Marlin Firearms Collectors Association

Brad,

Great work!! I'd say that you've got it! Thanks for sharing your experiences and results so that we can keep this art alive.

Jim D

Brad,

By George, I think you've got it! Nice colors!

Thanks for sharing.

Jim

Mark, I've seen several broken triggers on 1881 Marlins. I think the problem is that these were case hardened, and left in a long time, and quenched at a high temperature. The reason that they break is that they have a high carbon content and because they are quenched at a high temperature, they are...

Brad,

Where are you getting your ice? Is it made from tap water or distilled water?

Jim

Brad,

One other thing:

Notice how far the majority of your receivers are from being underneath the top angle on the frame. If you were able to bolt those in tilted, so that the back portion of the frame was closer to the top angle, you would get more coverage.

Jim

Brad, Suggestions: 1. Bump your wood/bone ratio to 1:1 and you'll get more colors. 2. I would suggest making your frame out of lighter gage material. It looks like there is a lot of thermal mass there which might be affecting the coverage of your colors. 3. Go to the hardware store and buy some stai...

Brad,

My proceedure is to measure the O2 and aerate if necessary. Without being able to measure it, I would aerate.

Jim

Nice job Brad! You are getting some good colors, and I'm guessing pretty uniform coverage on the sides. On your small parts quench you probably had the parts exposed to the air for too long. When exposed to the air they will oxidize quickly and you will get grey. I might suggest making your frames o...

Brad, There is a photo of the tree for miscellaneous parts somewhere in this thread. You will notice that there is a cap on the end of the tree. The tree fits into a round crucible much like a receiver would, with the cap on top. It drops into a circular cage, just like a receiver would, which keeps...

Fro,

Thank you and welcome to the forum! Keep us posted on your work. We all learn together.

Jim

Brad, Thank you for your kind words. I really appreciate you sharing your experiences. I think that some folks, once they start to become successful at this tend to clam up. If everyone would share their knowledge and experiences, like you, we would all learn from each other. Imagine the knowledge b...

Brad, A 30 gal barrel is sufficient. Just as long as you come up with a way for the receiver to stop it's drop before it hits the bottom of the barrel. That's the other purpose of the cage. The angle iron piece on top of the fixture drops in first, which keeps the quench water from washing the top o...

Okay, there is a problem with the website. It says that you can submit photos that are 640x640 pixels. You can't. I had to reduce this down to 240x320 in order to work. Anyway, here it is finally: http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t176/jd-at-dd/DSCN12742-1.jpg Brad: What size barrel are you using t...

Brad, Here is the long awaited photo of the cradle with the cage. The fixture is shown at the bottom. The receiver is bolted to the fixture through the barrel hole, to the plate on the fixture. If I need to stabilize it, I use SS wire to keep the receiver from moving in the fixture. The fixture goes...

Brad, What was your ratio of wood/bone charcoal? I would suggest a 2:1 or a 1:1. My O2 sensor is a Pinpoint II by American Marine Inc. I will get you some photos of the cage and fixture late next week when I'm back in town. I'll try it again with my wife's camera. Also, looking at your latest piece,...