doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com question on case color

I have a fox ae grade that i want to have re-case color.The engraving is in great condition and does need any work.Do i need to anneal the receiver and polish it lightly or can it be sent out like it is to have it re-cased.I didnt know if it had to be annealed to take the case again.thanks for help.

I think that you need to anneal it. From what I have read by re-casing you can cause the frame to become quite brittle. Again from what I have read and heard annealing is what you need to do.

I am sure someone else will come along shortly to verify.

Regards, Gordon

Also, during the metal preparation the action will be burnished, which will soften the engraving. I strongly advise you to reconsider new case and just let it be what it is--a vintage gun that has earned its' wear.

If I had a Fox I'd have it recase hardened....anyone saw a Fox with a cracked frame that's been recased ?

Per Joe above, think long and hard before you recase.

If your decision is to recase, contact one of the guru guys who does it for a living and discuss; John Gillete comes to mind. It will almost for sure be annealed prior to being recased. I'm of the opinion that annealing is superfulus as the case soak temperature is well above critical (the temperature at which the steel goes dead soft - cooling slowly keeps it soft; annealing). However, it is known that annealing works with warpage being rare. I can't see any downside to annealing first and I mean no criticism of current practice in re-case hardening.

Over many, many years of having different actions color cased after being engraved, I have never had a problem with warpage as all metal is first slowly annealed by John Gillete Of Classic Guns. John also does all my CCH and I have never heard of any of them cracking. FWIW

This gun was bough to be a project gun.the stock is broken on both sides.it got to be restocked.It had a small dent in one barrel that I removed ,so I am going to reblue the barrels.I will have new checkering added.with all this ,why would I not want to have it recased .I know a lot of guys here beleave in keeping it orignal,and I do to when I find a great condition orignal gun,but this is not one.in my opion (and it's not worth much) it would be like wearing a new suit with old shoes.

Anneal first then reharden, let a pro do both steps both end of the process must be controled.

bill

Anyone saw a Damascus barrel blowed up?

The Question here is not necessarily one of "Originality" vs Re-Finish". Case "Hardening" is done by heating a piece of low carbon steel in a carbon rich atmosphere to "Above" its critical temperature & then quenching in water. In 35 years in a machine shop I never saw a piece of steel, either through hardened alloy or case hardened plain carbon, go through the process of being heated above its critical temp & quenched in either an oil or water medium, end up with its "EXACT PRE TREATMENT" dimensions. When these guns were originally made they went through what was known as "Soft Fitting" which was fiting up the gun prior to hardening by file etc or a metal removing process & then "Hard Fitting" which was done after hardening with a "Hammer"; Bending it back into shape after whatever amount of warpage ocured.
Personally I will never submit one of my ±100 yr old guns for "Re-Hardening" & I for sure don't want one annealed & just "Re-Colored".
I am highly skeptical that anyone who says they have never had a frame warp in process are not re-hardening, but just re-coloring, which can be done below the critical temp.
It is likely true that the "Hard" case is not an absolute necessity for the gun to remain safe, they were afterall "Proofed in the White" ""BUT"" the makers went to all that trouble of putting that hard Skin on for a reason (Color was Secondary). I don't want that destroyed on mine.