Can somebody please explain if "color case hardening process"... Adds to or reduces the temper in a action. I don't know much (if anything) about this but would love to get it done, on a 1886 (Newer Model).. This gun seams to handel stout loads real well. And is awsome strong in my opinion. Don't want to weaken it at all.
It's aparent I don't know anything about this so please educate me. Thanks Sur5er

Today color case hardening is decorative .Some of the cheap guns have painted on CCH !! Originally it added carbon near the surface to harden and strengthen an otherwise soft carbon steel .Today 8620 steel is often used .This is an excellent steel but the CCH doesn't add very much carbon.

Winchester did some color case heat treat testing on the model 21 when it came out and they found that the tensile strength of the steel in that action was reduced from about 110,000 psi to about 70,000 psi or somethng like that I would have to go to the books to get the true correct numbers for you. That is why Winchester on hte 21 went with a blued receiver and not acolor csed one. So in modern steel it does reduce the tensile strength and is not as consistant as a commercial heat treater can get the steel, or as accurate as a commercial treater.

Very helpfull. Thank you guys.

Since Mr. Turnbull has answered the original query, I think I can get away with partial hijacking of this thread. Melonite® offers similar results with, perhaps, related problems?
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There is at least one company that offers after-market Melonite®, a solution nitride. They offer it, not only as a surface treatment as, I believe S&W uses it on their M&P semiautomatic pistols, but on all non-spring parts, including inside diameters of barrels.

This is not a low temperature process - how high a soak and for how long I do not know. The result of the process is supposed to be: very dark charcoal gray surface; extremely hard, wear resistant surface; corrosion resistance to essentially everything associated with smokeless powder and black powder shooting.

What happens to the original heat treat? Does it, especially on stressed parts, significantly reduce alloys' strength as does color case hardening? Is this potential problem controlled via detailed information on chemistry and heat treat of part(s) to be nitrided? If it is, how does firearm owner, or nitrider, obtain this information?

True cch is a process where the part to be hardened is placed in a sealed container with bone meal and other chemicals. It penetrates several thousandths deep. Look at the rifles Shiloh Sharps makes. Gorgeous. Ditto for CPA's Stevens 44 1/2 reproductions.

Rich

You can Google Color Case Harden. There are articles all over the web which discuss the process. Basically it's about heating metal and covering it with carbon while it cools. Basically.

There are three ways to colour if that is all you want and ALL with time wear off.

The "original" method is the sealed vessel with the item packed around with leather, charcoal and heated then tipped into cold water. Some say with a layer of oil on top. Others say with oil mixed in and an airline to give a jacuzzi bubbling.

The "cyanide" method. I don't know anything about this except that it uses cyanide and again heating. It is used a lot in Spain I believe.

Both the above will alter the metal and give it I believe a hard wear resisting outer "skin" with a softer stress resisting inner core.

The "stain" method. Apparently some say that if you wipe the bare white metal with a cut rhubard stalk the acid in the rhubard will stain in colours similar to a colour case harden!

So there MUST be some sort of chemical process involving no heat that would replicate this and just colour and not affect temper. But I don't know of any mix or combination of mixes to make a "paint on" colour hardened effect.

BTW in Britain that fine colour case was then VARNISHED by the gun maker to preserve it!