ASSRA Forum - Re-use charcoal when color case hardening?

ASSRA Forum › General › Gunsmithing Single Shot Rifles › Re-use charcoal when color case hardening?

(Moderator Group: Moderator)

‹ Previous Topic | Next Topic ›

Pages: 1 2 [3]

Re-use charcoal when color case hardening? (Read 4975 times)

ssrifles Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 274 Joined: Mar 23^rd, 2009	Re: Re-use charcoal when color case hardening? Reply #30 - May 1^st, 2023 at 7:55pm	Print Post
	i went with greg yesterday to a schuetzen match in sheridan, i saw the hepburn, he got colors that few people that do this get anymore. reds, greens yellows and blues, not browns and greys. it really looked good and better than the pictures show. there was a place years ago, case color of ohio that not only got the correct colors but the right patterns of the old guns. shame he is no longer in business.but don't tell greg i complemented him i only give him grief. tony<><


	IP Logged

Rex N Full Member Offline Posts: 122 Location: Canada Joined: Aug 16^th, 2017	Re: Re-use charcoal when color case hardening? Reply #31 - May 2^nd, 2023 at 12:53am	Print Post
	I have reused charcoal but have stopped now. I get the bone charcoal from Ebonex and use hardwood lump charcoal I grind myself. I have pics of a few projects on my website[url] (You need to *Login* or *Register* to view media files and links)[/url]. Here is a highwall I did on Friday. I just oil it and go, the colors mellow with time. May 2^nd, 2023 at 12:50am


	IP Logged

GT Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2035 Location: Northeast Wyoming Joined: Jun 28^th, 2015	Re: Re-use charcoal when color case hardening? Reply #32 - May 2^nd, 2023 at 9:29am	Print Post
	Rex, Thanks for sharing, I followed a few of your projects on the CGN forum and your website is great - I'll be following that now. Greg

	"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk" T. A. Edison "The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right" M.T.
	IP Logged

fishoot Full Member Offline Posts: 129 Location: Folsom, CA Joined: Dec 29^th, 2011	Re: Re-use charcoal when color case hardening? Reply #33 - May 2^nd, 2023 at 12:04pm	Print Post
	GT, Thanks for adding to the thread. There is no intrusion!


	IP Logged

fishoot Full Member Offline Posts: 129 Location: Folsom, CA Joined: Dec 29^th, 2011	Re: Re-use charcoal when color case hardening? Reply #34 - May 2^nd, 2023 at 12:08pm	Print Post
	Rex N, Why did your stop reusing the charcoal? Also, please describe how you grind the lump charcoal. I just returned from a squirrel shoot. One of the farmers lets me have all the cow skeletons I want. He thinks I am a little strange for wanting it, but he lets me shoot on his property anyway.


	IP Logged

Rex N Full Member Offline Posts: 122 Location: Canada Joined: Aug 16^th, 2017	Re: Re-use charcoal when color case hardening? Reply #35 - May 3^rd, 2023 at 1:17am	Print Post
	Hi, I found it was costing too much to get the charcoal bone dry again. It has a lot of porosity so it holds a crazy amount of water. I was cooking it for hours on my BBQ but the propane was getting expensive. I also found the colors were a bit less consistent than using fresh charcoal. Maybe if I lived in a hot place like the desert I could leave it in the son for a month to dry. I grind the wood charcoal with an old meat grinder I picked up at a garage sale. I use my lathe in back gear (about 40 rpm) to turn it. It takes lots of horse power but it grinds nicely. I used to sieve the charcoal but now I use it fines and all. I cover my lathe with tarps before I grind so the dust doesn’t get all over it. Ideally I would have one with its own motor so I could do it outside. Takes far more power to grind than meat! I drop in one piece of lump charcoal at a time and use the plate with really big holes so it doesn’t create so many fines. I think they are about 7/16” dia.


	IP Logged

n.r.davis Oldtimer Offline Posts: 578 Joined: Dec 3^rd, 2015	Re: Re-use charcoal when color case hardening? Reply #36 - May 3^rd, 2023 at 9:11pm	Print Post
	I don't do much Case Hardening so grinding for me is actually pounding. Got an old cracked Dutch Oven that I put about 15 pieces in then use a Length of 1" Black Iron Pipe to pound with. Learned that a series of light blows works better than trying to Beat it To Death, and a lot easier! Not messy and being a Grumpy Old Batchelor any thing that helps keep the shop clean.....well let's just say my Broom is somewhere 😂


	IP Logged

idjeffp Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 289 Location: Boise, ID Joined: Nov 11^th, 2017	Re: Re-use charcoal when color case hardening? Reply #37 - May 11^th, 2023 at 1:16am	Print Post
	Got my copies of the Double Gun Journal - Winter 1996 (Vol 7 Issue 4) and Spring 1997 (Vol 8 Issue 1)... These have a 2-part article "The Color Case-hardening of Firearms - Part I & II by Oscar L Gaddy. Very detailed... still reading through it. Interesting that he does talk about reusing charcoal in certain cases... Jeff P


	IP Logged

fishoot Full Member Offline Posts: 129 Location: Folsom, CA Joined: Dec 29^th, 2011	Re: Re-use charcoal when color case hardening? Reply #38 - May 11^th, 2023 at 9:45pm	Print Post
	I'm anxiously standing by to learn more....


	IP Logged

idjeffp Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 289 Location: Boise, ID Joined: Nov 11^th, 2017	Re: Re-use charcoal when color case hardening? Reply #39 - May 12^th, 2023 at 12:04pm	Print Post
	fishoot... check your PM's JP


	IP Logged

Pages: 1 2 [3]

‹ Previous Topic | Next Topic ›