First, I have no experience with case coloring so this question may not be very smart, but...

Why is everyone concerned with 'polishng' before a receiver is case colored? Polishing seems to be the cause of a lot of problems with loss of definition and engraving sharpness, so why do it at all?

What would a receiver look like if it were just cleaned without removing the remnants of the old color then stuck in the oven?

OK, if it would look crummy than why not blast the receiver? There are about a million abrasives (walnut shells, baking powde, etc.r) out there, there has to be one that would prep the reciever for case coloring without removing any metal.

A highly polished surface free from pits etc will not rust as easily as a rough surface and will not scratch as easily, therefore it is sound to aneal, file and polish a rough gun on that basis.
If the gun is clean, free from rust has gone to white and the engraving is a concern, it can just be wire wheeled with a little chrome polish, if it is just a matter of prepping, but if there is pitting to do a proper job one can pull a smoke of the engraving and recut it after anealing filing and polishing.
Blasting the reciever sounds nice, but does not do much to create an "original" appearance.
The main point is you should have a consistent finish, and if it is a fine gun, the finish should be very good.

Why bother with engraving if it's just going to be camuflaged by case color. The worst combo is "gold" inlays on some cheap Italian and Turkish guns. That's gun porn! :rolleyes:

Jagermeister:

I agree withe you on the above post! As a matter of fact, I think that CC is quite unattractive. Let the flames begin! I prefer engraving to CC by a large margin.

Enough for now.

Franchi

I prefer 'French Grey', but I also like vintage guns in excellent mechanical shape with 50%cc or less. I like to SEE some engraving.

I do not like re-coloured guns.

Just a personal opinion but to me they very rarely look right and often look horrible.

There are exceptions but I could limit those in my experience to two or three guns.

My aversion to 'coin polished' finishes on old guns is well known so I'll not bore you all with it again.

Personally I think good case color is beautiful adornment on unengraved, or lightly, particularly simply-engraved surfaces.

However, it does tend to hide beautiful engraving, especially really strong, deep color.

According to Turnbull, one of the keys to obtaining a full spectrum of colors during the case color process is a very fine polish.

Like Fred above, I like case coloring over bold engraving or no engraving.

If I had gobs of time on my hands, and I don't, I would experiment with media blasting. It is incredible how the right media can give just about any finish you like - including very fine finishes.

Greg,
Can you "blast" a piece of metal without dulling the lines and corners?

When I see "blasted" actions - they look like garbage

Brent

Yes. You have to use the right media but it can be done. I think soda blasting might do it.

well. I'll stick to diamond hones and well backed wet-dry paper. I have the technology and ability to use those right now if I need to

Brent

OK by me!

More food for thought....a media blast would take 5-10 minutes to do a receiver, and like all sandblasting works just as well in corners, crevices, and rounded surfaces.

If your gun will be only for display I can see how the case colors hidding engraving detail can upset you. But, if you will use the gun alot on the range and in the field you will get 2 enjoyments from it. First you will enjoy the colors and then as the seasons pass you will be treated to the engraving detail with a hint of color as the colors slowly fade. That's when the true beauty of the art is showcased and you may say that it gets better with age. As an example I would remind you all of some of the Remingtons that Semmer has shown us in the Double Gun Journal and other vintage doubles shown as well.

Here what they say about soda, keep in mind there are different grits:

"What is soda blast? Soda blast is a sodium bicarbonate product. It is a non hazardous, environmentally friendly blasting media that is used to strip graffiti off of walls, clean fragile aluminum parts such as auto parts, or any other delicate surface where damage to underlying structure is a concern. You can even strip paint off an aluminum paint can at 10 psi without damage to the can!


If you must have a diamond media, here it is:

" Resin and Metal bond diamonds are very popular abrasive media for free abrasive lapping and polishing applications, suitable for very tight tolerances and very high surface finish applications. They are also a popular free abrasive media to be used with oil, glycol and water based vehicles for lapping and polishing of various materials such as ceramics, carbides and sapphires, etc.

They also sell media for dermabrasion - human faces - so I think that would not hurt scratchings in metal.

Dig wrote:
I do not like re-coloured guns.

Just a personal opinion but to me they very rarely look right and often look horrible.

If I could figure out how to add pictures to this thread, I would share with everyone a receiver I just had re-case hardened, and it looks wonderful. Sorry Dig.

The "oxide stuff" that forms from heating the metal in a carbon and mineral rich environment and dunking in a mineral rich quench is very thin. If the surface is not polished, it will not form in a way that shows colors well.

Gun's gotta look right. If it's a full blown restoration the colors should be true to the makers original style. Other than that I agree with Dig, let them fade gracefully and save the vivid colors for new guns.

How are those RBL's, flowing out of the factory yet?

Rob

When I sent my Lefever DS to Color case company he requested that it be polished down to 600 grit. He even sent it back to me for further polishing when he didnt think it enough.It causes the Color Case to be more brilliant evidently.