Original Colt Casing Questions

[44-henry]

I've been doing some research on the original wood cases that were sometimes provided with Colt revolvers in preparation for a writing project I'm working on. I've got most of the Colt reference books and they have provided some great information in the form of photos, but often little in reference to the actual cases.

I've gathered a lot of information from photographs concerning the construction of these cases, types of hinges used, style of lock wood joinery, etc; however, I'm really curious how the bottoms were constructed. It appears in most photos that they must have been recessed and one maker of reproduction cases says that they were pine, but I've not seen any photos to document this. I would love to hear from any member who has actual cases in their collection concerning some of the more minute details of the case.

I'm also looking for some documentation regarding the suppliers of these cases, if they weren't produced by Colt themselves. I have seen some cases in photographs that are obviously of much higher quality than the typical case one sees and I also remember reading that some of the really ornamental cases with the inlayed scroll work were contracted by Colt himself. Lots of questions and few answers. If anyone has some knowledge about the specifics, or links to sites that discuss this I would be very appreciative.

Thanks.

 

[pargent]

try to get hold of a copy of colonel colt london by joseph g rosa,its amust for any colt nut :thumbsup:

 

[arcticap]

however, I'm really curious how the bottoms were constructed. It appears in most photos that they must have been recessed and one maker of reproduction cases says that they were pine, but I've not seen any photos to document this. I would love to hear from any member who has actual cases in their collection concerning some of the more minute details of the case.

I'm also looking for some documentation regarding the suppliers of these cases, if they weren't produced by Colt themselves.

While not specifically about the construction of the cases, I found it interesting and very coincidental to learn that Sam Colt had a willow furniture factory as part of the Colt manufacturing complex, which utilized willow wood obtained from the extensive land holding that he had purchased to build his armory.
It would be logical to think that he may have used his own furniture factory workers to make some parts of the cases using his own wood, but that would be pure speculation. However, it may still be worth researching into it further.

Excerpted from the article Samuel Colt (1814-1862)*
By Ellsworth S. Grant, West Hartford, Connecticut linked below:
http://www.ctheritage.org/encyclopedia/topicalsurveys/colt.htm

A half mile away the Armory stood quiet””its hundreds of machines idle, the revolvers and rifles on its test range silent. Atop the long dike protecting Colt's South Meadows development drooped the gray willows that furnished the raw material for his furniture factory. Beneath the dike a few skaters skimmed over the frozen Connecticut River. To the south, the complex of company houses was empty for the moment, as was the village specially built for his Potsdam willow workers.

The foremost mourner was the deceased's calm and composed young widow, Elizabeth, holding by the hand their three-year-old-son Caldwell, the only one of five children to survive infancy. Elizabeth was to become Hartford's grande dame, and her elaborate memorials would ennoble Colt's deeds at the same time that they would help conceal the shadows of his past. Her mother, her sister Hetty, and her brothers Richard and John Jarvis, both Colt officials, sat behind her. Richard, then the dependable head of Colt's willow-furniture factory, would in a few years become the Armory's third president.

Ever since returning to his birthplace Colt had dreamed of building the largest private armory anywhere in the world. In 1851 he began buying up property in the South Meadows that fronted on the Connecticut River. As lowland, it was swampy, prone to spring flooding, and considered of little value. Eventually he acquired 250 acres at a cost of $60,000 and reclaimed them by building a dike nearly two miles long and planting French osiers on top to prevent erosion. The project””Hartford's first redevelopment””took two years and $125,000 more of his money. Behind the dike rose the Armory, of Portland brownstone. Both were finished in August, 1855.

 

[Zonie]

During that period, willow furniture was very popular. The stuff with bent arms and legs.

The very best workers of willow to build this type of furniture came from Germany so Sam, being the shrewd business guy that he was built a town that looked just like a German town.
He then sent agents to Germany hire workers who were very good at building willow furniture and moved them over to his newly built town.

I have not read that any of them worked on or built gun cases out of willow.

I'm sure Mr. Johnson already knows this but, a review of R.L. Wilson's *C*O*L*T* AN AMERICAN LEGEND Sesquicentennial Edition, ARTABRAS PUBLISHERS, New York and, his STEEL CANVAS, The Art of American Arms, Random House, New York, shows that the principle woods used for Colt's gun cases were Black Walnut, Mahogany and Rosewood. One cased gun made in London is cased in Oak.

The first mentioned book above said that Joseph C. Grubb & Co, Philadelphia made at least a few of the pistol cases.

 

[arcticap]

It wouldn't have been very difficult to have the more exotic woods delivered to the armory. And being a shrewd businessman regarding profits and Colt's variety of business interests, it's easy to believe that some cases were made by his own workers or in localities nearby. Even if the willow workers didn't make them directly, it shows that he had his wood shops and also that Colt must have made their own gun grips.
Just like there might be some specially made grips verses regular production grips, and specially engraved presentation guns and such, then maybe it was handled similarly with the presentation cases too where some were contracted out and some weren't.
Since Colt and his business revolved (revolvers get it? :grin around profits, then maybe he would expect to be able to increase his profit margin by producing many of his own cases. Or at least as nearby to his armory as possible.
I'm obviously guessing simply because of the lack of information about who did make most of them. But a man like Colt who would import special workers for a side furniture business could surely choose to manufacture his own presentation cases in house if he really wanted to. Why wouldn't he want or choose to make his own?

 

[madcratebuilder]

The Willow wood lot was primary to supply charcoal for the furnaces for the case hardening process. The Willow furniture was to use up the small stuff, waste not, want not.

I'll need to dig some books out but I do have one that was some case construction info. Generally the case bottoms were made from cheap scrap pieces. I believe the Colt cases were sub contracted.

If you want to PM me I have old contact info for Fred Sweeney. He is a expert on cases and accoutrements.

 

[pargent]

yep subbied out , oak was common, as you said probably left overs from furniture.rosa,s book shows the differnt cases & linings etc.

 

[dave_person]

Alex,
Do a google search for "making 18th century pistol case" and click on the first listing that comes up. It has some info that may help you with construction details used generally in the 18th and 19th centuries.

dave

 

[mazo kid]

Alex, according to James Serven's book "Colt Firearms (From 1836) (now out of print I believe), Colt made their own cases....some single and some double gun cases.
Mahogany was the favored wood
Some Rosewood and a few walnut
Lined with material similar to billiard cloth or velvet
Partitions separated the revolver from it's bullet mould, powder flask, nipple wrench, cast bullets, percussion tins, etc.
A label with loading and cleaning instructions was sometimes glued inside the lid
Colt cases were oblong in shape, shallow, rounded at corners and top edges
Highly varnished
Some had a brass name plate in the lid
All had lock and key
Deviations from standard design included bevel lid edges, brass-bound corners, odd shapes, varied materials, curved partitions, etc.
I hope this helps some....