Color Case Hardening a Parker Shotgun | MidwayUSA Gunsmithing

From freshly polished to fully color case hardened, watch along as Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA, demonstrates the process of color case hardening.
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[@mjay4700]

I love how many of these videos start simply with the narrative that this can be done by YOU the viewer... The tasks seem approachable, basic and lower cost.. Then each scene/process shows increasingly complexed, specific and expensive tooling in order to complete the task. Like not only do you need a massive kiln to bake the thing in, but also a space suit and a large barrel filled with bubbling aerated water with another 5 specific devices around it. There's almost always some Miles Gilbert thing and about 6 different jigs and guages, each more specific and expensive than the last.

[@simmerinzimmerman8751]

He's demonstrating the process used by modern professionals, not teaching you how to do it. That's like complaining about firefighters doing a demonstration and complaining that they're using firetrucks instead of pails of water.

[@jason60chev]

And that is why having your parts color case hardened is so expensive. Also, the time and patience in the prep.

[@colt10mmsecurity68]

Again, another process that good ‘ol Larry shows us how it’s done with common “house hold” tools and such.

[@christopherrobinson8676]

Great explanation. Great coloring. I just saw this is a whole project, jumped ahead to see the final video; but can't wait to watch the whole process. Great work.

[@ZorinDenu]

Such vivid and beautiful color, awesome job!

[@ВасяВасечкін-п8щ]

Часто дивлюся Ващі відео.Гарна та майстерна робота.Ви справжні професіонали своеї справи.

[@wdavison10044]

theyre georgeous. the colour on them is so striking.

[@brianmcdonald9502]

Larry you are the bomb. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@waterchildtera]

i used oil as a quench ! came out hard and black looks great ! did the barrel in sodium nitrate solution @ 300 degrees for 2 hours ! black hard nitrate coating

[@BenjaminISmith]

Why hasn't this man become a meme yet? He's the Bob Ross of gunsmithery

[@Br0ocie]

Make it happen, Pile

[@adrianfirewalker4183]

I've seen SO many people carefully degrease parts, then pick them up!

[@24934637]

Absolutely love the colours of case hardening. They make any firearm look better! From a purely appearance point of view, I'd love a Browning GP35 (Hi-Power) that had a case hardened finish. No idea if that would be practically possible, I've seen it done with an IMI Desert Eagle, but in my personal opinion, nothing that you do to that horrible looking lump would improve it aesthetically!

[@McShaggswell]

Bake on the center rack for 30 minutes at 325 or until the crust is crispy.

[@InfamousDoktorJackal]

Absolutely gorgeous. I would be honored to own a shotgun that looks that good

[@jme92685]

2:13 we love Larry!

[@joephelps7867]

Great knowledge, great learning videos, as always. Larry your great at your job! But you forgot one very important thing. You didn’t say, and that’s the way it is! God Bless. To you & family.

[@lee-ld7er]

i really want a Work shop just like Larry's😍😍

[@markstengel7680]

Easy if you have all thats needed. Explained well

[@ViaAvione]

Wow! Thank you for sharing

[@aphexteknol]

Hello sir, he is using a 50/50 mix of charcoal and bone charcoal (charcoal animal bone) Hope that helps.

[@johnwaddell4107]

You make this look so easy! And only 2:37 to do it.

[@Slow_Hand_Luke]

John Waddell Do you Really think He was Guy wearing the “Monkey Suit” ? ;^ )

[@TheKodiak72]

Have a look on the thremostat. F on top, C on bottom.

[@mr.x1510]

He's also an extremely fortunate guy to have a Parker

[@MrN0mz]

But is it StatTrak™?

[@rohan1_]

Some of those parts had a solid 80% blue.

[@LOUDcarBOMB]

@@SqueakyScav I think its funny, especially on this video, since Larry (and his type of vids) don't seem like the type to attract the CS:GO audience, but seeing the comments in relation to the vid though is great.

