Looking for feedback (Color Case)

[Brad Bachelder]

We are hoping that some of the members have lifters with surviving colors. We based this specific process and formula for this restoration on available pictures and example guns that we have seen over the years. Any input or comparison photos would be greatly appreciated.

Brad

[Dave Suponski]

Brad,Very nice.I like the muted colors.

[Eric Eis]

Nice colors but they don't look like the colors on my Parkers

[Dean Romig]

Ditto Eric's comment.

[Austin W Hogan]

The best place to look for original color is under the hammer on a lock, on the back of the frame where it contacts the stock, in the lock recesses in the frame and in the floor plate cut. Color sometimes survives on the back of the fore end latch and both sides of the forend iron.
These colors are difficult to photograph especially with digital cameras. Any stray tungsten light will redden them. Outdoor light under a cloudy sky is best ( Kodak called it Cloudy Bright). A reproducable color standard should be in the frame on at least a few pictures to check.
White mineral oil seems to revive color a little, and add a little uniformity to the surface.

Best, Austin

[Dave Suponski]

Brad,Are you able to achieve more of a straw color to go with the blue hue's?

[Bruce Day]

Brad, I applaud your efforts and I think you are getting close.

Since you asked, and I would not have said anything unless you asked, the frames you have done that I looked at, Jay Shachter's, the color was too "heavy". It was like a paint coating, whereas real Parker case colors were thin, even when new, and like they are translucent. If you can get a thinner straw and light blue, translucent, I think you are there.

Here are a couple high condition, original guns. The hammerless one is mine, the hammer one belongs to a friend. The photos were taken outside same day, same camera, same conditions and with liberal spray of Puglisi perfume.

Best regards.

[Dean Romig]

A few examples

[Brad Bachelder]

Thanks for the replies, what we did is take known processes a major step forward. We have learned that we can controll colors, intensity, depth, hues and patterns by regulating the variables. Temperature, oxygen, carbon, inert composits, viscosity of quench, etc. in our formulas we adjust twenty different ratios to achieve various results. The Parker magenta and purple are the hardest to achieve and the least seen, due to the fact that they wear off first with handling. Light blue, straw and burnt umber are relatively easy.
We have identified at least three different phases in the lineage of parker colors. The cyanide colors are a different story. The early guns looked substantially different than more current ones. You can't compare a lifter with a VHE, they are totally different. But, yes we can achieve any range of colors that are deemed correct.

[Austin W Hogan]

I think the first thing to remember is that the color was a by product of the hardening process. It was in the metal, though only a few molecules deep, not on the metal. The color was quickly lost or worn off because of its thin ness. The hardness remained in a much thicker "case" below.

Best, Austin

[Bruce Day]

Brad, for direct comparision, the first photo is an old 16ga lifter. The second is your re case colored one. The third is another original color lifter.

[E Robert Fabian]

The difference I see between photo two and three is the original is faded.

[Brad Bachelder]

Brad, for direct comparision, the first photo is an old 16ga lifter. The second is your re case colored one. The third is another original color lifter.

Thank you Bruce for the post. Great pictures. Our pictures seem to cause the straw/grey colors to look gold, they are not, it must be the non-natural light reflection. Your second pictures confirms the pattern markers that we were hoping to see. The color draw back around the bridle screws and the mainspring pin, combined with the lockplate edge drawback, seem to be consistant of all of the original lockplates that we have seen. The blue, purple, and straw colors are very close, just much fresher. The receivers show much more mottled patterns, strong colors, with less definition. This is due to the fact that the receivers and lockplates are made of different materials.

[Bruce Day]

Brad, the color tint with photos is problematical, and with Parker case colors, its all about minor color variations. So yes, nothing beats having the gun in hand.

I think you are very close, if not there. I still recall feeling the finish was a bit too thick on the Shachter hammerless specimens I inspected at the UP shoot. I don't know how it is too thick when you are dealing with microns, but that was my impression.

Added: Brad and I talked on the phone yesterday and he told me that the reason that the Shachter actions looked like they had thick coats of finish on them was because they did. Extra thick coats of lacquer had been applied over the case colors. Without that they would look thinner and more true to Parker finishes.

[Eric Eis]

I agree with Bruce, they are nice colors but again the pattern and the colors are not Parker colors

[Brad Bachelder]

The best place to look for original color is under the hammer on a lock, on the back of the frame where it contacts the stock, in the lock recesses in the frame and in the floor plate cut. Color sometimes survives on the back of the fore end latch and both sides of the forend iron.
These colors are difficult to photograph especially with digital cameras. Any stray tungsten light will redden them. Outdoor light under a cloudy sky is best ( Kodak called it Cloudy Bright). A reproducable color standard should be in the frame on at least a few pictures to check.
White mineral oil seems to revive color a little, and add a little uniformity to the surface.

Best, Austin

Austin, we have noticed the same thing while experimenting with different cameras and lighting . Here is a picture with a little less glare.