Frizzen Face Texture

[Crow Choker]

Getting close to finishing my first flint lock kit build, an old CVA 45 Kentucky pistol I bought way way back in the late 70's. Be my first go around with shooting a flint firearm. Question is what should be the surface texture on the frizzen. Figure it should have some roughness. The face on the CVA frizzen is sort of semi-smooth with a few vertical lines in it. Should it be roughed up more with vertical lines or would horizontal lines give a better spark. Horizontal lines I'm thinking would wear the flint more. In roughing it, what is the best way to go at it and what to use. Appreciate any input.

 

[SDSmlf]

Horizontal lines I'm thinking would wear the flint more. In roughing it, what is the best way to go at it and what to use. Appreciate any input.

Shoot it as is. Overthinking things.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Smooth, no file or sanding marks. Not polished. It will get all the lines it needs by firing.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Note the finish were the flint hasn’t scratched the steel.
34F9A08A-C69A-406C-92D2-8668D4226CC7 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

 

[Crow Choker]

Thank ya Phil for the pic, that's similar to what the frizzen on my CVA looks like now with a few less lines. I have a Kibler SMR (still in box to finish) and checked the frizzen looks pretty similar. Once a shooter has taken alot of shots (no idea how many) do ya have to smooth the frizzen up some with sandpaper?

 

[Phil Coffins]

On a fine lock like the Kibler I wouldn’t expect to do anything to the frizzen for a couple of generations. A lesser lock that may come much sooner.

 

[Cruzatte]

Thank ya Phil for the pic, that's similar to what the frizzen on my CVA looks like now with a few less lines. I have a Kibler SMR (still in box to finish) and checked the frizzen looks pretty similar. Once a shooter has taken alot of shots (no idea how many) do ya have to smooth the frizzen up some with sandpaper?

No. Leave the frizzen be. It's fine.

 

[Crow Choker]

Longtime percussion rifle and revolver shooter since early 70's but just getting into flint locks.

 

[M. De Land]

Note the finish were the flint hasn’t scratched the steel.
34F9A08A-C69A-406C-92D2-8668D4226CC7 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

See the skip at the top, that is a frizzen bounce ! What one wants is an even scrape pattern down the entire frizzen face so that gullies are not carved in to shorten flint life.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Getting close to finishing my first flint lock kit build, an old CVA 45 Kentucky pistol I bought way way back in the late 70's. Be my first go around with shooting a flint firearm. Question is what should be the surface texture on the frizzen. Figure it should have some roughness. The face on the CVA frizzen is sort of semi-smooth with a few vertical lines in it. Should it be roughed up more with vertical lines or would horizontal lines give a better spark. Horizontal lines I'm thinking would wear the flint more. In roughing it, what is the best way to go at it and what to use. Appreciate any input.

See the skip at the top, that is a frizzen bounce ! What one wants is an even scrape pattern down the entire frizzen face so that gullies are not carved in to shorten flint life.

I will buy the frizzen bounce, but what is causing bounce? That is a new frizzen term to this old fart. When my frizzens get choppy, grooved or shoddy I grind them back smooth like Phil said. Most work well, but some are better than others. So, what causes frizzen bounce?
Larry

 

[Grenadier1758]

It's the geometry of the lock. If the geometry is off, the flint bashes the frizzen, causing those gouges. A lock with best geometry will scrape the frizzen sending small particles of steel into the pan. Grinding or smoothing the frizzen face is removing some of that steel that could become those red hot sparks needed to ignite the pan powder.

 

[M. De Land]

I will buy the frizzen bounce, but what is causing bounce? That is a new frizzen term to this old fart. When my frizzens get choppy, grooved or shoddy I grind them back smooth like Phil said. Most work well, but some are better than others. So, what causes frizzen bounce?
Larry

In my opinion there are several causes for frizzen bounce.
1. I think the most pronounced cause is to straight of a strike angle.
2 The frizzen spring it not balanced well to the main or **** spring.
3. I think to long of a flint will encourage it as well.

 

[Crow Choker]

Well glad I posted the original question, have learned about the flint to frizzen relationship and Mx before even taking my first shot.

 

[Phil Coffins]

The frizzen photo is a Kibler CNC made lock with the flint that Kibler installed in it.

 

[M. De Land]

The frizzen photo is a Kibler CNC made lock with the flint that Kibler installed in it.

Be that as it may if it were mine I'd give the **** angle a couple more degrees forward tilt by heating and bending it . Another idea I have not tried but bet it would work is to make some tapered **** jaws which should accomplish the same goal of tilting forward down angle a bit more. The initial strike contact is pretty high on the frizzen face shown.
I had to do this on a Yazel match pistol to get it sparking right.
Keep in mind they are always going to wear faster at the strike point but a good, well tuned lock won't have bounce skips in it down the frizzen face.

 

[French Colonial]

Be that as it may if it were mine I'd give the **** angle a couple more degrees forward tilt by heating and bending it . Another idea I have not tried but bet it would work is to make some tapered **** jaws which should accomplish the same goal of tilting forward down angle a bit more. The initial strike contact is pretty high on the frizzen face shown.
I had to do this on a Yazel match pistol to get it sparking right.
Keep in mind they are always going to wear faster at the strike point but a good, well tuned lock won't have bounce skips in it down the frizzen face.

It is easier to adjust the flint angle than to make changes to the ****.

 

[M. De Land]

It is easier to adjust the flint angle than to make changes to the ****.

True but flint ignition is about consistency and adjusting the **** jaw angle will produce better strike angle consistency then will arbitrary flint angle adjustment each time in the jaws.

 

[French Colonial]

True but flint ignition is about consistency and adjusting the **** jaw angle will produce better strike angle consistency then will arbitrary flint angle adjustment each time in the jaws.

Your assuming the **** jaw angle is incorrect in the first place, on a Kibler or Chambers or many other quality locks that is just not so.

 

[M. De Land]

Your assuming the **** jaw angle is incorrect in the first place, on a Kibler or Chambers or many other quality locks that is just not so.

Well the picture reveals a very high strike contact and a skip which is the reason for the assumption. This with the factory flint length. One mans opinion.

 

[M. De Land]

Well the picture reveals a very high strike contact and a skip which is the reason for the assumption. This with the factory flint length. One mans opinon.

Here is a picture of the Chambers Deluxe lock I have on my SMR using my home knapped serrated edge flints that spark like sixty with very light but consistent, no bounce contact as it moves down frizzen. The rifle has about 150 shots through it I would guess and is barely broken in.
Note the strike contact is roughly a third way down frizzen and contact is unbroken down the face as the serrated edge changes it's contact line across the frizzen face. This contact change across the face makes both the firzzen and flint last longer and discourages gully cutting.