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Thread: U. S. Arsenal color-case methods?

  1. #11
    John Bly is offline
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    I don't own those Maynards, I got the pictures on the internet. I just thought the differences were striking. It has been stated that Maynard used "Norway iron" in their guns. Norway iron is somewhat of a misnomer as most steel labeled Norway iron was Swedish steel. Norway is not known as a steel producer whereas Sweden is. Norway iron is not mentioned in ledgers from Mass Arms. They bought most of their steel from Arcade Malleable Iron Works. They bought barrel steel, stubb steel, cast steel, iron rod, decarbonized steel and others but no mention of Norway steel or Dutch steel. There was a firm called Norway Iron Works in the northeast in the 19th century but no mention of purchases from them. The iron in Maynard frames is really pretty crappy stuff with lots of slag inclusions. The barrels seem to be good sound steel.

  2. #12
    John Holland is offline Moderator
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    Great information, John, thank you for sharing it with us Maynard enthusiasts!

  3. #13
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    Can’t help as I’m still learning about color case hardening. I’ve only done it once and it was without cyanide. Canadian John Seim has a book out on color case hardening.

  4. #14
    Kevin Tinny is offline
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    Hello:

    Here is something interesting that I accidentally observed since starting this Thread in March, 2017:

    The original question was posed because it seemed that all four of my original locks and hammers were almost devoid of colors. Each of them is in especially nice, but used appearance and on a Nixon built rifle with original parts, Dunlap wood and either a Hoyt or Whitacre barrel.

    I agree with Bruce Cobb that sunlight eventually fades traditional bone and charcoal hardening. This is common knowledge on the Shiloh Sharps Rifle Forum and in Shiloh's FAQ's.

    What I found about six months ago, when removing a hammer from an 1841 lock was a patch of original coloration on the lock plate UNDER the hammer. I did not take a photo, but could sometime soon. Anyway, the coloration is as described above by the gray-beards, namely subdued gray, with some shading of almost charcoal gray and a bit of almost black. No yellows, reds or blues, that are more common today.

    All the best,
    Kevin Tinny
    Last edited by Kevin Tinny; 09-24-2018 at 02:41 PM.

  5. #15
    John Holland is offline Moderator
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    Well said Kevin, I have also experienced the same, so called, phenomena!

  6. #16
    Southron Sr. is offline
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    FWIW....The late Bill Edwards (who wrote "Civil War Guns") told me that back in the 1950's he opened a wooden box of Springfield spare parts that had been sealed since they had left Springfield Armory back in the 1860's.

    That the Springfield lockplates and hammers had bright "case coloring." He attributed this to the fact that the box they came in had been sealed for 90 odd years back then. i.e., there was no sunlight in the box to fade the colors of the casehardening.

  7. #17
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    gmkmd is offline
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    My understanding was that in the 1800's, the vibrant colors imparted during case-hardening were simply a pleasant by-product of the techniques used at that time, not a specific goal. More modern and expedient techniques of case-hardening achieve the same hardening result, but without imparting the colors. Hence in modern literature, we have to specify "color case-hardening" versus "case-hardening", while in the original 19th century literature they don't make that distinction.
    Glenn M. Kaye
    73rd New York Volunteer Infantry

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    Has anyone been able to document the actual historical process used? I thought it involved bone meal?

    I case harden with scraps of leather.

    Steve

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