Case hardening small parts

[JeffC]

Would heating and quenching (with Kasinit) small parts such as sears help, harm, or do nothing? I have one Springer that the sear went soft on....literally, and wonder if I can toughen up my remaining fleet before I need to replace all of them?

BTW, I've called a cease fire on the 'flick' test .

 

[Sam]

I can't reccomend it.
Kasenit works fine for parts made of mild steel that need a case, like cheap foreigh muzzloader sears and hammers.
Internals on most modern guns are of alloy steel that will self harden with proper heat treatment.

Applying Kasenit and quenching a small alloy steel piece would result in a part that was glass hard all the way through. Shatter under load.
If you had the right equipment or eyeball you could re-heat treat them but it would be less expensive and more effective to just buy a new part. I wouldn't hesitate to light up the folks at SA if you are getting crap parts.
They do have a warranty

Sam

 

[P95Carry]

Done properly (IMO) it is possible to add some case to parts but - it would also be preferable to replace parts with good quality spares. As Sam says - mild steel is usual candidate anyways.

If existing case has gone then there is no knowing how much distortion, wear, change may have occurred - and sears, trigger notches, disconnects etc - are the most critical parts for safety.

if replacing with spares then make sure they are suitable and if necessary get them fitted and ''adjusted'' by a class gunsmith.

I would only try this to be honest, with a beater gun that I and only I used - on my own and for plinking - where reliability might be less important - that said - safety is a prime so - I still reckon - not a job for the avergae gun guy - and I have done a lot of case hardening over the years but - not on a critical gun part.

 

[mete]

I have case hardened critical parts ,for example on improperly factory case hardened S&W parts. But I have an advantage ,I've been to gunsmithing school and I'm a metallurgist !!! Today there are many different materials cast, MIM ,different alloys so it's more complex.So replace them if you can.