1911 Color case hardening

B

BoogieMan

New member
Love to see some members color case 1911 or other semi autos. Mainly I would like to know who will color case harden a 1911 for me. Thinking I would like to get a new Rem or Colt, strip it, send it off to make it prettier.
 
Turnbull casehardens frames.
If you want a casehardened 1911, top and bottom, check out the Olympic Arms Westerner.
Oly has recently announced that they are going out of business, so don't know what that might do to prices.
 
T. O'Heir said:
Case hardening isn't decorative. Case hardened colouring is though. Goes on just like cold bluing. Comes from these guys.
https://steelfxpatinas.com/
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Case hardening is not decorative -- correct. And color case hardening is not primarily decorative, either, it's just the effect/result of uneven heat in the case hardening process. For those who find the appearance attractive, it may be thought of as decorative, but that's not the reason it's done.

The kit sold in the link is called "color case-hardening patina for a reason -- it isn't case hardening. It's a chemical (or a series of chemicals, actually) that attempts to replicate the appearance of case hardening. Done well, it looks ... okay. Done poorly (like a poor cold blue job), it looks ... pretty bad.
 
I'm looking to send this gun out and have it done proper. I can case hardened in house, but the finish will be very uniform coming from an atmospheric furnace. Turnbull work looks outstanding. One of their pistols on gunbroker is actually why I came to this idea. I can tune a 1911 to what I want but I have never cch and it's not a skill thathat I feel will add any great value to me. It's also not an easy skill to master.
Problem with Turnbull is their time frame. I have emailed a few other guys that offer CCH service but so far they do not do 1911's
 
Color case hardened parts don't hold their colors well. Many manufacturers of CCH guns lacquered their frames to make it hold up better.
The HARDENING doesn't wear, but the colors don't wear well.
 
Color case hardened parts don't hold their colors well. Many manufacturers of CCH guns lacquered their frames to make it hold up better.
The HARDENING doesn't wear, but the colors don't wear well.
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This is true, of course. But the beauty of it is that as the colors fade, the gun takes on personality. Look at old Colts from the 1800s.

And this old Colt has been around awhile:



No stainless or plastic wonder will ever have this look.

Bob Wright
 
Do not confuse case hardening with case coloring - while outward appearances may be similar, one is a heat treatment to change the properties of the metal while they other tends to be a chemically applied finish.

For case color hardening, Turnbull's reputation is among the best there is.
 
I'm certainly no expert on the subject, but colors were introduced into the case hardening process by the introduction of bone, leather, and cyanide to the coals during the heating process. These extras added wild colors to an otherwise gray finish. This gleaned from reading old formulas in such publications as Dixie Gun Works old catalogs.

Bob Wright
 
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