Browning Lock

[srottman]

When browning the lock for a poor boy,should I brown the back side of the frizzen. How do I protect the side the flint strikes and the back of the lock. Do I need to protect the tapped holes in the lock ? If so how should I do it. Will be using Laurel Mountian's browing and degreasing agent Thanks in advance for your help

 

[Vaino]

Very sparingly apply LMF to only the surfaces you want to brown. All you want to do is barely wet the surfaces. Don't worry about the holes or overshoots.....Fred

 

[paulvallandigham]

Use tape on the face of the frizzen, and the bottom to protect those surfaces during browning the back side. YOu can use masking tape, or even that blue painter's tape, that doesn't leave adhesive on the part when its removed( most of the time). Use any good lead solvent to remove any glue. Alcohol works, too, but slower. Acetone works the fastest.

 

[Zonie]

It seems that some browing solution ends up getting into the threaded holes whenever I brown a lockplate.

As I've never had a problem with the threads in those holes I've decided that the small amount of surface that is converted into brown rust isn't enough to worry about.
In fact, after oiling the surfaces it might actually end up protecting the threads over the years.

I don't like to see evidence of browning on the inside of the lockplate though. To me, it just looks kinda sloppy although it certainly won't hurt the function of the lock.

On the other hand if a person doesn't have anything better to do with his time he might even be tempted to polish up and engine turn some decorations on it:

As for the frizzen, do as the other folks have suggested.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I leave a coat of oil on the back of the lockplate, and in all the screwholes in the lockplate when browning the outside. That seems to stop the acid from browning parts I want left " in the white". Then working on an odd shaped piece like the frizzen, I find that taping the parts I don't want browned works best. With flat pieces, you can keep the side you are browning " UP ". But when you have an " L " shaped piece like the frizzen, something is going to be up and something is going to be down. With the frizzen, I have also hung the thing from the pivot hole so that the browned surfaces were " down", and any drips stayed on the browned surfaces. I use Q-tips to spread the browning solution on these small parts, and I don't get many drips as a result.

 

[srottman]

Zonie, Thanks for the picture, you guys are all helpful and have answered my concerns many, many, thanks. :thumbsup:

 

[Birddog6]

I don't worry about what gets on the back of the plate, I just brush it off when I card with a Dixcel wheel. When finished browning, I take some 1000 grit paper & the browning cleans right off the back of the lockplate. I don't worry about the rust getting into the threaded holes. When you neutralize the plate & put the oil to it the holes will be OK.
As for the frizzen, I don't put the solution on the face of the frizzen, but usually a lil overrun occurs. When done browning I clean it off with a sander drum on a dremel.

:thumbsup:

 

[rich pierce]

Wax works well and won't run like oil. I use beeswax or the wax from a toilet seating wax ring, which has a gooier consistency.

 

[Charles D. Prokopp]

Zonie, if the face of the frizzen is browned, wouldn't firing just scrape the oxides right off after a few shots?

 

[Old40Rod]

Beeswax works like a champ to plug screw holes when browning. I use it to plug the barrel also when doing the barrel.

 

[Zonie]

Zonie, if the face of the frizzen is browned, wouldn't firing just scrape the oxides right off after a few shots?

Maybe yes, probably no.

The flint doesn't scrape the whole face of the frizzen and often the browning will darken the face in the areas that aren't scraped by the flint.

I like the idea of using a wax or even electrical tape if your using a cold process like LMFs.

If your using Birchwood Casey Plum Brown the heat could melt the wax and it certainly would ruin the tape.

If the lock that your working on is a new name brand lock like Chambers, Siler, L&R, Davis etc, the frizzen is made out of tool steel and it is thru hardened. On a part like that a little sanding will remove any browning that gets on the face.

On the other hand, if the lock is one of the older Spanish or Japanese locks that had a case hardened low carbon steel frizzen sanding on it could remove some of the thin layer of case hardened steel which would give the frizzen a very short life.

Oh, about the Birchwood Casey Plum Brown on a frizzen.
This stuff is made to be used on steel that has been heated to about 270 degrees F. Temperatures in that area will not soften the steel so it's quite safe to use this product on the frizzen.
If you get the part hot enough to start to draw the hardness out of it (370+ degrees F) the Plum Brown will flash off of the part and leave a ugly mess.