Original Enfield nipple

[Muley Gil]

Were original Enfield nipples case hardened? I picked up an 1861 Tower with a nipple that was busted flush with the bolster. It was a booger bear to drill out!

I finally got it drilled out and I chased the threads and installed a new S&S nipple.

[geezmo]

I would assume there was some kind of hardening process to withstand the constant hammering. You might find your answer here:

researchpress.co.uk

[Don Dixon]

Everyone attempted to case harden their nipples. However, metallurgy at the time of the Civil War and for many years after was a craft, not a science. If you got the nipple too hard it shattered, and if you got it too soft it was mashed flat by the force of the hammer. Both of these conditions were commonly complained of during the war for every manufacturer's arms. Springfield Armory didn't hire a metallurgist until 1917 and didn't establish a metals laboratory until 1918. They previously judged the heat treatment of receivers by eye rather than using pyrometers, which is why they had the problem of the infamous low serial number 1903 Springfield receivers.

Regards,
Don Dixon
2881V