A little polishing makes a big difference

[texcl]

Yesterday I polished the contact points between the frizzen and the frizzen spring, then I polished the pan and the bottom of the frizzen where the powder residue builds up on my l/h caywood fowlerlock (it's on a virginia rifle). Man what a difference it made. The rifle is lightning quick now ( and it was pretty quick to begin with)and to my surprise the flints are lasting 3x's as long. I'm really surprised it made that kind of a difference. I took 5 shots at 50 yards offhand and all but one hole were touching and that one hole was about an inch off, so this rifle is gonna be my go to rifle for the upcoming bear and deer season.

 

[J.D.]

If you polish the ramp/nose of the tumbler and mating end of the hook of the mainspring, then lubricate that area with a sticky oil, like chainsaw bar oil, it will go a long way in reducing friction.

IMHO, a little oil on the foot of the frizzen and frizzen spring will go a long way toward reducing friction too.

In talking to Jim Chambers, a while back, he commented that a majority of locks he gets back for service have never been lubricated.

No wonder some locks don't work all that well, the parts are binding.

BTW, I just worked on a new production lock where the frizzen would not kick over. The lock also ate flints.

The entire lock was covered gritty finish, even the moving parts. Most of what was done to that lock consisted of polishing the internals, including the inside of the lockplate. Although the frizzen was hardened and fitted, the springs balanced, and the locplate hardened, most of the problems with this lock had to do with the gritty finish on all of the parts, and no lubrication.

Lubricate those locks.

God bless

 

[hanshi]

I find your post particularly interesting in that a small amount of work can make a large difference. While I don't have a problem with any of my locks it's a no-brainer that polishing contact surfaces helps them work better. I hesitate (I'm butterfingered & don't have all the correct tools) to disassemble my locks and wonder how much can be done with them still assembled?

 

[oldarmy]

All you need is a mainspring vise.A few screw drivers, and a punch for removing the tumbler. The vice isn't that expensive. You can buy them from any BP supply house.
that same vise will work on the frizzen spring.. Which is where you want to concentrate your attention.
When I thinned out and polished the frizzen spring on my last pistol lock.. A small Siler. The difference was amazing.. It just works better :thumbsup:
Faster, and much less flint wear..
Go for it.. worse comes to worse, you have to buy a new part.. big deal,
we have all done it

 

[FishDFly]

"The rifle is lightning quick now ( and it was pretty quick to begin with)and to my surprise the flints are lasting 3x's as long"

How many shots were you getting before and how many are you getting now. How many flints have you used thus far to complete your test? Trying to learn flintlocks and what is needed.

Thanks

RDE

 

[Zonie]

Polishing the frizzen cam nose and the mating area on the feather spring will always help the lock.

As was mentioned, polishing the end of the mainspring will help too but I must mention that this only applies to the locks where the mainspring is pushing directly on the tumbler.

For the many L&R locks and the others that have a stirrup or link between the mainspring and the tumbler, polish the little U shaped area of the spring where the link engages it.
Also polish the U shaped area in the tumbler if you want to go thru the hassle of removing the cock/hammer and the tumbler from the lock.
If you do decide to remove the cock/hammer DO NOT TRY TO PRY IT OFF WITH A SCREWDRIVER.
You remove it by removing the bridle and then by tapping the square part out of the cock/hammer while the lockplate is supported on both sides of the tumbler.

I should warn folks to get out a piece of paper and a pencil and carefully draw a picture of how that link is installed before removing it.
It can be put in backwards if your not careful and if it is installed backwards it will either bind up or break when the lock is fired.

While I'm talking, another very good lubricant for the mainspring/tumbler area is a single drop of Hypoid Gear Lube that's used in the differential of older cars. This oil contains an EPU (Extreme Pressure Lubricant) that won't get wiped away as the spring tip slides on the tumbler. Any of the grades will work but I like 90 weight.

 

[roundball]

I had read somewhere years ago about polishing the cam tip on the frizzen where it rubs on the spring and always did that with emery paper.
Also, as part of every post shooting / cleaning session I always removed, cleaned, and lubed the frizzen pivot screw, frizzen pivot hole, sides of the frizzen pivot, frizzen bridle bearing surfaces, and the top of the frizzen spring.

