I've just about finished building my first ever flintlock rifle. I used Plum Brown to finish the metal components. I haven't browned the lock frizzen yet; although I don't think it will, I am concerned that heating the frizzen for the Plum Brown might affect its temper. Am I correct in thinking this, or should I use a cold brown to finish the frizzen?
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Browning the Frizzen
- Thread starter 2thdoc
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Hmmmm? The frizzen steel might be too hard to brown, might be to hard to rust brown properly also.
I have one polished in the white and it looks good.
I have one polished in the white and it looks good.
You only need to get it hot enough to fry spit(220 degrees)
for a short time. This won't effect the temper. I've used the plum brown on several frizzens and it browned them just fine. No reasion to do the face (flint contact area )just the rest.
for a short time. This won't effect the temper. I've used the plum brown on several frizzens and it browned them just fine. No reasion to do the face (flint contact area )just the rest.
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They rust brown just fine as well as brother Taylor always browns all parts in the box along with the barrel. The flint quickly cuts through the brown that happens slightly. He doesn't apply solution to the face.
Daryl
Daryl
TwoShadows
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2thdoc.....fire that riflegun about 20 times and then decide if ya wanna brown it or not. I betcha ya cant tell iffn it is browned or not.
If you want to use the Plum Brown, set your wifes oven to 260-300 degrees F and let it warm up.
Put your frizzen on a cookie sheet and place it in the oven for 10-20 minutes. Take it out of the oven, rapidly go outside and apply the solution. Zap! It's brown.
300 degrees will not effect the hardness in a way that would hurt the function of the frizzen.
If the frizzen was not heat treated properly by the maker, and is too hard, 300 degrees F will toughen or temper it and help prevent cracks at the screw hole and at the base where the vertical leg meets the pan cover portion. Repeated heating to the 300 degrees F temperature will have no effect on it.
Don't heat it with a torch because you have little or no control of how hot it really is getting and you may heat it up into the 400+ degree F temperature range where it will start to effect the functional hardness of the steel.
Put your frizzen on a cookie sheet and place it in the oven for 10-20 minutes. Take it out of the oven, rapidly go outside and apply the solution. Zap! It's brown.
300 degrees will not effect the hardness in a way that would hurt the function of the frizzen.
If the frizzen was not heat treated properly by the maker, and is too hard, 300 degrees F will toughen or temper it and help prevent cracks at the screw hole and at the base where the vertical leg meets the pan cover portion. Repeated heating to the 300 degrees F temperature will have no effect on it.
Don't heat it with a torch because you have little or no control of how hot it really is getting and you may heat it up into the 400+ degree F temperature range where it will start to effect the functional hardness of the steel.
Appreciate all the replies. Got it browned over the weekend. Used a torch to carefully heat the frizzen. Still sparks good (it's a Chamber's large Siler). Shot it several times yesterday; decided the pull was too long. when I initially installed the buttplate, I sawed the butt off to where I thought it looked about the right length. Through out the assembly process I was concerned that the pull might be too long based upon how it felt when I shouldered the rifle. Yesterday confirmed that it was, so as much as I really didn't want to, I sawed about an inch off the butt and am re-inletting the buttplate, toeplate etc. Fun.
