G'day folks Boz here - I'm about to pick up a Low Wall (when paperwork
is done)  .32-20 straight stock crescent bp. Serial #85023 made in 1899,
I wondered if the whole action could be hardened to increase its strength
and wear resistance using Kasenit?     thanks Boz

Far be it for me to argue with my 'learned friend' Joe, I think trying to Kasenit an action is rather fraught with hazzards.

This substance was originally introduced to enable small pieces of soft steel to be hardened in a small, or home workshop.

The proceedure is to bring the item concerned quickly up to a bright cherry red colour and then plunge it into the Kasenit giving it as even a coat as possible over the whole of the exposed surfaces. 

The coated item is then heated to a bright cherry red once again and held at that temperature for a few minutes to enable the carbon to penetrate into the steel. The Item is then quenched in water. I would not consider a Rifle Action a small piece of metal. 

Some problems come to mind here. Anyone who has done any work where metal has been heated to red heat, will have noted that a scale forms on the surface of the metal (caused by the presence of oxygen)which is difficult to remove at the best of times. The longer the item is in the heat the more likely scale is to form.

It's not possible using the Kasenit process, to coat the metal surfaces to stop scale forming if you then, after heating, want to dip it in the Kasenit. It simply wouldn't work. Rifle actions are complex shapes and just ensuring an even coating of Kasenit over the whole action, would beat the ingenuity of most men. Even heating an action evenly it would be taxing without a thermostatically controlled furnace.

I would not suggest you try Kasenit. Better to send it to a reputable gunsmith who specialises in Case hardening, and have it done by him.

Ordinary Case Hardening does not colour the metal, Colour Case Hardening carried out by either the Bone/Charcoal Pack Method or the Cyanide Dip process will both harden the metal and give you colours. It'll cost you to have the work done by a professional, but it will be cheaper than replacing an action that's 'boogered' beyond help.

Harry

First of all BP, I'm a retired iron worker. I'm used to thinking BIG. So, a rifle action is a small piece of steel to me. A rifle action will not fit in a small can of Kasenit. 
I had a large can of Kasenit. I removed half the contents to a large coffee can. I heated the parts in my small heat treat furnace. When the parts just turned red they were removed and placed in the half full can of Kasenit making sure the breech block mortise was in a vertical position to accept the Kasenit. Kasenit was dumped back into the the original container completely covering the action. Several hours later I removed the action, rinsed in water and began polishing. I dont recall any scaling. If there was any at all it was very light. The longer one holds a piece of steel cherry red the thicker the scale becomes.  This simple process was enough to assure that the moving parts in the action function smoothly with no binding, which is a problem in the Hochs breech block. If left soft, the striker block binds against and galls on the upper inside surface of the breech block when cocked.

Heres the Hoch rifle as it is today. Still works as smooth as it did the day I did it all wrong.  

            Joe.  



 

Westener, thanks for the info, when I get all the parts together and take
it to the gunsmith, I'll tell him of your method. He specializes in single
shots, Hi Wall's, Rolling Block's, Large Martini's and Ruger#1's.
Nice rifle Westener! Many fine single shots simply never made it to OZ
The Lo Wall I'm buying has a very tight action (no slop) and is as smooth
as a sows ear, the trigger breaks at about 2 lbs just like a snapping glass
rod - asking price was $AUD290 I grabbed it!
Again thanks for the help                      Boz.

Oh, and dont forget us here! Post some pictures. 


             Joe. 

Hi Chuck, thanks. I dont use that rest for the Hoch, it's for the slug gun. 

I did reheat and quench the breech block in water per the instructions on the can. 
  The frame was not, the breech block being the main concern.  The frame is harder than before going in the Kasenit, how much I dont know. 
Also I didnt heat any parts to bright orange, just red. That may explain the lack of scale.  Still hardened up nicely. 

                        Joe. 


                             

I think I would check the action first to see if there is any hardness. Using a small file, see if it digs in on an unexposed area. If it slides of with out cutting then there is no need to heat treat. I have never used Kasenite on a large piece like an action but it sure comes in handy on smaller pieces.
To do an action I would be tempted to make a small oven and buy the color case stuff from Brownells or make up my own. I have seen some warpage on actions I have sent out for color case. The last action I had done was a Marlin 39, Thanks going to Mike Hunter for his fine work.

My take on Joe's heat treat is that if the carbon soaks in to the metal ( I believe it's only .2 % carbon, I also have a early Hoch) It will change the surface for some depth to a higher carbon level, such as  1040 steel is hard and more durable and stronger than 1010 steel in there annealed state.

Frank