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Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) Stevens 44 Color Case Finish (Read 11053 times)
ssdave
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Stevens 44 Color Case Finish
Apr 23rd, 2014 at 2:10pm
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I've always gone by an absolute in dealing with Stevens 44's:  That they are cyanide cased.   

Got one in today in 95% condition, with 100% original pack hardened case colors in bright, clear perfect condition.  I'm absolutely sure they're original, not a refinish.  Barrel blue is likewise original and excellent condition.  It's a very late, high serial #, round barrel gun.  In thinking about this, I recall that the 414's were pack hardened instead of squirrel tail pattern cyanide cased.  Did some of the late 44's get pack hardened also?

thanks,
dave
  
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ACGould
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Re: Stevens 44 Color Case Finish
Reply #1 - Apr 23rd, 2014 at 6:44pm
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After WWI when Savage took over Stevens, the Stevens rifles were pack hardened.  I own a near new post-WWI Ideal that is pack hardened and a pre-WWI Model 47 that was returned to Savage-Stevens for a new barrel at which time it was re-finished and receiver was pack hardened.  Of course, no 44 1/2 actions were made post WWI so the color case makes it easy to sort out the Ideals and 1915 Favorites made post WWI.
Leon (ACGould)
  
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uscra112
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Re: Stevens 44 Color Case Finish
Reply #2 - Apr 23rd, 2014 at 6:46pm
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Hmm.  I'm not up on cyanide case hardening.  Is some feature of that process the reason behind the "ripple" pattern?  What would that be?
  
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ACGould
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Re: Stevens 44 Color Case Finish
Reply #3 - Apr 23rd, 2014 at 6:59pm
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Photo of Post-WWI Savage-Stevens Ideal .22 LR showing pack hardened receiver.   

My understanding of the Stevens cyanide process is that the heated parts were lowered into a cyanide bath that had air bubbles pumped up thru it.
  
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ssdave
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Re: Stevens 44 Color Case Finish
Reply #4 - Apr 23rd, 2014 at 7:11pm
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uscra112 wrote on Apr 23rd, 2014 at 6:46pm:
Hmm.  I'm not up on cyanide case hardening.  Is some feature of that process the reason behind the "ripple" pattern?  What would that be?


The ripple pattern was made by the vertical movement of the receiver through the water/air interface as it was moved up and down in the quenching water bath.

Leon,

Thanks,  that confirms what I have.  It looks identical to the photo of the one you posted.

dave
  
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uscra112
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Re: Stevens 44 Color Case Finish
Reply #5 - Apr 23rd, 2014 at 8:03pm
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Doesn't sound like something OSHA would approve of today.    Smiley
  
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JLouis
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Re: Stevens 44 Color Case Finish
Reply #6 - Apr 23rd, 2014 at 8:25pm
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uscra how do you think the CPA's are done.
  
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kootne
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Re: Stevens 44 Color Case Finish
Reply #7 - Apr 23rd, 2014 at 8:47pm
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I was told some years back that Stevens process was run on a chain set-up with hooks hanging down at intervals. The chain was quite loose and a hook (with a reciever hanging on it) coming off the first sprocket would dip into the cyanide bath, as it approached the next sprocket it would be lifted out as the chain rose to go over the sprocket. On the back side of that sprocket the reciever would drop into the quench. The characteristic ripple pattern was "eye candy" and caused by the motion of the chain having a rapid start/stop cycle instead of a smooth travel. Each ripple is caused by one of the start/stop cycles. From a manufacturing standpoint this would also seem to be a lot more productive process than pack hardening.
Anyway, the story made sense to me but I have no documentation.
kootne
  
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Re: Stevens 44 Color Case Finish
Reply #8 - Apr 23rd, 2014 at 8:51pm
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Forgot to include in my previous post that ripple is supposably easily reproduced by hanging the reciever off a rod with a wire and "jigging" the hot part into the quench, each jig a little lower than the previous.
  
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uscra112
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Re: Stevens 44 Color Case Finish
Reply #9 - Apr 24th, 2014 at 5:59am
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JLouis wrote on Apr 23rd, 2014 at 8:25pm:
uscra how do you think the CPA's are done.


Don't know, but having spent a large part of my career trying to stay in compliance with OSHA, the prospect of having to protect workers from anything cyanide fills me with gladness that I'm retired.   Smiley   Heck, they were even afraid of a special silicone grease we used in one of our axis drives !  Roll Eyes
  
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marlinguy
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Re: Stevens 44 Color Case Finish
Reply #10 - Apr 25th, 2014 at 11:25am
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I've often wondered why no others did the cyanide case colors. If it was a big money saver in either time or material cost, I would have guessed others would have used it back in the old days. There were very few safety standards back then, so unless the workers were dropping over at a fairly quick rate, I doubt they thought about safety much.
My guess is the normal pack process was as simple and cheap, or everyone would have taken the cheaper route.
  
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Bent_Ramrod
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Re: Stevens 44 Color Case Finish
Reply #11 - Apr 25th, 2014 at 3:15pm
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The normal casehardened finish on Shiloh Sharps actions is via the cyanide process, and it gives the marcelled look, although they are not as elaborately rippled as most Stevens frames.  For an extra charge you can get the actions pack hardened, which gives the random pattern, with a little less blue and a little more brown or gray.
  
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Chev. William
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Re: Stevens 44 Color Case Finish
Reply #12 - May 1st, 2014 at 6:17pm
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uscra112 wrote on Apr 24th, 2014 at 5:59am:
JLouis wrote on Apr 23rd, 2014 at 8:25pm:
uscra how do you think the CPA's are done.


Don't know, but having spent a large part of my career trying to stay in compliance with OSHA, the prospect of having to protect workers from anything cyanide fills me with gladness that I'm retired.   Smiley   Heck, they were even afraid of a special silicone grease we used in one of our axis drives !  Roll Eyes


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Perhaps OSHA was afraid some one would injest or inject the Grease?
Chuckling,
Chev. William
  
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harry_eales
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Re: Stevens 44 Color Case Finish
Reply #13 - May 2nd, 2014 at 3:37pm
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It would appear to me that the temperature for Cyanide CC Hardening would have to be done at a much lower temperature than Pack CC Hardening at red heat. The temperature of the Cyanide parts would have to be lower if oxidation produced scale had to be avoided if the parts were jigged up and down from air to cyanide and back again. Just a random thought.

Harry.
  
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uscra112
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Re: Stevens 44 Color Case Finish
Reply #14 - May 2nd, 2014 at 4:48pm
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Filched from Wiikipedia:

Cyaniding is a case hardening process that is fast and efficient; it is mainly used on low carbon steels. The part is heated to 871-954 °C (1600-1750 °F) in a bath of sodium cyanide and then is quenched and rinsed, in water or oil, to remove any residual cyanide.

    2NaCN + O2 → 2NaCNO
    2NaCNO + O2 → Na2CO3 +CO + N2
    2CO → CO2 + C

This process produces a thin, hard shell (between 0.25 - 0.75 mm, 0.01 and 0.03 inches) that is harder than the one produced by carburizing, and can be completed in 20 to 30 minutes compared to several hours so the parts have less opportunity to become distorted. It is typically used on small parts such as bolts, nuts, screws and small gears. The major drawback of cyaniding is that cyanide salts are poisonous.

That took 3 minutes to find, read, and copy.  It took how many days for me to actually do it?  I can be so lazy at times !

From another source, it appears that the soak time in the cyanide salt bath is more like 2 to 3 hours.  Since you're not heating a pack container, but rather just the part itself, the energy cost has to be much lower.
  
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