THE MYSTERY OF THE COLOR CHANGING CAPEWELL!
This is another question we get all the time and lucky for you it has a very simple answer. Here you see a photo of a Capewell release in the open position. The part highlighted in gold is a component aptly named the slider because it slides up and down as part of the locking mechanism.
This is an older version of the release because you can see the slider has the same steel colored finish as the rest of the parts.
In the current version this slider has a golden brown finish and is very noticeable in stark contrast to the surrounding steel. Because of this color difference, we often get the question why do some Capewells have gold parts and others don’t. Did we somehow master the ancient art of alchemy and succeed in turning steel into gold?
No, not yet anyway.
The difference has to do with the type of plating. Even though the slider is made out of 4140 Steel material, it is treated with a Cadmium plating. But there are many ways to apply that Cadmium plating, and each method may result in different types of finishes.
Originally the slider was Cadmium plated along with the other parts of the release, so it had the same steel finish as everything else. Later on though, we improved the design to strengthen the slider. This required a change to the plating process and thus changed the type of finish we ended up with. In this case it just so happens to be a nice golden color. There really is no difference in the fit, form, or function of the two versions.
So there you go, mystery solved. It was Capewell, in the factory, with the Cadmium plating. Thanks for playing!