doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Colors on a A.H. Fox BE - torched?

There are other superficial coloring techniques out there, many are listed in Vintage gunsmithing books, as well as metalworking manuals. This may be one of them.

I don't know, I think they might be original. Here are 2 poor pics of my 1921 XE, very little color left on the receiver but I'm seeing some of the same hues as the original post.
The only solid color on mine was the fore end iron.

in ter res ting...

Ron Gun shop still does cyanide.

http://www.ronsgunshop.com/

Heinzelman's in Carlstadt, NJ would still cyanide color harden firearms frames and parts in the 90's. Don't know if they still do.
They would do no disassembly, polishing or reassembly,,but that was OK. You had to have an FFL or they wouldn't accept frames from you at that time.

They were the company that did the work for Fox originally AFAIK. They've been around since just before WW1. Last time I sent a Fox to them was around 96 or 97.
More than a few 'smiths and shops were using them.

It's nasty stuff to deal with and the EPA rules & regs surrounding its use, storage and disposal are understandably tight.
K-Cyanide works at around 1600F+,,so it's a bit warmer than the average bone/charcoal case color set up.

To go along with Kutter's stated temps regardless of whether bone or cyanide is used "IF" the critical temperature of the steel is not exceeded no hardening takes place.
This passing of the critical temp is when warping can (& often does) take place. A part can be "Colored" at a temperature below the critical temp, "But" it will be raised to a high enough temp to draw all residual hardness from the existing part.
When the colors wear off the hard case remains unless it is drawn from a high temp.
If the worth of a gun does not justify a "Professional" re-hardening its usually best to leave as is.
A "Pseudo/Faux" (whatever you want to call it) coloring can be "Painted" on by warming the part to about 200�F & using cold blue. This will not in any way damage the existing hardness "Nor" will it look original. This method was recommended by Ithaca for their Perazzi made guns they formerly imported. These guns I believe had a heat-treated frame of alloy steel which was not suitable for traditional case hardening. This was apparently the way they were colored at the factory.
Under "No Circumstances" should a gun frame be "Spot Colored" by applying the tip of an acetylene torch to it as this simply makes a "Smorgasbord" of the existing hardness with soft spots intermingled with hard spots.

Cold Blue, Iodine, and Benzoin are among the substances that can be applied with heat to create colors. The heat required is not that of an acetylene torch, not nearly so high of a temperature.

"If the worth of a gun does not justify a "Professional" re-hardening its usually best to leave as is.

hal ah lou ya! ah hav scean da lite! praize da laud, o "correct", ah ben saved an redeamed frum mah pas sins...neva tu trans gress again.

but den, neva say neva...

The "Ithaca Perazzi" business is another situation altogether. In later days, Ithaca had no idea how to color Knick trap actions and used torches indesciminately in many different ways, not alway too pretty. The same result affected some Perazzis that were trusted to Ithaca for refinish. Ithaca memos made no mention of anything but torches in the later days. Everyone who knew how to do it right was retired or dead.