[@Leverguns50]

Very interesting

[@BearGun2020]

May I ask you the purpose of aerating the water? Here it's first time i see it, others doesn't do that. Thank you very much for explanation.

[@hey.hombre]

Outstanding. I thought it was a long drawn out process. The only issue I see is having an oven that goes to 1400°F. Polishing the parts and placing them in charcoal looks pretty simple. But I guess paying someone a couple of hundred bucks is cheaper than finding an oven. I have some AR parts that I want to have color cased colored for looks (not aluminum).

[@billwessels207]

Pick up an old pottery kiln.

[@dave_sic1365]

Don't know if it's still helpful but if you just want the steel colored you can blue the steel at different temperatures, that will give nice coloureffects much cheaper

[@joseluisferloni9681]

Excellent process, very little known in Argentina. Could you tell me at what temperature the heating is carried out and for how long? Thank you

[@relybiggunsbigguns5478]

wow. good job

[@BriNbigD]

Midway USA-you guys are great!! I've shopped a lot from your store. Do you offer this service for customer parts?

[@zofflex]

Well the link to wood and bone charcoal don't work, also product font show in midway usa search

[@KurtOnoIR]

Really cool but is there a way to do this without the heat or changing the hardness of the part?

[@saisandoval]

Awesome

[@caseyjensen1733]

Do you not need to temper the steel after the quench?

[@salarsan12]

how much is it worth in steam?

[@StefsEngineering]

salarsan12 I don't think a lot of people understand that joke :)

[@Zbyhonj]

Your charcoal mixture was 50-50 wood and WHAT? Excuse me asking, english is not my first language and I tend to have trouble with less used words. Thank you. (And the finish you managed to put on those parts is damn fabulous!)

[@Crazyykool]

Zbyhonj bone from what I heard

[@Zbyhonj]

Well, I must be damned deaf then, since that is not exactly a 'less used word' :D Thanks a lot!

[@mattm.3562]

Did he say a 50/50 mix of bone and charcoal?

[@fw.bagiomotorsport5006]

Muito bom meu querido!!

[@zedoswelt]

Is there a way doing this without a furnace? And can I somehow make the metal parts bluer than in the video?

[@peteraugust5295]

does this work on stainless steel as well? I have a winchester that is painted because the steel is not bluable was i was told. Could I color caseharden it?

[@الرعبالحقيقي-ت1د]

Nice

[@dickyfisher9249]

Browning Solution an Corn Meal. In a Iron Pipe. Bake at 450 for 30m.

[@lelouch2855]

How can i make my knife full blue ?

[@linxuis]

I'll trade you my field tested redline ak for it

[@1337TJ]

+Shlomo Goldstein hahahahahahaha im csgo player and i find this blue gem

[@harnoorpanesar2814]

Sir How does colt weapons have green olive colour polish.? Will be greatfull if you share information about that process.

[@schaj1000]

Hardening that mark cold pavon used

[@lelouch2855]

What is the pattern index ?

[@malwindersingh6709]

WE dont have boon charcoal available in our country , so please advise the alternative ... coal ..

[@kekistansupreme7171]

malwinder Singh you can make charcoal. There are videos available on here. You can even do it with newspaper

[@ericschulze5641]

What kind of clay?

[@rafaellastracom6411]

Why did you guys not temper afterwards?

[@TheKodiak72]

Same as normal steel? whats special about 8620.

[@hunden_ein]

What is the Crucible made of?

[@nomennescio6209]

Stainless steel. You could use carbon steel, but it would case harden as well; over time, it would crack and crumble with repeated use. Stainless won't.

[@shanek6582]

What is he saying at 1:14? It sounds like "a steel bok? Between the tangs of the receiver" what ?

[@tito1rocks]

+Shane K Steel Block

[@shanek6582]

Thanks, that makes sense, I thought it was some kind of gunsmithing term for something.

