Colour Case Hardening hammer & trigger

D

Darimian

New member
Dear all,

I have a Colt Detective Special .38 sp factory blue, carbon steel.

I would like to have the trigger and hammer colour case hardened.
Are there any counter-indications to do so since my colour case hardening provider tells me the bath temperature is up to 690°C :eek: !!!

I think the trigger would be ok since it's not hardened already.
But is the hammer factory hardened, in which case, colour case hardening it again would destroy it?

Thanks...
 
Trigger not hardened ??? You better check this very carefully. On S&W both trigger and hammer are case hardened.
 
The hammer and trigger should be hardened, or at least the sear area. If you want to just refinish them to this look, I have spoke of how to recreate the look with certain cold blues on here. I actually came up with the method, and Brownell's experimented with it afterwards. It is also listed in Gunsmithing Kinks III.
 
Temperatures can go far higher than 650C. However, there's no way a trigger or hammer will not be hardened.
The Brownell's kit runs $543 to $2500. And the colours on case hardening will wear off. I seem to recall seeing a product similar to cold bluing that put case hardening colour on steel. It's not Birchwood/Casey.
 
Colt hammers and triggers were made of tool steel and hardened all the way through. That sometimes (very, very, rarely) left them brittle and broken ones are known. S&W took the approach that a softer part would be less brittle and likely to break and them could be surface hardened (case hardened) to prevent wear.

S&W's process of case hardening left the parts colored and S&W trade-marked the colored hammer and trigger as part of its fight against cheap Spanish imitations in the 1920's and 1930's.

Jim
 
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