Random thought....

[Harry Neil]

Probably asked previously in the past....however were all Parker receivers case hardened, or did some leave the factory blued?

[Rick Losey]

Cased


Blued is a redo

[ED J, MORGAN]

They were case hardened.

[Brian Dudley]

The only Parker offering that would have been blued was the Remington Era Trojan Skeet gun. But you cannot even call that an actual offering. It was more of a proposed offering because none were actually made for public sale.

I am sure that maybe there were some special order requests for a gun to be blued completely. We have seen all sorts of odd requests. But they would be VERY rare and would have to have a letter to support them in order for anyone to believe they could be original.

If a Parker has a blued frame it should be safely assumed that it has been incorrectly refinished.

[Harry Neil]

Thanks to all....It was a thought that just came out.

I've never seen one, however would have to think that some contrarian would have ordered one that way. And if given the chance it would have been me.:)

As much as I like Parkers, their case hardening does little for me and I think a deep blue/black with some restrained scratchings would look better than good.

[Dean Romig]

In my opinion if there was a request or order for a blued Parker it would have first been case hardened, even if not color case hardened, in order to have met wear resistance qualities if for no other readon.





.

[Brian Dudley]

In my opinion if there was a request or order for a blued Parker it would have first been case hardened, even if not color case hardened, in order to have met wear resistance qualities if for no other readon..


Yes. The frame would have to be case hardened for the basic point of function and durability. Then blued after the fact. Which would be somewhat prohibitive in my opinion.

However, James Hayes was proposing an all blued finish on his 1929 prototype for his “improved” parker gun design. That gun was all about simplification and cost reduction. So in order for bluing to actually be cost saving, they would have to be using a different steel composition for the frame so that it didnt have to be case hardened. Much like the Winchester 21 (which was all blued) which was one of the first to use what we would consider “modern gun steel” which did not need to be Case hardened after machining and fitting.

[Dave Noreen]

As early as 1907, Tobin Arms Manufacturing company introduced their "Black Diamond" with a "Pyro-Oxidized Black" finish on frame, side-plates and trimmings.

86735

86736

A bit later Baker Gun & Forging Co. replaced their Batavia line with their Black Beauty & Black Beauty Special and also the frames of many of their SBTs were black gun metal finish.

86737

[Brian Dudley]

I am not familiar with that model of Tobin.
I was thinking about the black beauty by baker some, but I do not know if they actually used a different steel on that model. I would highly doubt it. It was likely just an additional step on that model to blue it after the case hardening was done.

[Phillip Carr]

I have always wondered about a blued frame on the 1st Parker I ever owned. I have attached a picture of the letter. As you can see it was sent back to Parker and the letter states reblued frame.
Not sure this what was written in the records or if it was actually blued or recased.
The gun was blued when I purchased it but as I wanted this gun to be refinished as original I had it case colored.

[Harry Neil]

Next thought....are there experts who can make case colors tend to the darker side?
There are those who can control the patterns of damascus....are there others that know how on some level to influence case colors..depending perhaps on what they surround the action with during the process?


While typing the above, Merlot the English Cocker was fixated on the window...Usually it is a Groundhog that is tormenting his prey drive...So, "Let me look too, bud."
Nice addition to the morning....

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50202059591_172f319b06_z.jpg

[Kevin McCormack]

Bone charcoal case colors can be "tweaked" to a lighter or darker overall impact by varying the variety and amount of specific ingredients. Over time these individual ingredients have been the basic wood and animal bone charcoal, with a plethora of weird components including animal feces and urine, diatomaceous earth, bits and scraps of leather, creosoted rope, and scraps of bark from various species of trees.

Probably the most important part of the process is the preparation: degreasing, polishing to the correct finishing grit, fastidious separation of individual parts and their placement inside the crucible as the vessel is packed with the mixture prior to putting it into the furnace. If parts are packed too close to the walls of the crucible, excess heat may warp them. Packed too loosely in the mixture, and the overall coverage and pattern of the carbon deposited on the surface appears "washed out" and inconsistent.

Needless to say, the exact formulas used by the best case coloring artists are very closely guarded secrets. When the "sweet spot" is hit upon quenching and the final colors are closest to original, careful records are kept for the next go-round.

There are a number of very good videos on YouTube under the heading, "Case coloring of firearms." They give a good idea of the wide spectrum of final results and, depending on the make of firearm, show what comes out when a "one size fits all" approach to recoloring is done.

[Brian Dudley]

There are a ton of variables in the process that will effect the end result.
And for those who do get good results, meaning accurate colors for a given maker, The processes will vary greatly within those examples.
What works for one shop works for them and what works for another works for them. Both will give similar end results.

[Harry Neil]

Thanks to both Kevin and Brian for the informative replies.