Frizzen springs

[detent]

Frizzen springs are just as important as your main spring, yes the lock might. spark without one but these dull sparks will only dimly light the country side.What we really want is lots of white hot sparks in the pan.
So how do we test the spring ?,Well first you need to know how to set the flint, Set the lock at halt cock and close the frizzen take a good but blunt flint and set between the jaws with lead or leather packing the flint should be flat side up !thats why the top jaw is bigger than the bottom or should be, now the flint should be near the top of the frizen and not quite touching it, now hold the frizzen and lower the cock so flint touches the frizzen the flint should be pionting down slightly Not at right angles now let go of the cock and gently let go of the frizzen the flint should slide a small why down and stop (if it slides all the way down then the spring needs to be stronger)assuming it didnot then push on the cock until the flint is almost to the bottom of the frizzen at which point it should flick out of the way, if it doesn't then some adjustment is needed between spring and frizzen contact area,so spark can enter the pan and not be deflected.PLEASE WARE SAFETY SPECKS as small bits will proberly come of the flint.

 

[Vaino]

Read somewhere that the main purpose of the frizzen spring is to hold the frizzen down. So...on my squirrel LR w/ an early made Siler lock, I ground the spring down to where the frizzen didn't rebound but the spring exerted a lot less force. Worked like a champ....Fred

 

[detent]

Well if it works dont fix it. But I would examine the lock plate where the hammer Brest stops if you have not got enough resistance then steel hitting steel something has to give ,cock will break at step or plate will bevel pushing cock over to one side braking tumbler at square. In England we do not have any of the modern guns that are mainly used in u.s.a.and we defiantly cannot hunt with a muzzle loader.

 

[Len Graves]

The following is my opinion on frizzen springs. With a well designed lock it should spark with out any frizzen spring. the spring is there(as someone has just said) to hold the pan closed while in half cock. Also to keep the frizzen from bouncing too much after the shot, and also hold the frizzen open. If the frizzen bounces too much it can come back and break your flint by hitting on top of it while the cock is completely down. You cannot completely keep the frizzen from bouncing on the spring but with a well tuned spring you can keep this to a minimum. I have a Tvlle lock that used to eat flints till I made the spring a little heavier. I also leave a little a little leather sticking out past the top jaw to let the frizzen hit as a pad for the flint. Others may disagree, however this works for me.