Driftwood Johnson
New member
Store the gun in a light proof container and never take it out and never touch it.
I am only partially kidding. The colors of true Case Hardening will fade over time. There is nothing you can do about it. How much they fade depends on how the gun is treated. As I said earlier, harsh chemicals and bright sunlight will cause the colors of true Case Hardening to fade. So will Black Powder fouling. Fingerprints left on the gun probably will not help either. I suppose a coating of wax might help, but I don't know for how long. Wax will keep fingerprints off the gun and should prevent any harsh chemicals from reaching the metal. But I suspect you would have to renew the wax frequently.
I attend a lot of auctions, and I get to see a lot of old Colts. Many are 1st Gens, meaning they were made anywhere from 1873 until 1940. Seeing an old Colt with a lot of strong colors remaining is pretty unusual. Mostly, the colors have faded to a silvery, mottled patina. Because the old finishes could wear and fade relatively easily, the better the condition of the finish on an old Colt, the more valuable it is.
Here is a 1st Gen Colt that was auctioned off recently. It shipped in 1889. Click on the enlargements and you can see how much of the colors are left on the frame. Almost none is left. You will notice the colors that remain are in the protected concave areas under the barrel. That is pretty typical. Over the years there would be less handling in that area, so the colors remained the strongest there. Notice what this one sold for. Frankly, I think that one went for way more than it was worth, but some deep pockets collector probably got in a bidding war over it.
http://www.amoskeagauction.com/113/457.php
This little 1849 Pocket Model is really unusual in that it has most of its colors still on the frame, and they are still pretty brilliant. I suspect this one sat for many years in its box in a light proof drawer or safe. It may actually have been separated from its box for most of that time, as contact with the cloth lining the box might have deteriorated the finish where it contacted the gun. That is just about the best condition of original old case colors I have ever seen. Notice what it sold for.
http://www.amoskeagauction.com/113/75.php
This is one of mine. It is a 2nd Gen made in 1973. I bought it around ten years ago. When I bought it, the colors had already faded a bit. This one has not sat in a dark room for the last ten years, I take it out and shoot it in Cowboy matches all the time. It sits in a holster most of the day, so it does not get exposed to bright sunlight all that much. But it does get exposed to Black Powder fouling, my sweaty fingerprints, and frankly it does not always get cleaned right away. So the colors have faded a bit from when I bought it. They are pretty much gone in the area around the patent dates. As is typical, the colors are still the most brilliant in the protected areas around the cylinder pin latch. The colors around the screws are still present, but they are subdued.
This Bisley Colt is one of my favorites. It left the factory in 1909. There is almost no finish left on the gun at all. Almost everything, blue and Case Hardening, has faded to a slivery patina. There is still blue in the cylinder flutes, because they are protected from handling, and a bit in spots on the grip frame. There is still a bit of case colors in the protected area of the frame around the cylinder pin latch, and there is a hint of colors on the side of the frame above the trigger guard. But not much.
This is pretty typical for what an old Colt that has not been abused, but is also not a museum piece, looks like after 108 years. While the finish is almost completely gone from this old Colt, I am glad it has very little pitting.
