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Normal Topic Color Case Hardening (Read 4010 times)
sakoman
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Color Case Hardening
May 12th, 2013 at 11:56am
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"How It's Made" TV show covered the building of Colt SSA Frame replicas, Italy I assumed.
They pulled bare frames out of a molten salt heat treating bath and quenched them in water.  They emerged from from the water with case colors?  There was no indication of any carbon packing material to provide carbon for colors.  How does this work?
  
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LP
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Re: Color Case Hardening
Reply #1 - May 12th, 2013 at 6:20pm
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I think what you are talking about is niter bluing in Saltpeter.
LP
  
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sakoman
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Re: Color Case Hardening
Reply #2 - May 12th, 2013 at 6:44pm
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Isn't nitre blue a solid bright blue.  These frames came out of the water quench with mottled colors very similar to a real Colt frame.
Thanks,  Al
  
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Mike_Hunter
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Re: Color Case Hardening
Reply #3 - May 12th, 2013 at 7:23pm
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More than likely cyanide.

v/r

mike
  
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texasmac
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Re: Color Case Hardening
Reply #4 - May 12th, 2013 at 11:53pm
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Mike_Hunter wrote on May 12th, 2013 at 7:23pm:
More than likely cyanide.
mike


I agree with Mike.  BTW, Browning and current Winchester BPCRs are color case hardened using potassium cyanide.  The already heat-treated receivers and hardware are “soaked” for only 5 to 10 minutes in a 1225 degree potassium-cyanide bath to achieve the attractive case-color finish, which also adds an additional layer of hardness.

Wayne
  
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harry_eales
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Re: Color Case Hardening
Reply #5 - May 14th, 2013 at 1:59am
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I'd agree, it's the molten Cyanide dip process. I wouldn't try this yourself, it's definitely not for the home gunsmith. This process is the way that the artisans get the 'Tiger Stripe' effect on frames and levers etc. Cyanide is one of the most lethal poisons known to man. I'm very surprised that the 'Health and Safety' people permit it to be used today. Unless it is to help reduce the unemployment problem.  Roll Eyes

Harry
  
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sakoman
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Re: Color Case Hardening
Reply #6 - May 14th, 2013 at 10:52pm
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The potassium cyanide process must have been what I saw.   

Thank you to all who contributed.

Allen
  
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desert-dude
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Re: Color Case Hardening
Reply #7 - Jul 28th, 2013 at 3:03pm
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Oral toxicity of KCN is between .2 and .3 g and depends on an acidic stomach to convert the KCN to HCN which messes with cytochrome C. 

I know of a fellow that worked for Lockheed  that ate lunch alongside the cyanide pot. 

This does mean that one should tempt fate. 

  
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