doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com heat treating small parts

I have a high grade sidelock Spanish 20, that needs some help... the gun is hardly used but local gunsmith here in anchorage Alaska [ very good guy] says needs parts heat treated...which he doesn't do

any suggestions for good work at reasonable price? I also have a home in montana, so anywhere around there would work well..

a friend had someone in Indiana do excellent work like this, but my friend is even older than me and cant remember who it was !!

thanks for any suggestions

I find it somewhat odd that any good Gunsmith doesn�t do minor heat treating on small parts. That is kind of a requirement seeing how most parts will be made using a soft steel and must be hardened, or tempered (screws, pins, springs, sears, etc). A small oven, lead melting pot, hardening powder and torch aren�t really that expensive or difficult to use.
Cole Haugh is probably the guy your friend used in Indiana. He�s really good...he had an excellent teacher.
Last number I had for him: 812 654- 3209

I think MT has folks that�ll have great reputations. John King in Kila comes to mind. Any of the shops that do case coloring should be fine. Maybe, ask at the King shop or possibly call the CSharps folks or MVintage Arms for a recommendation. Good luck with it.

I have used Kasnite to harden mild steel parts. It works well with a propane torch but the results are hard but a gray low luster finish

bill

"IF" those parts needing heat-treating are made from a higher carbon steel but improperly hardened then you DO NOT want to use Kasenit on them. Kasenite is a great product that I have used on many occasions but its use is only for low carbon steels.

Perhaps the reason that gunsmith doesn't do heat-treating is hat he has no way of determining what alloy the part was made of. There can be a world of difference in heat-treating an already made part of an unknown alloy & doing one which one has just made themselves.

and this local "gunsmith" is mostly an excellent stock maker and repairer but can do small stuff.

thank you, I bet Mr. Haugh is the fellow my friend used...I will check !

+1 for 2-P.

I had one of these Spanish guns with the same problem once, I never could find out what kind of soup cans the parts were made from. There were, and are, high quality Spanish guns but mine wasn't one of them. I sold it "as is" and took the loss.
Mike

this was a high end hand detachable sidelock gun, wonderful engraving etc a friend has one just like it and it has performed perfectly for many years

you are likely right but i think i should have a serious shotgun smith take a look at it

then maybe i will just sell it as is if he concurs

i suspect you are right

Cable,what. Is the part? I can make it for you and heat treat it as well.