"Case color"

H

Hardcase

New member
I picked up a .357 Cimarron Model P last night for what I thought was a pretty good price, $230. I agonized between it and a New Vaquero, but my new year's resolution was to try really hard to not introduce any new calibers this year, so I passed on the .45LC.

Anyway, the Cimarron, a Uberti gun, is in great shape, with a 4.75" barrel and an extra set of Gunfighter grips. But the imitation case colors are quite faded on one side of the frame and maybe half gone on the other. Now, it's not a huge deal to me because the price was right and it's not exactly a collector's gun. But is there a way to redo the coloring on the frame that won't break the bank or require a degree in chemistry?

Oh yeah, I know the rule: pictures or it didn't happen. I'll post 'em tonight. And if the mercury breaks 30 this week, I might even shoot it!
 
I don't even remember what 30 degrees feels
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is there a way to redo the coloring on the frame that won't break the bank or require a degree in chemistry?
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Color case hardening is not just a coloring process, it is a heat treatment process. Re-doing the color case hardening requires complete disassembly of the firearm, barrel, screws, pins, etc, right down to the frame. The parts to be heat reated are wrapped in metal foil or placed in a crucible, covered with bone pieces or charcoal, then put in an oven for heating. There is another process that requires the parts to be heated, then quenched in ferrocyanate, but due to the chemicals used it has fallen into disuse.

There are several commercial outfits that do color case hardening, be it bone or charcoal process. There are no current commercial heat treaters that use the old cyanate process, as far as I know.
 
Color case hardening is not just a coloring process, it is a heat treatment process.

True. But a lot of the Colt clones use other processes to make it look like the gun was color case hardened. I don't know who can re do those kinds of treatments. Mark
 
The alternative method, IIRC, uses cyanide to replicate the colors.

As for having it done, you might try asking Doug Turnbull's group - they are the best at it
 
Turnbull once quoted me about $400 to CCH the receiver on a Ruger #1. Not a bad price for the right gun, but I don't think I'd want to spend more money on redoing something cosmetic than I did on the gun itself.
 
After poking around a little bit, I see that it's one of those processes that comes out a whole lot easier and cheaper when there are a whole bunch to do at once. It looks a little out of the reach of li'l ol' me on one at a time basis.

horseman308, you're right, spending twice the price of the gun for the work isn't my cup of tea.

By the way, I saw a couple of ~1900-1910 Colt SAAs at Cabelas the other day that Doug Turnbull restored. Gorgeous. And spendy. But gorgeous, just the same. And in the next cabinet over they had the most beautiful Henry .44 rimfire rifle with a beautifully engraved receiver and lovely persimmon stock. Just $81,000. My wife said no.
 
Uberti and Pietta still color their frames using cyanide which is OK but not as pretty as true bone/charcoal color case. Classic firearms in Illinois does a great job of true bone charcoal color case and a single action army would be under $200 with postage both ways.
 
There's a book called "Double Guns" on redoing side by side shotguns. The author was Hughes or Haines (can't remember) but he gave a formula on color case hardening. If I recall, all case hardening was sort of grayish hundreds of years ago but when the part was quenched some oils etc added color that folks liked and then the color case hardening got going. In any event try asking around on the net in shotgun forums- someone may have or remember the book.
 
The methodology for bone/charcoal case hardening is not complex but the required equipment is generally outside the realm of the hobbyiest.
This is how it is done. The well polished parts are packed in a curcible with a 50/50 mix of charred bone and wood charcoal. The cruciblle then goes into a heat treat oven at 1500deg F for about 40 minutes. The parts are then dropped into a water quench that has an aerator that bubbles up the water. Once cooled the parts are dried and oiled. That's all there is to it but it does require some serious equipment.
 
I know how the traditional case hardening is done and I definitely agree that it's outside of my comfort zone, if not ability.

In the end, I'm pretty doggone happy with what I've got.

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I just had a thought - I have a good friend who has a couple of kilns that he fires glass in. I know that they'll go to 1500 F and above. Now it's got me wondering...

I may have to do some research and buy a couple of beat up old frames to experiment with. Oh joy, another project.
 
What you have to be careful about is warping the frame when you heat it to that temperature - most old SxS shotguns needed to be filed some more to true them up. You also don't want to mess up the heat treatment by doing it wrong
 
oneounceload said:
What you have to be careful about is warping the frame when you heat it to that temperature - most old SxS shotguns needed to be filed some more to true them up. You also don't want to mess up the heat treatment by doing it wrong
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For sure. I have plenty of research to do, I guess. If I didn't have this stupid job, why think of all the things that I could get done!
 
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