Cleaning a lock ??

[Problem Child]

After a shooting session with a Flintlock,what/how do you guys clean the lock??

 

[David W.]

Ballistol and a rag. Rem oil on the moving parts.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

-I 1st remove flint & leather/lead,
-Remove lock from arm,
-Rinse with tepid/room temp water under faucet, internals side down
-Wash pan, frizzen, & jaws with old toothbrush
-Shake off/wip off well & store on angled block, top of lock as lowest point, or 'bake' in lowest oven temp for 20-30-mins
-Then wipe again and hit moving parts with Ballistol

I also make sure to back jaw threads in/out whilst rinsing and when lubing with Ballistol and wipe the striking portion of the frizzen fave with alcohol before firing to remove all traces of oil.

 

[ebiggs1]

Bingo! :thumbsup:

 

[Billnpatti]

The best and quickest way I have found is to buy a can of automobile break cleaner and spray it into your lock (after removing it from the gun, of course). Don't get the cleaner on your stock or it might damage the finish. After thoroughly flushing it with the cleaner, I use my compressor to blow out any remaining cleaner and then use Rem oil to lubricate the lock. If you don't have a compressor, just let it air dry for a few minutes and then lube it and you are ready top replace it in your stock.

 

[Dausener]

I remove lock from gun, take out flint and leather pad, put lock in warm soapy water while I clean the rest of the gun. Then take lock and scrub with an old tooth brush. Dry the lock thoughly. lightly oil the lock and all moving parts. Be careful to NOT oil the pan or frizzen. Install back in rifle or smoothbore.

 

[bchannell]

Please tell me if I'm doing something wrong. When I get done shooting, I run several patches down the bore with Hoppe's ML solvent, til it comes out clean, and I mean clean. Then I dry patch and oil the bore. Remove the lock, clean the residue off the outside of the rifle, and oil it. Clean the residue off the lock with Barricade or WD40, inside and out, then oil with Barricade, and put back on the gun. Am I looking for problems?

 

[tg]

I do much the same with the lock omnly clean with alcohol and lube with lightweight gun oil, some have found problems with a laquer buiding up with the use of WD40 but this may be from how it is used. I use it at times but rinse with alcohol, denatured or 91% rubbing type and have had no problems after many years, there are a lot of acceptable methods of barrel/lock cleaning, I do not suspect one is the best/only way to do it.I think a little goes a long ways when oiling a lock, any tight tolerance device with polished metal on metal can get gummed upwith to much lube.
I like Qtips, pipe cleaners, and old toothbrushes/camera brushes to use when cleaning locks.

 

[jsn]

I take the lock off an insect parts then clean the dirty areas and relube then a week later I recheck and if no rust or grime is visible then I put it back on.

Probably not the best way to clean but it works!

 

[mazo kid]

I remove lock from gun, take out flint and leather pad, put lock in warm soapy water while I clean the rest of the gun. Then take lock and scrub with an old tooth brush. Dry the lock thoroughly. lightly oil the lock and all moving parts. Be careful to NOT oil the pan or frizzen. Install back in rifle or smoothbore.

Sounds pretty much like what I do. Lots of times the warm water lets the lock dry off rapidly. If not, then after drying with a rag, I just put the lock in the sun until dry, then oil and re-install.

 

[Tom Compton]

Every now and then, I completely disassemble the lock and wash/wipe all parts using cleaning patch and water or Q tip and water. Special attention paid to threaded holes and other hiding places. Place all parts on a towel to dry - alcohol, hair dryer or air compressor are OK but air dry works.

Finish cleaning the rifle then a light coat of LPS 3 on all metal parts of the rifle including the bore and all of the lock parts. Reassemble.

Jus' me.

 

[cgg]

I have pretty much the same routine. Take lock off gun, and take flint, screw, top jaw and leather off lock. With BP solvent scrub lock, especially pan, frizzen and hammer, with a tooth brush. Wipe off and spray with Brake Cleaner and then blow off with compressor. Spray with Rem Oil, and grease where the frizzen contacts the frizzen spring.

I usually leave my lock off the gun for a couple days, check over everything for dirt or corrosion and then reassemble the gun for the next range session or hunt.

 

[Ken Cormier]

about the same except I dry with a old frying pan on the stove :2

 

[Old Salt]

I remove the main spring, the frizzen spring, the frizzen, the flint, the cock jaw screw and upper piece. I clean all the crud off the lock with a tooth brush and or Qtip. I might polish the top of the frizzen spring, the frizzen cam and the nose of the main spring that acts on the tumbler. I put a drop of oil on most of those parts when I reassemble the lock. I also double check the three screws that hold the bridle, sear and sear spring for correct tension.