I've feel I've achieved something I've wanted to do for some time. Simulate the look and feel of color case hardened steel on billet aluminum parts. Airguns are heavy. They have several times more parts than firearms. The reservoirs and valves are heavy. Judicious usage of strong billet aluminum is very practical, and properly strong when properly engineered. However; the brightness of aluminum (and it's accompaning modern feel) causes balance decisions when planning the cosmetics of a project. Hard color anodizing converts the outer skin of billet aluminum into glass hard aluminum oxide (correct - the stuff sanding grit is made from). Pure aluminum oxide is glass clear too. During a very brief window of opportunity, while that oxide is being created, it may be dyed. Actually, the dye is absorbed thru the vertical straw like microscopic structure of the oxide layer, and the dye resides inside those vertical tubes (like an handful of straws full of dye). When the celluar structure of the oxide layer closes, the dye is trapped forever under that glass hard clear layer of oxide.



There are a hundred things that can go wrong. The first thing will be that almost nobody knows anything about anodizing so they cannot appreciate the difficulty of predicting the outcome and producing the effects in a small shop setting. Take a good look at the picture. The cover of one of the NRA magazines with an Uberti High Wall reproduction. Now ... that is authentic color case hardened steel. My parts are authentic too ... but they are billet aluminum and I've produced the effect which cosmetically copies the steel parts.

It might help your appreciation for you to realize what actual color case hardened steel is, and why it looks that way. Billet tool steel is one of those millions of common things that are only common to our age. King Tut's Coffin was made of Gold ... but he CARRIED two items made of iron. A hammer and dagger IIRC. Iron came late to man's history. Steel much, much later. Iron is relatively bendable and relatively soft. Steel is relatively ridgid and relatively hard. The percentage of carbon making up the structures is the difference. Big bunches of iron could be easily made by the 1800's. No so steel. However; it was discovered that soft iron parts could be fired inside an O2 depleated environment and in contact with bone meal which is rich in carbon. At very high temps (don't hold me to it but around 1,850 F. the iron part's surface will be relatively plastic and the carbon from the bone meal will run and leach into the surface of the iron). What's touching, and where, how much O2 got in, and how the carbon ran ... creates the patterns and colors. The parts are then cooled and a very hard but quite thin skin of steel will have been created on the parts. Edges and crossections will often show different concentrations of heat and effects.



In a very similar way ... hard color anodizing does for billet aluminum, exactly what hard color case hardening does for iron. In anodizing, as in case hardening, we do not APPLY a layer to the part. We TRANSFORM the outer skin of the material. In both disciplines we create a skin which is many times harder and more wear resistant than the base metal. In both, the process can create colors which we find pleasing, if properly executed. Hard color anodizing is not some gimmick. I have been told, many times, that I'm a pretty quick study. I've been working with tools for 47 years or more by now. I've studied and worked and tested. And built and studied sought to understand. And ... it's taken me 20 years to get to this point with hard color anodizing.

In closing: It's very complex. There are literally dozens of things that can go wrong. If they do, they can very quickly ruin not only your color scheme ... but ruin the part itself. The oxide is created in a bath of sulfuric acid and DC amperage. It can disolve the parts or errode them to the point of ruining tolerances and threads. The process involves other caustic chemicals to etch the parts. It involves certain chemicals to aid the final seal of the cells. Timing is critical throughout.

When it's all done, someone can tell you they don't like your color choice ... but they can't take away the accomplishment. And now, unless you'd like to argue with history and most gun nuts in the world, you can't tell me you don't like my color choice either!

I'll post the rest of the parts now.

Thanks for reading. Hope you found it of interest. (Eric - I suspect you did). ;?) There will be parts from a couple of guns shown.



Gary

More of the parts completed.

Eric (note pic #s 9,33,35,27) and perhaps others

Simply Gorgeous! But from the sounds of it, it is anything but simple. You've hit the color and patterns perfectly Gary. That would look wonderful on any gun, but the classic lines of the Orion should be a perfect canvas.

Kent

Gary that looks amazing. You nailed it. Thank God I didn't say "black". It will make for many, many interesting hours of staring in the deer blind. I can't wait to see it in person.

Gary,

Yes, you've done it.

I've always liked your anodizing work. The gun Jim aquired with the cocking lever is high on my list of favorites although under appreciated by the masses IIRC.

Lon

Gary, my friend and I were comparing the pictures to his 1886 I was telling you about. We have a match for sure. The way you got the blue's and grey's mixed in makes it look almost identical. The Winchester is TRUE case hardening too IIRC. We spent so much time ogling over the pictures this morning that we were late getting to the blinds .

I have to go with the crowd here, great job on matching the case hardened look! I've had several chances to take a quick peek at this post but not enough time to really read it and comment until now.

I think the outcome of the effort is fantastic and the history and chemistry lesson are great too. I'll bet there are a lot of folks that think case hardening was just a cosmetic decision back in the day.

Thanks for the post, that's another post that distinguishes this site from all the rest.

Amazing replication and having enough faith in abilities to apply to nicely finished parts. Anodising is the one process the most can go wrong with IMO.

outrageous ,,, and outstanding.

That is VERY nice and look,s like an antique. Beautiful is the word........... and then some. Can,t wait to see it in action.