doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Telltale signs of redone case colors

bb: you need to know when to lay low and not come up here trashin threads....

Chuck,

Outstanding guns and colors Chuck. There are ways to mute the Ithaca colors if you're not happy, or re-do it. Very nice work though. As you say, the colors will wear.

Best,

Doug,

A thread on case colour re-hardening is an appropriate place to comment on the fact that I don't generally like it. Where else?

The comment was not about you or your work. You seem to have taken it personally. It was about spotting re-colour hardening.

I made very clear in every post that I was expressing MY preferences and opinions. Surely that is why we are all here talking guns?

Look back and see if you can find a single instance where I have targeted you or justify personal jibes.

You have a vested interest in having people like your work Fine.

I do not have a vested interest in liking or not liking case colour re-hardening. I have at my disposal the best CCH people in the British Gun Trade and I use them when making new guns, which I actually prefer to be colour case hardened (I'm building two side-locks this year and persuaded the client to have them CCH finished when he did not want it).

I think I have made some fair points and illustrated them with examples. Others have expressed different opinions and examples.

As for 'rude' I suggest you look at who has been making snide comments and where they have been aimed.

Sorry you don't approve Torch Man...

But come to think of it, the only colors purtier than Turnbull's are:

ed good torch colors!

(see, it's really a plug for your business)

Dig,
These two particular guns were completely redone, including restocking, due to broken stocks. Both were devoid of any finish on the receivers and much of the barrel finish. I thought a gun with a new stock would be appropriate with new metal finish to reset the clock. The Ithaca had been abused a bit as well.

Just a note to add regarding Parkers restored by Delgrego. The question often comes up regarding these guns and if they are original finish or not. Usually the cyanide colors are a dead giveaway, especially on Meriden made guns. But also, one will usually see, when held at the right angle, a definite line extending from the bottom of the breech ball back to the rear of the action. This is from the buffing of the receiver that was done and the same finish could not be obtained behind the ball so a slight difference in finish can be seen.

John Gillete's case colors. I think he and Turnbull get it pretty close.

I have a Turnbull Parker and a Turnbull Smith and am happy with both. I once examined a Turnbull Fox B Grade at Ivory Beads and it was spectacular in its subtlety. Should have tried to buy it. Three different Turnbull guns with three different colorations.

In defense of re-color/case hardening I think that a gun that has been restocked, or has had extensive wood repairs done so that the entire wood set needed new finish, and has been re-blued, looks like crap with the old shiny receiver that has all the case color gone.

I like the colors to be like the originals, or as near to what the original looked like as we can determine. I am (re)building an A grade Fox. I bought the receiver from one source, an early Philly with the original dented and oil soaked wood. I was offered, and bought, a set of unfitted original 32" A.H.Fox barrels, Utica time frame. I found a bad set of barrels at another source with the ejector forend, and got them. Kearcher fitted the "new" barrels, perfectly, I degreased the wood and recut the checkering. Now, I'm shooting it some, in the white so to speak, before having the bluing and case colors done. They will be cyanide colors, because that is what I think would be appropriate on the gun. How do I think I'd like the redone gun with everything done except for leaving the old receiver in the white? Not at all. It would look like an unfinished gun, which it would be.

It has to be considered as a whole gun, the package, so to speak. A gun with beat up wood, scratched up bluing and battered checkering shouldn't be re-cased, either. All it takes is a little common sense to see what is right and what is not, IMO. I get the distinct impression from some people in the trade, that seem to hate re-done guns so bad, that deep down inside they are afraid someone will do one so well that they may be fooled into thinking it is a closet queen original. Don't think for a minute that you can't be fooled. There are a very, very few people out there that are that good.

SRH

You might have something there, Hoof. This thread has sort of turned into something really not intended. Oh well.