Color Case Hardening and Re-Bluing

[marksman13]

With the wealth of knowledge assembled here, I am certain one of you has a good contact for a color case hardening and re-blue service other than Turnbull. I picked up a Ruger No. 1 this morning and it’s in pretty rough condition overall, but the wood is outstanding. I’d really like to give this ol girl a new lease on life with a re-blued or new barrel and color case hardened finish on the receiver and lever. I may refinish the stocks myself. Somebody point me in the direction of someone they’ve used in the past with good results, please.

 

[George P]

Doug is the best; very few do true bone and charcoal case color hardening. Does it need hardeninging or just the coloring?

 

[marksman13]

Doug is the best; very few do true bone and charcoal case color hardening. Does it need hardeninging or just the coloring?

It really just needs the cosmetic appeal.

 

[George P]

That can be done by a chemical treatment

 

[Barbaroja]

I believe Tyler gun works does color case hardening and blueing. Good looking work.

 

[CraigC]

There are other shops but none whose colors I like better than Turnbull. He pioneered the work on Rugers. This one was done 20yrs ago and hunted with extensively.

 

[Speedo66]

I wonder if early gun manufacturers, though needing the surface hardening, appreciated the accompanying colors, or tried to eliminate them?

 

[Steve Milbocker]

I consider your rifle a modern day classic. Why not use the best in the business? I would use Turnbull if it were mine.

 

[CraigC]

I wonder if early gun manufacturers, though needing the surface hardening, appreciated the accompanying colors, or tried to eliminate them?

They appreciated the colors or they polished them out. Not every case hardening process produced any appreciable color. Glock's tenifer is basically modern case hardening. Not every process that produces color uses the same material. I seem to recall that Sharps used a cyanide process and that produces more wavy colors. The trick with any cast Ruger part is that it has to be done without actually hardening. Their steels are through-hardened and if you used the same process as you might with a blackpowder Colt, it would become brittle and unsafe.

 

[marksman13]

There are other shops but none whose colors I like better than Turnbull. He pioneered the work on Rugers. This one was done 20yrs ago and hunted with extensively.

View attachment 975208

And it is beautiful. I’m not opposed to Turnbull at all. I just want to see what options are out there. I guess I need to request a quote from Turnbull to see what it would cost to have his shop work this rifle over.

 

[rabid wombat]

I agree with all above - Turnbull. Though I have sent some work to Lohman’s - never for finish work. He has done good gunsmithing for me, I just can’t comment on his case hardening - worth a call....

https://lohmangunsmith.com/

 

[marksman13]

The rifle has the chance to be really beautiful with a little work. It was built in 1979 and the wood is really good compared to modern samples. It just needs some TLC and I bought it cheap enough that it might be worth having Turnbull color case and re-blue. Really just depends on what that work will cost me.

 

[troy fairweather]

I wonder how the ruger action would take case hardening, they can be tricky to blue as Well. One day I'll try to case harden at home. May try it on one of the airaskas I have, using a old welding rod can and a fire pit. I've done some nice fo case color with a #0 torch tip and it's come out nice. Even with food blue with some water can look nice, but if you got the money to for it.

I'd see about rust bluing to.

 

[CraigC]

I wonder how the ruger action would take case hardening, they can be tricky to blue as Well. One day I'll try to case harden at home. May try it on one of the airaskas I have, using a old welding rod can and a fire pit. I've done some nice fo case color with a #0 torch tip and it's come out nice. Even with food blue with some water can look nice, but if you got the money to for it.

I'd see about rust bluing to.

As I posted above, a Ruger has to be colored without hardening.