Case colored receivers

[chipchip]

How do you care for case colored receivers.

 

[PetahW]

I clean mine with oil, being sure to leave a thin sheen behind, and never store them in bright light, as it will tend to accellerate fading, as will excess handling.



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[Scorch]

Most guns that are color case hardened get a light coat of varnish to keep the colors from fading. Oil or gun grease will help the colors stay crisp, and as PetahW said, keep them out of the sun.

 

[chipchip]

Thanks for the info.

 

[LED]

Case coloring and case hardening aren't the same, different rules apply.

 

[James K]

That sort of depends. Originally, case hardening was used because the receivers were iron and the movement of the parts wore them down unless they were hardened. The colors were a by-product of case hardening, so coloring and hardening were the same thing.

With receivers made out of steel, which, unlike iron, can be hardened, the need for case hardening has gone away, but some people still like the coloring, so methods have been developed to apply the colors without hardening.

Factories that apply coloring by either method usually apply a coat of hard varnish or other coating to preserve the color.

Jim

 

[BigD_in_FL]

Case coloring today is typically done with a chemical/acid type of procedure versus the bone/charcoal process used for case colored hardening..

Doug Turnbull does the CCH process, a big conglomerate like Beretta uses the cheaper and easier chemical process