Howdy
Two isn't uberti/cimmaron the same company?
No, Uberti is a manufacturer, as is Pietta. Cimarron, Taylors, and a few others are importers. They do not manufacture anything.
One what do you mean by real case hardening? How is it fake?
Case hardening, true case hardening, is a process that infuses extra carbon into the surface of iron or steel. At its simplest level, steel is simply iron with a small amount of carbon added. Other metals such as nickel or chromium may also be added, but, basically you start with iron and about .05 - .15% carbon. This is called mild or low carbon steel. One of the properties of steel with this amount of carbon in it is it remains malleable. Relatively soft. Good for absorbing shocks without cracking. Malleable iron and steel can be worked by heating and hammering as the old blacksmiths used to do. But malleable iron and steel are relatively soft and will wear easily.
Case Hardening is a process that infuses a bit more carbon into the surface of the steel. By infusing more carbon into the surface a thin layer, or case of hardened steel is formed. This surface then exhibits better wear resistance than the rest of the body of the part.
Case Hardening was developed long before modern heat treatable steel alloys existed. Ruger's frames, for example, are heat treated and hardened all the way through.
True Case Hardening is a labor intensive process, so it is expensive. The parts are packed in a carbon bearing medium, often bone or leather, and sealed in a crucible and heated in a furnace. Once the correct temperature is reached, the carbon will have migrated to the surface of the steel. The parts are then removed and quenched in water or oil.
The brilliant colors of Case Hardening are only a byproduct of the process. They have no inherent properties of their own, and are actually relatively fragile and can be erased by harsh chemicals, bright sunlight, or simply the passage of time.
Case Hardening was an excellent solution for frames of revolvers in the 19th Century because parts so treated remained relatively ductile, able to absorb the shock of cartridges firing, while the surface was hard enough to resist wear from the moving parts.
Even though the brilliant colors of Case Hardening had no intrinsic value by themselves, the 19th Century shooting public loved the brilliant colors, so each firearm manufacturer jealously guarded their Case Hardening process.
Uberti and the other Italian manufacturers do not use true Case Hardening. They use a chemical process which does impart some hardness to the outer surface of the steel, and does give some nice colors, but it is not true Bone Case Hardening. That is one reason the Italian imports are less expensive than Colts.
This 2nd Gen Colt was made in the mid 1970s. The colors on the frame were a bit more vivid when I bought it. Ten years or so of CAS and Black Powder have caused the colors to fade. But even though the colors have faded, the hardened case remains.
This Cimarron/Uberti Cattleman has the typical Uberti chemical induced colors.
A number of years ago Ruger was adding a finish to their blued Vaqueros that that resembled Case Hardening. It was only a chemical wash, since the frames were heat treated and hardened all the way through. Here is an 'original model' Vaquero with that finish. Notice how blotchy it looks compared to the Colt.
Here is a New Vaquero with the same treatment. Pretty blotchy.
After a while Ruger completely did away with the fake case colors and Vaqueros are only available now in Stainless or completely blued frames.
Even though Case Hardening is an obsolete process for firearms today, it still holds a cachet and that is why gun companies still use it or imitate it.
Colt still uses real Bone Case Hardening.
Look at how brilliant the colors are on the hammer of this S&W New Model Number Three, manufactured in 1882 and refinished at the factory in 1965.
While we're on the subject, in the 1930s Smith and Wesson Trademarked the Case Hardening process they use on their hammers and triggers in an effort to keep cheap European imitations out of the country. This is a pretty typical S&W hammer from that era.
For a while, S&W was stamping REG.U.S.PAT.OFF on the rear of their hammers in an effort to enforce their trademark.
