SBertram wrote on Sep 13
th, 2026 at 2:36pm:
2152hq wrote on Sep 13
th, 2026 at 11:32am:
We used only 2 different wood/bone char mixes.
2/1 and 3/1 Wood to Bone char.
Parker colors were Colt colors, etc.
1435F* was the temp and had to be strictly controlled.
Like I said probably much has changed over the yrs.
Were you quenching at that temp? I understand that most people today might bring it to critical to soak for a period of time but quenching is usually done at a lower temp.
Just curious is all.
Thanks,
Steve
Furnace was kept at that temp. The furnace door opened and
the lid on the box was removed when the box was still in the furnace
The lid just set onto the box, no fasteners of any kind. But there was a bout a 3/4" width edge to the top so the lid had something solid to set down upon.
Boxes and lids lasted for about 25 firings. Then they were discarded.
Immediately after removing the lid, the box itself was taken out of the furnace.
It was then walked quickly over to the quench tank.
If there was any cool down before quenching, this short trip to the quench tank was it. It wasn't much at all,,a few seconds maybe.
The quench water was preheated to 90*F
The box carried with a heavy 2 pronged fork w/handle.
The box still on the fork was positioned over the tank and rested on a support for the handle of the fork.
A spatter cover was pulled down and the fork used to quickly turn the box upside down dumping the contents into the quench.
Parts were all separately wired with stainless steel wire to the box interior bottom. They were held inside the box on a pin that ran the length of the box and had a ring on the pin that was on the outside of the box.
The wires on parts were at such a length that they could not reach the bottom of the quench tank while on the wire(s)
After the parts hit the quench, and were dangling in the quench at the extreme length of each wire they attached to,,then at count of 4(?), the pin was pulled releasing the parts and the parts would then sink the rest of the way to the bottom where most of the char was already sitting.
They were pulled from the quench tank when the water was cool enough to pick them out of there and any remaining water blown off with compressed air. They mostly dried quickly from their own heat.
Is it the only way?,,No obviously. But it is how it was done in the shop at the time.
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Colour Case Blocks and Fixtures (Read 1028 times)
