Re-Case Hardening question

[Bruce Day]

Originally Posted by allen newell

Mark, I know that case hardening/case coloring is as much a science as art and probably more science than the other. But is it possible that the hardening process done to a gun, any gun, could be done incorrectly so as to leave the metal 'soft'? I hope I'm asking this question correctly / clearly? Can someone screw up and not harden a frame as well or as hard as it is supposed to be in this process (and I admit that I don't know how the hardness in this process is measured (Rockwell?) if at all.

They would have to be grossly incompetant. I suppose anything is possible, but it is not probable. The screw up is more likely warping the frame.

[Autumn Daze]

Allen, As Mark states correctly the color is a result of the hardening process albiet done in such a manner to produce the wonderful colors that are expected on these old guns. In an industrial setting where case hardening is done for just that purpose colors are not a primary concern. An example of this would be case hardening cold rolled steel. The steel is brought up to the correct temp and then dipped in cyanide. The finish from my experience is the color grey.

The only two things that I can see happening to an alloy that wouldn't harden would be that it wasn't brought up to the correct temperature or the wrong steel was used and it didn't contain enough carbon.