The new cradle/jig was put to use tonight. I was both excited and apprehensive about it. Everything was going to retain heat much more. Anyway, the quench proved my theory, a huge explosion on entry and smoke/steam galore. It’s always an apprehensive moment when you pull the parts out of the water…did it warp? Is the colour OK. Anyway, this was a 75-25 bone to wood charcoal ration this time. The parts have not been oiled yet so these photos show a lot of bright colour that is always tempered down a bit when the oil is applied. In conclusion I belive my jig works and the holding charcoal has produced some nice colours. It's odd how the one side produced (right side) richer bluews and the left gold straws along with blue. I'm just a learned man still learning...











More pictures of this on my blog in the signature.

Cheers
Tony

Thanks for sharing, Looks great
Was hoping for a video of the steam

Very nice!

Very interesting and very nice.

Thanks for the new pictures. Really nice result, and great projects that you're able to work on. Hope the new system dumps away from the holder/box opener.

Do you think it entered the quench on the left side first or the opposite, to cause the colors different?

Pretty much straight in with the nose of the action first. Must have been charcoal fall away slightly early or something. The straws are nice though.

T

I'd say you're definitely on to something, T!

Hello Tony,

Thanks for posting, very nice work!

Here , at 5min. 17sec. you can see a few seconds of Merkel's cch operation.

JC

For some reason I seem to remember air being blown into Oscars quench. At 70 I just can't be sure???
bill

Bill, it is, I "aerate" the water for 2.5 hrs before the quench. Ice is also thrown in to make it as cold as possible. The air is turned off just before the quench.

Cheers
T

PS Will watch the video tonight JayCee cheers...

Very nice, Tony. Thanks for continuing to share.

Phil

Nice bright colors, but only two I can see.
You won't be able to control colors with plates located so far from CCH surface, max 5 mm.

Hi Geno, yes, it's difficult to catch the gold with a camera. I agree. V2 of the system will be closer..making that change over the weekend. Also getting a bigger water drum.

T

Ballistix thank you for posting this case hardening series. I understand the process much batter. And the end results look great.

Mike

Why don't you make a bunch of test plates so that you can arrive at a sideplate colour that you see as consistent? As an aside, I want to see how Ziggenhahn arrives at Essencia colors. Very curious about that process.
I've noticed consistent colors around specific parts of engraving patterns. Like the rose bouquet surrounded by greys segueing to blues. Suggests the plates are blocked not just for warpage, but to direct color as well.
I enjoy your work and am happy to see your progress.
Keep it up!

Looking forward to seeing your next displays.
CZ

Cheers guys. I don't think I'll ever stop learning. PA24, Mike and others have been a great inspiration and help. I've got plans to tweek things and will keep people here up-to-date on progress and/or failures...it's all about sharing the knowledge for me.

T

Clapper...
Thats a good idea to make test lock plates, with pin holes n all,I'd think?
franc

Makes sense to me, though I'd bet the alloy of whatever steel used for the test plates will have something to do with how the colors come out.

The current makers can buy a big batch of whatever steel they choose to use and run their tests on some of that, then know going in what they will come out with.

When re-doing old plates, parts and actions, testing on modern steel similarly shaped will give some idea on what the resulting pattern might be, but it will not be nearly as predictable as the modern makers might have with the steel they use.

I don't believe that the steel used for the plates has any bearing on the colour of the action. It's prime purpose is to hold the charcoal against the action and lock plates. Unless someone tells me scientifically otherwise that back plates or packing plates makes a difference to the colours OTHER than just introducing latency into the cooling process.

T

When I said "plates", I meant the sideplates of the actual gun. My bad.

But I do think the difference in alloys between any test samples (on one hand) and actual gun parts (on the other) will make some difference.

Correct Tony, your backing/blocking plates act like a heat sink and retain/transfer the heat to the parts you want colored......and your side panel design also keeps the b/c against the action during the quench drop....

Cheers,

Actually I'm coming round to my own conclusion that with most of the English guns I've done dated between 1860-1920 the main things that effect the colour are:-

- Mix of charcoal bone to wood
- Temperature, critical, 723 Degrees C
- Length of hold for 723...although this mainly drives colour depth not the colours themselves
- Contact of charcoal to the metal and retaining that contact through the quench
- Blocking of parts with back plates beneath each piece that needs to be coloured.
- Temp of water and good aeration

That's it...those are the main drivers...and if I stick to the basics I can get colours across all metal constructs I've worked with so far.

T

OK.