Armory Sponsor
Posted: 3/7/2005 2:17:34 PM EDT
| Has anybody here tried to color case harden gun parts? I can't seem to find very detailed info about the processes involved. I have found several general guides, but nothing that is in very much detail. I've got a Ruger Super Blackhawk that is in sad shape, and I want to try to color case harden the frame, and maybe a few small parts. I'm not worried about ruining the gun, but I don't want to go into this blindly. Can I use raw bone meal for the packing, or does it have to be charred before packing? Also, I saw a reference to dipping the parts in oil after quenching. Do the parts have to be re-polished after the process is complete ? Any info from anyone who has done this process would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. |
|
If you're going to try this, get some GOOD instructions and books from Brownell's. This is potentially DANGEROUS. Too dangerous to rely on instructions from someone over the internet. Brownell's sell all the equipment and the charcoal and bone meal. I'd contact them for a good book. Fair warning: Besides being potentially dangerous, color casehardening is more an art than a science. Getting any color AT ALL is rare in a home-done job, and you will NOT get anything like high-grade colors like from Colt or Turnbull. In addition, the risk of warping your parts is high, and once warped, you're done, there's no "fixing" it. |
|
Thanks for the info. What, may I ask, is the dangerous part? I mean, other than handling hot parts such as the container, and steam fron the quench bath you are not using any dangerous chemicals. I used to quench red hot parts on a regular basis as a part of my job, so I'm fully prepared for that part of the project. I'm not really concerned about warpage, as the parts are fairly thick. I will be doing this project in a well stocked machine shop with a heat treat oven, so I will be able to control the temp to within a degree. My only concern is that the frame may be made of a high carbon content steel, and the process may not work very well. Thanks again. |
|
The dangerous part is, you're dealing with a firearm frame, and especially one made for Magnum ammo. Many people just don't understand that these parts are heat treated and if their not careful they can turn into a hand grenade. In your case, you're light-years ahead of the pack, since you have a temp controlled oven and you know your way around metal. I'm not sure about how well Ruger frames will color. Cast steels often act "funny" when you try to color them. Again, Brownell's sell all the chemicals and have instructions for doing it. Personally, I'd ask them about a good book on the subject, since there's more than meets the eye on color casing. The object of the exercise is to get the frame to have bright colors, and this seems to be more an art than anything else. Good luck. I'd like to hear how it turns out. |
Armory Sponsor