Nikel plating webley's question

[45flint]

greasemonkey, very nice looking gun ? Thanks for the replies, definitely going to get it done. The other thing I've seen done to these old Webley's is colour case hardening, end result, stunning on the one I saw.

Would love to see one case hardened!

[--ped--]

just had one of my Sheridan pgp pistols done which was in a pretty p**s poor condition
had no issues with any thread and the valve retaining nut screwed in with no issue
I have a few Dans and Bengi's that have had there original finish polished off so may have more plated
https://i.imgur.com/AwVfInu.jpg

[ccdjg]

Would love to see one case hardened!

I would imagine that a Webley would have to be case-hardened coloured by the "cheating" method, where they use an oxacetylene torch played over the surface to produce a colour effect that can look almost as good as genuine case-hardened colour, but is not as durable. Proper case-hardening would not be feasible for a Webley, as it involves packing the pistol in powdered charcoal and heating at a dull red heat, and at those temperatures any brazed joints on the pistol would be ruined.

[vbull]

The case coloured Webley I saw I believe was done properly with bone ash etc. I bought an old Marlin from the same guy which has had the treatment, looks great but costs a lot due to the ingredients used so I don't think he would cheat on the Webley. I'll ask him though. Here's a couple of pictures.

https://flic.kr/p/22rseid
https://flic.kr/p/23tnWd7

[45flint]

The case coloured Webley I saw I believe was done properly with bone ash etc. I bought an old Marlin from the same guy which has had the treatment, looks great but costs a lot due to the ingredients used so I don't think he would cheat on the Webley. I'll ask him though. Here's a couple of pictures.

https://flic.kr/p/22rseid
https://flic.kr/p/23tnWd7

That is very nice

[ccdjg]

I suppose you might just get away with conventional case hardening on a Webley if the spelter used for the brazing was at the higher end of spelter melting points, but it would be risky. But however it was done it looks great.

[Mobiasstrip]

My two Webleys. Both already plated. Anyone know if post war Mk1 or Premier has this as a factory option?
I think the chances of sourcing a Ni Barrel joint stop screw are slim. :-(

[ccdjg]

My two Webleys. Both already plated. Anyone know if post war Mk1 or Premier has this as a factory option?
I think the chances of sourcing a Ni Barrel joint stop screw are slim. ]

Nice pair of pistols.

The post-war Mark 1 was available in both nickel and chrome plated versions from Webley, but they did not offer these options with the Premier. Even so, there are a few plated Premiers about, which would have been non-factory modifications carried out by individuals.

How fussy are you about getting the exact keeper screw? You could round off a 7BA cheesehead bolt in a Dremel and leave it in the polished state. While not an exact fit, 7BA will screw into the Webley thread a fair way and give you a sound fix. It would certainly look better than showing a blued screw head.

[chieffool]

The case coloured Webley I saw I believe was done properly with bone ash etc. I bought an old Marlin from the same guy which has had the treatment, looks great but costs a lot due to the ingredients used so I don't think he would cheat on the Webley. I'll ask him though. Here's a couple of pictures.

https://flic.kr/p/22rseid
https://flic.kr/p/23tnWd7

This gun Smith has a good gallery of example images. They clearly work on any type of gun, but I see why it might be a difficult task to do on the thinner metals of an airgun vs the more robust sections of a firearm.
http://www.gunrestoration.co.uk

[ccdjg]

This gun Smith has a good gallery of example images. They clearly work on any type of gun, but I see why it might be a difficult task to do on the thinner metals of an airgun vs the more robust sections of a firearm.
http://www.gunrestoration.co.uk

It's not so much the thickness of the metal that is the problem (although it can be), but where components have been brazed together they risk coming apart if the temperature of the joint gets above the temperature of the alloy (spelter) used to make the joint. Bone ash/charcoal case hardening is carried out at about 800-850 degrees C (red heat) and spelters melt at about 800-900 deg C so there is not much room for error. On the Webley Senior pictured, the raised ramp that the cocking link rides over is brazed on,and so could have been dislodged. Same for the barrel attachments, although in the example shown the barrel does not appear to have been given any case hardening treatment.

[vbull]

All the examples I've seen done by the same gunsmith he rust blues the barrels, in fact all his blueing work is rust blue for some reason. The Webley in the pictures cocks fires etc just like it did before the treatment.

[ccdjg]

All the examples I've seen done by the same gunsmith he rust blues the barrels, in fact all his blueing work is rust blue for some reason. The Webley in the pictures cocks fires etc just like it did before the treatment.

Rust bluing is very rare these days as it involves a lot of skill and labour, unlike hot salt bluing, so this guy seems like someone to cultivate. Especially if you are restoring pre-war guns.
If those barrels you showed were rust blued then he certainly knows his stuff.