Color case hardening

Anything to do with gun smithing.
rwnblack
Beginner
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2010 9:11 pm

Re: Color case hardening

Post by rwnblack »

I have been doing some more case hardening and here are a few pics. I have been primarily using 2:1 wood to bone charcoal, 720 C for about 1 hour, dunked in tap water with airbubling, parts tied to a short chain so they don't fall to the bottom. I bought a 1893, 1894 and 1897 marlins that I am going to caseharden after I reline the barrels, install new wood and blue.ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
Brent
Sharpshooter
Posts: 307
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2008 11:24 am

Re: Color case hardening

Post by Brent »

You are doing great work!
User avatar
marlinman93
Distinguished Expert
Posts: 2853
Joined: Sun Nov 10, 2002 1:22 pm
Location: Portland, Oregon

Re: Color case hardening

Post by marlinman93 »

Beautiful case colors!
Marlin lever actions 1870's-WWI, Ballards, and single shot rifles!
Copelandgs
Beginner
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2017 9:07 am

Re: Color case hardening

Post by Copelandgs »

Hey guys I found this forum about 7 months ago and love it. One thing I want to point out is that photo bucket has pretty much blocked the photos you guys have posted. Unless of course you pay like 400 dollars a year have them shown. I have my own formula of color case I would like to show on here as well. Just have to figure out how to post pictures now.
User avatar
marlinman93
Distinguished Expert
Posts: 2853
Joined: Sun Nov 10, 2002 1:22 pm
Location: Portland, Oregon

Re: Color case hardening

Post by marlinman93 »

Copelandgs wrote:Hey guys I found this forum about 7 months ago and love it. One thing I want to point out is that photo bucket has pretty much blocked the photos you guys have posted. Unless of course you pay like 400 dollars a year have them shown. I have my own formula of color case I would like to show on here as well. Just have to figure out how to post pictures now.
Yes, unfortunately photobucket has destroyed a huge treasure of good pictures. So many that I find it overwhelming to try and restore them all to my new picture hosting site, and then again add them to various forums. Afraid they're lost for eternity now.
Marlin lever actions 1870's-WWI, Ballards, and single shot rifles!
TRAP55
Beginner
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 6:36 pm

Re: Color case hardening

Post by TRAP55 »

Long time lurker, had to join and post to save the pics in this great thread!
Photobucket Fix so you can see the pics that have been posted on forums.
Free Add-Ons available for both Chrome and Firefox, which will let you choose to see the original photo instead of the "ransom block" image, throughout the Internet.

For Chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/deta ... 1515699540

For Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo ... ucket-fix/
Brent
Sharpshooter
Posts: 307
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2008 11:24 am

Re: Color case hardening

Post by Brent »

All is beautiful again! Thanks.
User avatar
marlinman93
Distinguished Expert
Posts: 2853
Joined: Sun Nov 10, 2002 1:22 pm
Location: Portland, Oregon

Re: Color case hardening

Post by marlinman93 »

None of the fixes work for me as PB wont allow me access with my adblocker program. Still no joy!
Marlin lever actions 1870's-WWI, Ballards, and single shot rifles!
Brent
Sharpshooter
Posts: 307
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2008 11:24 am

Re: Color case hardening

Post by Brent »

I am running Adblocker too and it is working for me.
TRAP55
Beginner
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 6:36 pm

Re: Color case hardening

Post by TRAP55 »

Adblocker here too and Firefox, works fine.
RANGER295
Beginner
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2018 8:53 am

Re: Color case hardening

Post by RANGER295 »

I am working on building a setup to give this a whirl.

Does it matter what kind of container is used for the quench tank? I was thinking about using a 55 gallon paint drum that the paint residue has been burnt out of. Does anyone think any part of this would interfere with the process? Thanks.
User avatar
marlinman93
Distinguished Expert
Posts: 2853
Joined: Sun Nov 10, 2002 1:22 pm
Location: Portland, Oregon

Re: Color case hardening

Post by marlinman93 »

RANGER295 wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2018 11:15 am I am working on building a setup to give this a whirl.

Does it matter what kind of container is used for the quench tank? I was thinking about using a 55 gallon paint drum that the paint residue has been burnt out of. Does anyone think any part of this would interfere with the process? Thanks.
If it's clean it should work. But it's probably way larger than anyone uses. Most folks I know are using 5-10 gallon containers.
Marlin lever actions 1870's-WWI, Ballards, and single shot rifles!
RANGER295
Beginner
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2018 8:53 am

Re: Color case hardening

Post by RANGER295 »

marlinman93 wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2018 10:15 am
RANGER295 wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2018 11:15 am I am working on building a setup to give this a whirl.

Does it matter what kind of container is used for the quench tank? I was thinking about using a 55 gallon paint drum that the paint residue has been burnt out of. Does anyone think any part of this would interfere with the process? Thanks.
If it's clean it should work. But it's probably way larger than anyone uses. Most folks I know are using 5-10 gallon containers.
If I used a plastic container would it cool enough by the time it hit the bottom so that it would not melt the bottom? I have 10 gallons of distilled water that a science teacher made for me (he has a water distilling set up in his classroom). I was also planning on trying well water as I live out in the country and have an unlimited supply. given the size of the crucible I am building, a five gallon bucket would not work. I would need to use a larger plastic tub or build a metal tub. My crucible is 9"x9"x5.5" and built specifically for the furnace I got my hands on. Here is a picture of the parts I cut out for it. I still need to weld it up.

[Image

Now I am trying to get my hands on some bone to make charcoal because I am too cheap to buy bone charcoal.

Thanks for the feedback and thanks to all the people that have provided so much great info on this thread
Regnier (gunrunner)
Distinguished Expert
Posts: 4667
Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2002 2:33 am
Location: The Sunflower State

Re: Color case hardening

Post by Regnier (gunrunner) »

Ranger295;

You may have seen mention of a film that was made at the Marlin factory in the early 1920's. In the film, the case-coloring process is shown, and the quench tank is a barrel with a water connection at the bottom so that as the water flowed in from the bottom, the water would overflow the top of the barrel as the parts were dumped into a catch basket inside the tank when the crucible is emptied into the quench tank. Maybe this will help with your problem. You can always cut a large barrel down so as to not need so much water.
Due to the increasing cost of ammunition, there will be no warning shot!

The growing federal deficit = generational slavery to the national debt.

If the world was perfect.......it wouldn't be.
RANGER295
Beginner
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2018 8:53 am

Re: Color case hardening

Post by RANGER295 »

Regnier (gunrunner) wrote: Thu Mar 01, 2018 10:28 pm Ranger295;

You may have seen mention of a film that was made at the Marlin factory in the early 1920's. In the film, the case-coloring process is shown, and the quench tank is a barrel with a water connection at the bottom so that as the water flowed in from the bottom, the water would overflow the top of the barrel as the parts were dumped into a catch basket inside the tank when the crucible is emptied into the quench tank. Maybe this will help with your problem. You can always cut a large barrel down so as to not need so much water.
Yes I saw mention of that video. I am on page 24 of this thread so far. I am going to finish reading it and then probably read it again. This thread has the best info on CCH anywhere I have seen. I was thinking about cutting the barrel in half. I was also thinking of making a smaller crucible as it would waste a lot of charcoal using the one I just cut out if I was just doing smaller parts. I have a CNC plasma table so blowing the parts out on my spare time is no big deal. I was thinking about building a box with an air fitting to go in the bottom of the water container with lots of 1/8" or maybe smaller holes on a grid pattern in it as an aerator. I have two 80 gallon Champion two stage air compressors yoked in tandem so air capacity is no problem.
Post Reply