Flintlock tuning

[MJMarkey]

I'd still like to know is there a book that tells how to take apart and put together and tune a flintlock's lock ?

Frank, In the Book "the Gunsmith of Grenville County" which has been out of print But has been re-released by Scurlock Publishing. (and Updated) The original book has a section on locks which explains it all, to the point that you likely won't want to get into. But good information.

 

[MJMarkey]

I posted here that I ordered a few flints from TOTW on the 27th, got them today 30th, thats durn fast i think.. Just want to say ,real good service and advise from them..
keep on keepin on... Fox.45 :applause:

TOW is a very good company. I do a lot of business with them, both buying parts and supplies and selling the rifles I build. They pretty much have everything you'll ever need.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I have a 1978 article that gives detailed info on the angles, and relationships of the various parts to each other. If you send me you address, and a dollar to cover my costs, I will send you a copy.

To understand how to maximized the life of a flint, you need to understand the "Hertzian Cone", as it described by D.C. Waldorf in his book, "The Art of Flintknapping".

The rest of "tuning" is polishing and oiling parts that rub against each other to reduce friction( Or eliminate it!) and speed up the movement( timing) of the lock. The faster the lock moves, the less time you have between the moment you pull the trigger enough to release the sear, and when the ball exits the muzzle :hmm: :hmm: :hmm:

 

[petew]

I am a rookie I guess when it comes to tuning, but 1 thing I seem to find is many use the term out of context and seem to feel it is an absolute necesity with every lock.
Along with this comes the mystery factor, like there is a great dificulty involved and it takes a watchmaker to have a good shooting flinter.
Thru trial and error I have come to the conclusion that often nothing needs to be done other than a good cleaning, and lubricating.
Far to often there is nothing wrong at all.
In some cases we see where a part is showing a burr that could be removed, or you will see where a part is chafing the plate etc. Pretty simple to diagnose and fix up. Relieve the burr and away you go.None of this changes much in the way of timing and geometry, like the term "Tuning" sugests. When we have steel against steel moving with lubrication the more we use it the more the pieces polish into eachother.
If the gun sparks well, and consistantly, why fix what is not broken just to say you "Tuned the lock".
Good flints and 4F in the pan has shown the most improvements for me.
I had a Lyman frizzen that was not going to deliver sparks , and they replaced it . A hardness test in the first place would have been a much simpler way to determine what was wrong.
Pete

 

[matt denison]

" I have come to the conclusion that often nothing needs to be done other than a good cleaning, and lubricating.
Far to often there is nothing wrong at all."

Amen.

Many of the locks sent to me only need a little TLC and attention. Seldom do I bend anything on USA made locks. Seldomer yet is rehardening the frizzen. Most problems can be traced back to neglect, weak springs, operater ignorance (don't be so cheap and replace the danged flint!)

If you think that your lock isn't sparking well don't jump to the conclusion that your frizzen is soft. Check the simple stuff first. Sharp flint? -oh and just because it is new doesn't mean that it is a good flint. Is the flint tight in the jaw? Is the cock tight with no slop? Is the hammer being slowed down by rubbing on the lock plate? or hitting the wood behind the cock? (this is often overlooked but is prevelant) Have you oiled the internal parts recently? Are your lock bolts so tight that it is sucking the lock into the wood inside the mortise? Do you have the rear lock bolt protruding too far through the lock plate and hitting the back side of the cock, slowing it down?

These are just a few of the things I have encountered in my career that were causing poor sparks in an otherwise healthy lock.