hawken finish
« Reply #6 on: June 29, 2019, 06:24:31 AM »
Thank you for the replies. This is a rifle my son requested and asked that I didn't brown it. Since this is freebee I probably won't go the color case route , but will probably rub back a light rust blue. Thank you again for the information.
Dave

 I would at least caseharden with Kasenite or Cherry Red around the tumbler hole in the lock.

Dan
He who dares not offend cannot be honest. Thomas Paine

Offline Bob Roller

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Re: Hawken finish
« Reply #7 on: June 30, 2019, 09:05:56 PM »
Thank you for the replies. This is a rifle my son requested and asked that I didn't brown it. Since this is freebee I probably won't go the color case route , but will probably rub back a light rust blue. Thank you again for the information.
Dave

 I would at least caseharden with Kasenite or Cherry Red around the tumbler hole in the lock.

Dan

Don't know about barrel finishes but have had to go to Cherry Red on my run of
double set triggers and it works but leaves a black finish I don't like. The Kasenit
enabled me to get colors and nice ones.Proves one thing,if Anything was EVER any
good it will go away from the market.

Bob Roller