oneatatime and ratseye; Do I have your pieces in my log?  Can you provide photos?

I'm not finding it.  P/M me the rest of the s/n, I want to add it, especially since you have proof that the breechblock and hammer were CC'd.

Now I wonder how many with CC breechblocks and hammers I've missed because the color was gone or under a brown patina.  Never too old to learn.

Don't know about Stevens, but have a method to caseharden hammers, sears, links and triggers that seems to work.
Do not have them color casehardened with the rest of the action. High wear parts need a heavier case.
Chuck

In the Jay Kimmel Savage and Stevens Arms book, there is a reprint of an article from the October 1904 issue of The Sporting Goods Dealer, that talks about the case hardening process used by Stevens. It seems the Stevens factory used both the bone process and the cyanid process. The article states the parts where only wanting the color are only left in the kilns for 20 minutes, with the  cyanid process, and parts that are wanted with more than  just color they use the bone process, and are left in the kiln for 3 or 4 hours. There is a couple of pictures of the kilns Stevens used. Interesting read.

Now I wonder if any of the early Favorite rifles had color case hardened breech blocks and hammers?

My understanding, for what it's worth, is that the pattern of the colors comes from the quenching process, not the medium.

Bill Lawrence

My experience is that the harder and smoother the surface, the less prone it is to rust.  Case hardening certainly fulfills the first of those criteria and my guess is that surface prep was at least as fine as for bluing for maximum color effect.

Bill Lawrence

Marlinguy's CCH link is a good read, with much useful information. Below are two pictures of a Ballard action, that I CCH'ed, without a tree or shielding, so there are a variety of methods that can produce good color.
At a NRA summer gunsmithing course, a Remington Rolling Block action had a Rockwell hardness of 33 post CCH. However, several Mauser floor plates, in the same crucible, were glass hard. So different steels and part thickness, also play a role. The RRB had very little hardness depth and I agree with Chuckster that the breechblock and triggers benefit from a deeper case hardening.
I plan to CCH the M-44 action, lever and butt plate but intend to harden the breechblock and trigger separately, before blueing. I'd be interested in Chuckster's method of hardening these parts.
From working with Maynard actions, I have no doubt that old CCH will resist rusting and has a distinctive look after 100+ years.
Otto