[@ОлексійКолесник-я7п]

What composition of coal? What temperature? How many time?

[@matthewsullivan5713]

Like art

[@oogboog7049]

My dreams is to own a Parker shotgun they were made in my home town

[@VDVKartracing]

is it possible to remove the colour? if so, how?

[@REZAFACE]

can you do this with my default skinned ak47 on csgo

[@FairlaneFox]

old vid and a bit late to post, but how would one obtain the style of case hardening that covers most of the parts? like i have a double barrel, a Savage Arms Fox model B, and the case hardening marble takes up most, if not all the receiver i'd imagine it would either be time duration, or coal mixture. i would think doing it multiple times to get full coverage would cause the metal to become too brittle. saw someone mentioned cooling it in oil for a darker appearance. maybe oil is what savaged used? got an old Stevens crackshot #16 i may want to get stripped, polished and re-cased. but i was hoping for a more "no polished metal still visible" kind of look. and more of the "full spectrum rainbow" coloration a lot of manufacturer done case-hardening has. Dont care if someone sees this 5 years from now, if you have an answer, reply please XD im actually wanting to know about this.

[@nomennescio6209]

When you color case, you place all the carbon steel parts in a stainless crucible packed with bone/wood charcoal, with each part separated at least a half inch from one another and the walls of the crucible. You fill the crucible cup by cup with the charcoal and tap it down so the whole surface of each part is surrounded (basically buried) in the charcoal. Heating carbon steel to 1450°F for an hour will bring out the colors inherent to the steel's composition; you don't really have control over what specific colors appear. You do need to polish the parts to at least 320-grit prior, and absolutely degrease. If you want more vibrant colors after you water quench, pop the parts into the oven again for one hour at 400°F. To protect against UV, you can also clear coat the case colored parts with a clear enamel or lacquer.

[@ericschulze5641]

@@nomennescio6209 I'm going to give it a shot on one of my old junkers first, what about case harden then the oven treatment & into dirty black motor oil while still hot ? maybe leave it in there overnight before cleaning

[@nomennescio6209]

@@ericschulze5641 Professionally, I would just case harden, quench in water, dry it (either with an air compressor or towel or both), then Renaissance wax the part(s) for protection. The oven treatment supposedly stabilizes the steel, but there's admittedly no scientific evidence if it does or not; if you do the additional oven treatment, there's no reason to quench it again in anything, just let it cool and apply some type of finish to prevent rust. I wouldn't use automotive products with firearms regardless. When you quench, you'll want someone else to knock off the crucible lid (if it isn't hinged) with a hammer or rod, then immediately plant the top of the crucible into the water (to minimize air from hitting the steel). Make sure you file and/or polish out all pits or scratches in the part as much as you can before hardening, without ripples or otherwise deforming the part.

[@ericschulze5641]

@@nomennescio6209 thanks will do .I still wonder about the not letting air in when removing the lid I will follow procedure however at over 1000 degrees I seriously doubt 70 - 90 degree air will rush in, its almost impossible & probably a superstition by those who don't understand heat & physics

[@nomennescio6209]

@@ericschulze5641 It's more of a habit we've gotten into; I've had lovely results on receivers just popping the lid and "flicking" the parts in (a quick turn of the crucible toward the water drum to dunk the parts). The main thing to keep in mind is not to let the steel just sit and cool without quenching, otherwise you'll lose the coloring to a rather poor shade of gray. I wish you the best on your project. Do it safely, have fun, and enjoy.

[@vdfttt5470]

👍

[@lamppost904]

It looks field tested, but since its a good pattern i will settle on 250 keys. Deal?

[@wevertonpds7324]

Vc e de mais 🇧🇷

[@zofflex]

Does Midway sell wood and bone charcoal? Search don't show it

[@Random29d]

Parker shotgun or Parker building materials?

[@peteraugust5295]

So what causes the color? I did not get that, its a mix of coal and what?