Just did the same thing today to the Chambers lock on my new Virginia...I use one of those Shooter's Choice Hi-Temp lube syringes...for anyone who has never done it and thinks fouling doesn't get down inside the frizzen pivot area internals...you'll only have to disassemble one a single time and you'll be a believer.

I just use the smallest little 1.5" c-clamp from the hardware store to barely relax enough tension on the frizzen so the frizzen screw will 'unbind' and back out...takes about 10 minutes, a q-tip, pipe cleaner, and lube

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I have an original North West Trade gun from 30 years ago. Dark Gray English flints last nearly 100 shots. The frizzen kicks over with very little pressure. And yep, always clean and oil the surface. I have a small oiler with slick 50 in it. A little dab'll do ya. I use it for small game hunting all season long, firing dozens of shots per week. Sometimes, a flint lasted for several seasons.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Yesterday I polished the contact points between the frizzen and the frizzen spring, then I polished the pan and the bottom of the frizzen where the powder residue builds up on my l/h caywood fowlerlock (it's on a virginia rifle). Man what a difference it made. The rifle is lightning quick now ( and it was pretty quick to begin with)and to my surprise the flints are lasting 3x's as long. I'm really surprised it made that kind of a difference. I took 5 shots at 50 yards offhand and all but one hole were touching and that one hole was about an inch off, so this rifle is gonna be my go to rifle for the upcoming bear and deer season.

Yep, as my pappy said when asked how to maintain farm equipment: "grease is cheap and oil is free". The same applys to guns, keep them clean and oiled.

 

[texcl]

I was getting 7-15 shots before I saw a big fall off in spark usually closer to 10, now it's closer to 30 before I have to dress the flint. I'm going to polish where the main spring and tumbler meet next. I've probably put another 100 rnds through her since. If you own a flintlock you need to own a mainspring vise you can get a pretty good one for around $5 up to $25, you will need it someday.

 

[paulvallandigham]

You really don't need a mainspring vise to remove the mainspring from most locks. The trick to removing a V-spring, is to use whatever device- even an open ended box wrench of the right size is great for this work---- to HOLD the spring in its compressed position, then release the cock to take the tension off the spring. Rotating the Tumbler away from the mainspring allows the spring to ride in the clamp, or wrench, while you lift it out of the action.

Now, if you are going to polish, or file, or grind on any part of the mainspring, some other steps should be taken to allow you to remove the clamp to free the spring for that work, and then return it to the same position for re-mounting the spring to the lockplate. You need to know how much to compress the V=spring, so you don't over compress it, and BREAK IT! And, you need to know where to place that clamp or wrench back on the spring so that it clears the bolster, and other obstacles to allow the spring to return to its original position in the lockplate. A flow pen to mark positions on the lockplate, and on the spring arm will do the job. If the spring is going to be handled so much that you fear the ink will be rubbed off, then use some Prussian Blue machinist marking dye, let it dry on the metal, and then scribe your lines on it. The dye is used specifically so that a piece can be handled a lot and not worry about erasing lines. You can find it at plumbing supply stores, and at most hardward, or home repair stores.

 

[mckutzy]

A word of caution with flat springs, i had just read a couple of books on gunsmithing in the last while, as well containing interesting info on spring making and one thing they all mentioned is when making/reshaping/polishing flat springs work with the length of the spring. going against the spring could possibly make a groove or set up a fault in the spring and causing it to fail when flexed.

Over all, yes.. a little polish helps alot.

 

[StewartLeach]

A bit of polishing here and there benefits almost every rifle, old timey or modern. As an NRA Highpower shooter I learned the value of a product called Moly Slide, a molybdenum disulphide loaded grease that slicks up just about anything. Moly particles work their way into the surface of the steel, and are at their very best for lubricating sliding surfaces such as frizzen toe against frizzen spring.

I like to clean my locks by washing in hot soapy water, then using compressed air (or canned air from the 'puter store) to blow them dry. If you do this, be sure to wear eye protection, and blow air through frizzen pivot bore, etc. Then be sure to relubricate. Take the flint out before cleaning.

Regards,

White Fox

 

[B Shipman]

I rountinely spend 25 or more hours finishing a lock alone. If it's greasy slick with no lubricant, it's that much more with it.