Case coloring article
 

I am sure many of you have seen this, but for those that haven't an interesting read

https://shootingsportsman.com/color-case-hardening/?

That muddy chocolate brown with a couple of blue splashes does nothing for me. It may be okay for a british gun but for a classic American gun like a Parker it certainly won’t do.
I would like to see a gun smith or restoration specialist reproduce REPEATABLE realistic iridescent case colors that we can tone down with rottenstone or Flitz to something more eye-appealing than some of the colors that are being done in America today.

These days I see too much dark blue, too much brown, too much straw, and not enough iridescent color.


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I think you are gona have to go back in time to get the case colors you want dean...charlie

I think you’re right Charlie. I should have started buildint a time machine long ago...

Oh wait... I have a good friend who specializes in deLoreans - maybe I can coerce him to make one go Back to the PAST... ;-)





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If you get that time machine working Dean, i'd like to have you drop me and a couple of my favorite Parkers and setters off in the mid 1950's. Be happy to have you along for the trip.

I’ve got a nice little time machine in my mind and I drift back into the fifties and sixties more and more these days.







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youll need a bus
 

Harold,
I think we will need a bus!!! Tell you what, Dean you build it, and I'll sell tickets!:rotf:

First in line! First in line!

I’ve always liked the colors of Holland and Holland. Purdey seemed to be more of the very dark blues. I wish these so called experts over here could get some lessons from William Ford or the like.

I came across Tyler Gun Works a while back. He's in Fritch, TX. I like his case colors. I haven't seen a pic of a shotgun, but he does a lot of pistols, a few lever rifles, and even knives, axes, golf clubs, etc.

https://www.facebook.com/tylergunwor...type=3&theater

https://www.tylergunworks.com/

When you find the smith that can duplicate Parker colors exactly the owners of Foxes, L.C. Smiths, Ithacas, LeFevers, Syracuses, Bakers, etc. will all be disappointed with his colors. I even expect some members of the Parker cadre to still be less than satisfied. I do know this for sure that the offerings of 2020 are far superior to the offerings of 1970.

Yeah, vibrant but I’m not into cyanide coloring... just not authentic at all.




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That may be but I’m not concerned with those other brands of guns and the colors that replicate them.

Dr. Oscar Gaddy came the closest to replicating Parker Bros. colors. I wish someone saved his formula...





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Well Dean any shop surviving on case colors/hardening probably cannot focus on one make of gun to survive. Winter '96 and spring '97 DGJ tell about the process of casecoloring. The articles are authored by Oscar Gaddy.

CC
 

I remember those, will have to dig it out. I wonder if a post with a copy would be ok here?

For those of us that like the more colorful case colors I don't think you can find much prettier colors than this, and the wood isn't too shabby either.

https://i.imgur.com/hJN4Y8F.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/7PeTwjr.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/zug9DHo.jpg

To each, their own, but the example shown is definitely not for me.

Toned down a bit those colors wouldn’t be too bad on a Parker. I like the variation of the colors.





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them colors are very eye catching....charlie

To much brown for a parker.

Replace the brown with a ‘rusty orange’ and it would be about perfect.





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I'm a fan of Westley Richards' case colors. They do tend to have a lot of blue but I'd rather that than the yellow/brown we see a lot of these days.