CASE HARDENING FINISH

[whisperbow]

AS YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MANY THREADS/OPINIONS ABOUT CASE HARDENING AND WHO KNOWS WHAT COLOR IT WILL END UP BEING. I JUST HAD A FOX A CASED AND I WILL BE SCARED TILL I SEE IT. SO WHAT IS MY QUESTION? WHAT FINISH DO YOU APPLY ONCE THE GUN IS CASED? DO THE USE A LACQUER AND IS THIS PERMANENT OR COULD YOU RENEW WHEN NEEDED? SOME GUNS SHOW A BEAUTIFUL LUSTRE FINISH AND OTHERS ARE DULL.

[mike campbell]

WHAT FINISH DO YOU APPLY ONCE THE GUN IS CASED?

None for me. I prefer the muted colors. Most shops doing the color case hardening will return the action with a protective coating. I know Giacomo and Turnbull do. I suggest you talk to the people doing yours; ask whether they will coat it, what they will use, and how to remove it should you desire.

DO THE USE A LACQUER AND IS THIS PERMANENT OR COULD YOU RENEW WHEN NEEDED?

Think of it as wax on a fine automobile. It's a temporary topcoat; it adds shine and maybe just a little added protection against abrasions. You want it last reasonably long, but you don't want it so hard and permanent that it can't be stripped wothout damaging the color underneath. If you're capable of disassembling your gun, you could consider a spray lacquer. If you don't want to disassemble it, you could consider coating it with a Q-Tip and Tru Oil.

[whisperbow]

Thanks for the reply. I was beginning to wonder where everybody went.