Case Color
I am interested in a gun that the seller designates as "case color". What does this mean or imply?
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"Case color" is a gray background with random swirls of many colors. It is found on the frames of many Colt Single Action Army revolvers, & some lever action rifles, plus many other places. It's a finish applied by a complex process traditionally done by dipping the part in hot oil with chemicals on the surface; a modern process looks similar, but doesn't come close to the beauty of the original.
Neal0 -
Does it "de-value" the gun? I am looking at a Citori (Browning) 0 -
Case Harding came about because steels were not up to the level they are today it was a way of puting a surface hardness on a gun the item was heated and then put in charcold with some times leather or bone mixed into it the haigh carbon content mixed with very out side of the steel . this hardness was only a very thin layer. because it was plesent to look at. Some manufactures "PARKER" used arsnic to give more vivid colors. You can buy a product today called CASINET and do small parts yourself. 0 -
It vis thought as increasing the value because most people like the effect.it give the metal. 0 -
I'm not familiar with Citori models & variations.
A general rule for finishes is that the primary value of a gun is determined by the percentage of original finish remaining; a refinished gun has 0% finish, no matter how good it looks.
If the gun you are looking at came from the factory with part of it case colored, that would be expected to be the finish. If it's a partial or complete refinish, the value will be decreased.
Neal0 -
tacking,
Here's an example of what it looks like.(Old Stevens,first photo)
http://forums.gunbroker.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=148249
BW
IT'S WHAT PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THEMSELVES THAT MAKES THEM AFRAID.0 -
quote:Originally posted by nmyers
"Case color" is a gray background with random swirls of many colors. It is found on the frames of many Colt Single Action Army revolvers, & some lever action rifles, plus many other places. It's a finish applied by a complex process traditionally done by dipping the part in hot oil with chemicals on the surface; a modern process looks similar, but doesn't come close to the beauty of the original.
Neal
Hello Neal...
The traditional color case hardening process did not ever use oil quenching... the process you are referring to is simple case hardening. The Color case hardening process used by Winchester, Colt, Parker, LC Smith, Ithaca, etc... was to pack the soft steel parts in a container with bone charcoal, heat it in a furnace to a specific temerature, then quench in pure water. Doug Turnbull is probably the best in the country at reproducing authentic looking case color finishes (and he uses the same process), but is real expensive.
Bert H.
Real Men use a SINGLE-SHOT!0 -
"Hello Neal...
The traditional color case hardening process did not ever use oil quenching... the process you are referring to is simple case hardening. The Color case hardening process used by Winchester, Colt, Parker, LC Smith, Ithaca, etc... was to pack the soft steel parts in a container with bone charcoal, heat it in a furnace to a specific temerature, then quench in pure water. Doug Turnbull is probably the best in the country at reproducing authentic looking case color finishes (and he uses the same process), but is real expensive."
Bert H.
While researching this topic in planning the rolling block rifle I'm building I found an article on it. According to this article the matrix was ground bone and leather, in a rather heavy steel container with tight fitting lid. The quench was said to be enhanced by bubbling air through it (water). I haven't tried it yet as my action is out being filled but plan on trying it out on a dummy action this spring. The process above was said to be the arsenal process.
Case coloring is susceptible to sunlight, which fades it or so it is said. It is also said to penetrate much less into the steel than modern case hardening, only a couple thousandths as opposed to the .020 or deeper case of modern process. If anybody here remembers the Chevy small blocks of the 60's needing new cams at around 80,000 miles it was because of a "shallow case" allowing the lobes to wear. Case hardening allows a soft center for flexibility and easy machining with a durable bearing surface.
"You can build a man a fire and keep him warm for a couple hours or douse him with fuel oil and keep him warm the rest of his life"0 -
Seems we have two different subjects here. "Color" Case Hardening is primarily a cosmetic thing that does a beautiful job for the appearance of the gun. Basic industrial Case Hardening is done to improve resistance to wear and sometimes to improve strength of parts, without regard to appearance. It usually has a light gray appearance. There is a product "Kasenit" that comes as a black powder in a can that we use to case harden small parts. You heat the part red hot and swish it around in the can to pick up the black powder. Continue to apply heat for a while to allow the melted black powder to flow over the part and to cook into the surface. Maybe repeat this a couple times and then quench it in water. You only do this on low carbon steel or iron parts because if you do it on parts with much carbon in it, the quench can make it glass hard and very brittle. 0 -
Here's an example of case coloring. [:)] 
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