Hot Blue or color case hardening in the Erie area

[JackR]

I'm finishing building a .50 muzzle loading pistol. I need to decide if I'm going to hot blue or color case harden the barrel and breach block. Does anyone know of a good source for either in the Erie area?

Thanks

[daschnoz]

If you want to go more authentic, either leave it in the white or brown it (not blue).

Not exactly near Erie, but look up Turnbull out of Bloomfield NY. If I wanted anything color case hardened, that's where I would go.



I built a 50 cal flint kit and left the barrel white. It's slowly taking on nice shades of brown as it rusts ever so slowly. It's not the same from one end to the other, but it definitely adds character to the barrel.

[knight0334]

If you want it to be more authentic - rust blue/brown it.

Rust bluing/browning creates a more lustrous finish, that is also more durable.

There are three basic types of bluing. Cold, that is on the surface and provides NO protection. Hot, which is slightly deeper and does offer some protection. Rust, which is deeper, offers protection, but isn't as dependent on the temperature to create the bluing. (hot bluing's final color is dependent on on what temp it was done at - which is why Taurus's "blued" guns look black, but Smith and Wesson's is actually blue).

BTW - if I remember correctly, Turnbull rust blues hit work..

Also - barrels were not generally case hardened because it can warp a barrel very easily, and make it brittle. To case harden something it must be set in blocks to keep it from warping. Then it is put in a kiln and heated until it glows(along with other things like bone, charcoal, leather, and other organics), then it is dropped into a tub of water or oil. That sudden change of temp from hot to coil warps, and sometimes breaks things.