Case Hardening Removal

K

ktmhk53

New member
Greetings,
While I appreciate the structural benefits of case hardening, I find the aesthetics unappealing on my S&W revolver's trigger and hammer.
Can this "discoloration" be removed, or need it be covered?
If covered can it be done partially so as not to interfere with the hammer/trigger interface?
I thought NP3, Hard Chrome, etc., type finishes coat the entire part only, not just a defined portion.
No offense to the purists, but modern fighting handguns just don't look quite right with the time honored case hardening patina...

ktmhk53
 
Case hardening is a heat treat to lend more durability to the metal.
I suppose you could anneal it, but the metal would be "soft" then.
Can't you blue it? Or, the other processes you mentioned may be able to cover it.


Annealing is not a home project, by the way.
 
Case hardening is a process that only really effects the outer most surface of any given shape...its not the color or finish.
Its done to high wear areas to increase its life span...it also makes the actual surface harder and "Possibly" results in a smoother finish and thus, associated trigger action. The only way to rid any steel of case hardening is to run it thru a heat cycle.
All tempering or annealling is a process of heating and cooling the steel....some require the use of oil cooling or controlled rate heating and cooling. To rid the steel of its given physical properties, it must be run thru a similar but different process.
To get rid of the case hardening...you run the risk of ending up with a trigger thats as hard and nice as one made from Play Do.....
I believe people make aftermarket triggers for S&W guns or just refinish it......Shoot well
 
The discoloration is simply oxidation and only really there for asthetics, not really necessary using most case hardening techniques. In fact, I'd guess that the coloring you see it artificially induced. As a part-time (mostly for fun) blacksmith, I'd had many occasions to case-harden steel, using proper techniques I have never had any discoloration from the case hardening process. During annealing you use the color to get a pretty good idea of the temp. when drawing out a high temper.

You could probably sand it off with fine sandpaper, without appreciably affecting the hardening.. of course it might affect it. Without knowing exactly what process they used, there's no telling.

You should be able to blue them though.
 
Uhh...you guys missed the point I think. He just wants to take off the color case. Not take off the case hardened metal. Try Flitz metal polish. If that does not do it, then vinager most likely will. I have removed the color case on a few guns and I used Flitz. What you end up with is called a "coin finish." You just need to keep it oiled to prevent rust. The color is just like blueing, all it does is help prevent rust.
 
I have a couple of guns with the colors polished off - by the gunsmith, not requested by me, I'd rather they had been left dark. The case depth on a S&W is usually said to be .005". You won't have to polish near that much off to leave bare steel. If you only do it on the exposed portions of the hammer and trigger you won't be hitting a wear surface anyhow. Of course it will then be bare carbon steel and will have to be kept clean and oiled even more carefully than blue or case color.
 
After you use the Flitz, a cold-blue solutionn of your choice can be applied to both darken and provide some level of corrosion protection.
 
I was surprised at how easy it was to get that mottly black color off the trigger and hammer in my SW's. I used chrome polish and rubbed them lightly with a cotton cloth. No sandpaper needed. IMO, the mottly color is a surface oxidation effect because it came off quickly without taking off any metal at all. The case hardened surface was unaffected. BTW: since my guns are stainless, I assume the trigger and hammer is as well so I don't think they need to be re-blued.
 
FYI: SW case hardens their hammers and triggers as the final step after they have been ground and fitted. As the factory guy pointed out: If we had to grind on hardened parts, it would ruin our cutters. Makes sense.

Bottom line: they are surface hardened primarily to reduce wear on th critical pressure points: the sear faces and the surfaces that ride on the boss pins. The rest of the hammer and trigger get hardened just because it's there at the time.
 
Ok guys, CASE HARDENING is a method of surface hardening metal, while leaving the inner core of the metal soft. This makes a wear resistant surface, but a tough part that won't break.

COLOR CASE HARDENING is a decorative finish for appearance.
Color case is VERY thin and not very durable at all. It varies from the mottled black-brown of the current S&W guns to the brilliant blues of the Colt Single Actions. It wears away with very little use.

Original S&W stainless guns used stainless hammers and triggers, but S&W wasn't pleased with how they stood up, so they went to carbon steel parts with a flash-plated chrome coating.
A few years ago they went to the same color case finish they've always used on their carbon guns.

BOUNTYH:
Other than the very early stainless gun, S&W hammers and triggers are ALL carbon steel, and WILL rust.
 
"BOUNTYH:
Other than the very early stainless gun, S&W hammers and triggers are ALL carbon steel, and WILL rust."

I believe you. You'll notice I said "I assume the hammer and trigger are stainless" in my post. I also know they will rust, but then stainless wil also rust so I wasn't dead sure they weren't stainless. I thought they were SS because they don't take "bluing" liquid, but that is maybe because of the hardening.
 
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