I would agree with the belief that recievers were cased in an assembled state.
I have repeatably tried Dr. Gadys process and decided not to incorporate it in our process. I am convinced that much of the shielding he used was to limit warpage. Exposure to free oxygen turns cased metal silver or grey. Controlling this exposure results in more uniform coverage and less grey.
Pre 1913 Smiths and pre Remington Parkers have the same overall dark look, indicating that the same quench process was used.
Many people do not realize that the colors and patterns evolved the years. To properly restore, one must study the exact process used at the time of manufacture. We have indentified three different process variations within Parkers history, not counting Remingtons change to the Cyanide process. Pre and post Smiths are distinctly different in colors and patterns. This is atributable to introducing charred leather to the process, containing a high level of cyanide.
I would agree that every piece of metal,cased, has a unique pattern, however uniformity, color range and contrast are totally controlable.
Annealing and tempering play a big role in the process.
Metal prep is critical to the end result. Parkers were not coated.To achieve the correct patina the metal prep is totally different than those parts that are to be coated.
Brad
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