[@copperbot10]

Peter August it’s actually just caused by a thin layer of oxides that develops on the steel, it’s thin enough to let a certain amount and wavelength of light through, and reflects others, then the steel absorbs some and reflects some underneath, the combination of those two waves is the color you see. This is called thin film interference

[@juicylemon69]

cooling in water ???? wouldnt that crack the steel? why don't u use oil

[@malwindersingh6709]

and also help me for the drawing of Remington model 14 carrier dog,,, it been 4 months that rifle is sitting on my head, but couldn't get the proper size of the carrier dog for model 14,, there are some parts are missing in rifle ,, i tried to find the drawing of the parts but couldn't get them enlarger size or specifications ,, so that i could make it at my shop.please provide the carrier dog full assembly details,.., thanks sir, i am big fan of yours,, dashmesh gun house punjab, india,

[@KenseiSwords]

WOW.

[@eastindiaV]

I wonder why they stopped doing this, I watched a video of a maxim shooting the other day (and many other "high quality guns" Chinese artillery pieces, etc... remember the egg shape of the civil war cannonades...?) and seen the cocking knob and some of the bolt parts just wobbling around like spring steel..... makes me wonder why they stopped color case hardening everything it makes the steel like rocks, which is why it's done,, not for show.. otherwise it's kind of flexible steel..... I noticed by the way that you touched the charcoal with your greasy hands which lowered the quality of the end product....also you should acid etch the parts afterwards I think which will bring out the pattern of the case hardening...... We bubble the water because I think the individual water bubbles touching the steel will create that pattern,,, it creates pockets of air that have different properties of heat dispersion than the water around them but it also makes it less shocking I think than the water alone.... and make sure to leave everything in there until it's completely cool otherwise it could warp and then you're throwing like a $50,000 shotgun out the window

[@14words76]

Too bad it isn't a blue gem

[@1337TJ]

+Aiden Tomek yea 5% blue looks like potato worth 1 key xD

[@fw.bagiomotorsport5006]

🇧🇷

[@elvinjiang9869]

Is it stattrak factory new? And number one blue gem pattern.

[@Sphere723]

Larry has gotten into some black Jew magic.

[@TheKodiak72]

y?

[@Mrcaffinebean]

Maybe a bit harsh.....

[@Militarycollector]

Dude what’s with the moon suit,,, Your not going into an active volcano…

[@gunloverMS]

Thanks mrcaffinebean I did not mean to a offend you telefon

[@rockerdude02]

I guess i have a higher standard for the word "polish" lmao

[@jase1125]

It can look good and it can look like garbage. Example, smith and wesson revolvers. Their triggers and hammers are case hardened on their satin finished stainless revolvers. It looks out of place and has no visual appeal.

[@akrammlt]

50 dollars on steam market, 250 if StatTrak

[@gunloverMS]

First

[@Gavolak]

Too bad its not a blue gem. Imagine that- a Blue gem revolver... If the R8 wasnt nerfed that would be worth so much money!

[@kdflsjgkfljgldf]

gay

[@treadlox]

Why didn't you show us close up shots of the parts so we could see how they turned out ? To me that was the whole point of the video.. I'm dissapiinted.

[@christopherrobinson8676]

Thought the same thing at first. If you do some looking into their videos this is part of a complete gun restore. Go to Midway's channel and search Parker shotgun or if you're not interested in the whole process you can see the final work here.... kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZuqZIaqpdxjpbM

[@Noah-nt4tb]

ill trade one case 4 it too much gold

[@robertwhinnen5602]

The correct way to do it is to vacuum anneal first otherwise you make the metal too brittle

[@egdiryellam68]

Although interesting it is not something the average gun enthusiast would be able to afford to do.

[@dickyfisher9249]

Sorry bone meal n leather pieces.

[@cz2681]

Did he say 50/50 mix of bone and charcoal?