case coloring

GTJC460

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John Powers, Powers metal works just did a really nice job on a Winchester 94 for me. I'd highly recommend him.

He doesn't do those rainbow bright colors like others. It looks more like what the original colors looked like and doesn't take away from the engraving.
 

DakotaDocMartin

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Does anyone know where we can get a gun case colored, not case hardened?

I think those are the key words there. Outside of Uberti in Italy, I don't know anyone else that does the fake chemical coloring. I know Doug Turnbull does the real color case which of course is case hardening. :)
 

Brian Marshall

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The answer probably lies in a book similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Colouring-Bro...e=UTF8&qid=1429922616&sr=1-3&keywords=patinas

But then that means you'd have to buy it, read it, practice, experiment, learn how to do it "properly" - and then do the final job yourself...

Likely not what you want. But then again, if someone DOES all this and learns to do it - you can charge others accordingly. (for the time you invested and skills you have acquired)


Brian
 
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Tim Wells

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Linda,
I've heard of people heating a part and spraying WD40 on it or maybe it was sprayed beforehand then heated with a torch. I've not tried it but it would be easy enough to experiment with. Is this for those cool prairie dog pendants your husband makes with the bullet hole?
 

dogcatcher

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Are you wanting the dull black look or the fancy case hardened look without hardening the steel? Is the project hardened already or does the temper of the metal have anything to do with it's function?
 

jerrywh

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I have done a lot of things in this category but I need to know exactly what you are trying to achieve. It is possible to pack in charcoal and bone and heat to 1500°F for about 30 minutes and then drop the temp to about 1200° to quench. That will give you some nice colors but a pretty soft case. There will be a minimum of hardening but not much.
I have never seen good work done with a torch. It always looks like it was done with a torch.
 

DKanger

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I don't know that I'd ever do this on a gun action, but frequently do it on small parts like lock and trigger plates, grip caps, breech tangs, etc.
Results vary with shop temperature, the colder the quench, the darker the coloring.

1. I float 1/4" of 10W oil on top of a pail of water.
2. Hang the piece on iron wire and play an oxy/acetylene torch set to a slight reducing flame over the part to just before scale starts to form. You can see it just start to form.
3. Plunge the part vertically into the pail several times in rapid succession about 6 times and then let it sink to the bottom. I only do this with fairly straight parts so they won't warp, as opposed to just dumping them into the bucket with no control over their entry angle.
4. This plate was done with everything at about 70 degrees. One I did at 50 degrees had more deeper blues and blacks in it. The oil is thicker at the lower temperature, so the oil clings to it more giving the deeper color.



This one was done at a colder temperature.

 

highveldt

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case coloring, not hardening

Lynda;

Yes, most certain case coloring can be done without hardening the steel. I am not certain that common low carbon steels are candidates for this process, but 4140 alloy steel work beautifully. Attached is a photo of a double rifle action that Doug Turnbull did for me that is not hardened.

4140 alloy steel is a through hardening steel and as a result one does not want to quench the steel at as high a temperature as you would in surface hardening, or the steel will fracture without further annealing. Turnbull is very good on lower temperature quenching, which can leave beautiful colors as you can see from the photo.

When I made this rifle 3 years back I was learning how to engraving and this was the first gun I tried to engrave. Even though my engraving is poor on the rifle action, Turnbull's coloring is so good that it leaves the engraving quality unnoticed.

Steve Howell
 

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