Browning a lock?

[Bedford County Doc]

I'm at the stage of building my Kibler where colonial where I'm thinking of browning... and I see three options: 1) Do I disassemble the lock and brown everthing except for the springs? 2) Use a brush and carefully apply browning solution to everything but the springs? Or, 3) Do I pull a mad max and just let go and apply the browning solution to everything??

 

[rafterob]

You disassemble the lock and brown the hammer/cock and the lock plate (only the outside and edge. Oh, and the screw that holds the hammer to the tumbler.

 

[Bedford County Doc]

I seem to remember that I need some sort of tool to compress the main spring. If this is still the case, where can I find one at a reasonable price? I don't particularly need a professional-quality item—just one that is serviceable.

 

[Secesh]

I seem to remember that I need some sort of tool to compress the main spring. If this is still the case, where can I find one at a reasonable price? I don't particularly need a professional-quality item—just one that is serviceable.

Mainspring Vise. Track of The Wolf has them. I’m not sure how much they cost but they’re not expensive.

 

[rafterob]

You can do it with a vice grips, but it is risky (think spring ricocheting all over your work area). Secesh has listed the preferred option.

 

[Secesh]

I got the vise grip education years ago
Never did find that spring.

 

[blackeagle]

You can do it with a vice grips, but it is risky (think spring ricocheting all over your work area). Secesh has listed the preferred option.

Ricocheting springs make for a long day in the workshop, the mainspring vise is oh so much fun (and you need more gear anyway, you know you want one, don’t try to fight it!)

 

[Mike in FL]

Got mine from Track. Not expensive. You likely will only use it just for this finishing. Even though I did disassemble lock, I decided to leave it as is.

 

[rich pierce]

If you haven’t disassembled and reassembled a lock before, I’d advise getting someone to help you. Be careful when removing the tumbler and re-installing it. Do not lose the fly. The cocks are pressed onto the tumbler axles fairly tight.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I brown the outside of lock plate and pan, I polish the inside of the pan, all the parts of the hammer, all of the frizzen except the face where the flint hits and the ends of any of the screws that show where they come to the surface of the lock plate as well as the outside of frizzen spring. I don't brown the top of the frizzen spring where the foot of the frizzen rides, you want this nice and shiny You want the lock internals to be as bright and shiny as a new dime.

Mine end up like this;

 

[Secesh]

I brown the outside of lock plate and pan, I polish the inside of the pan, all the parts of the hammer, all of the frizzen except the face where the flint hits and the ends of any of the screws that show where they come to the surface of the lock plate as well as the outside of frizzen spring. I don't brown the top of the frizzen spring where the foot of the frizzen rides, you want this nice and shiny You want the lock internals to be as bright and shiny as a new dime.

Mine end up like this;

View attachment 336989

If you don’t mind me asking, what brand of browning solution do you use?

 

[Buff1958]

I took mine apart and warmed the parts with a heat gun and dipped them in Plum brown. I did not stain the springs or face of the frizzen

 

[tenngun]

Brown looks great especially on an SMR. My SMR has a brown lock. Just something to consider often locks were I browned or un blued in the old days
In the white also looks good
I agree with the folks above you only brown the outside, inside needs to be bright

 

[Eric Krewson]

LMF

 

[blackeagle]

If you haven’t disassembled and reassembled a lock before, I’d advise getting someone to help you. Be careful when removing the tumbler and re-installing it. Do not lose the fly. The cocks are pressed onto the tumbler axles fairly tight.

As someone who nearly lost a fly I 100% agree. I’ll add, take a picture of the lock components before you do any disassembly. Jim Kibler has a very good video on disassembling and reassembling his lock which will set you up nicely for working on just about any lock…watch it several times before you do anything to that lock. He also sells a very sturdy punch for removing the tumbler.