Frizzenx

[silverfox]

I know its been asked before. Where can I get new frizzens for brownbess type firearms. Or where or who can harden the frizzens. I have been asked to get about 8 firearms working and they all have soft frizzens and won't spark. I think new frizzens would be the best answer. I think they are India made so don't know if the frizzens can be hardened. Any help will be passed on to the proper personnal
Thanks Fox :thumbsup:

 

[Flint311]

This would be a guess, especially since they may be of Indian origin. But, Track of the Wolf, Dixie, and many other suppliers. Or, in a pinch, could they be re-soled with a piece of file, etc.? Not sure, but someone has had to do this before.........

 

[Ketchakah]

Hello,
It is pretty easy to do with Kasenit. track even has directions on how to do it. But it is pretty easy.
In a pinch send me an email, We will work something out.

 

[kanati]

Not sure if this is a viable option, but it seems these could be sent to a heat treater and carburized or carbonized. It's a process of injecting carbon into the surface and case hardening the part. We do it quite a bit with low carb steels. Kasenite does the same thing, but a heat treater can hold it to a specific rockwell and depth. Superior heat treat in Frazer Michigan is really good at it.

-Ron

 

[denster]

The easy fix would be to case harden the face of the frizzen with kasenite. A more permanent solution would be to get some O1 oil hardening steel a little wider than he frizzen and about .060 thick and braze a sole on the face of the frizzen.

 

[mckutzy]

for a bunch like this it would be a good idea to go to a heat treater, like what Kanati said, they'll do them all in one batch, probly take them less than a couple of hours to do.

 

[silverfox]

Thanks guys. As these will probably never see a charge other than powder they look like India guns to me. I will check with TOW. Then try to find a heat treater. Last resort resole and kasinite. These guns belong to the State of Tex Historical Group and will be used for salutes only. But they still have to fire most of the time.
Thanks Fox :thumbsup:

 

[Tumblernotch]

I haven't had the need to do it myself, but a poor man's way would be to use an acetylene torch set at a carburizing flame (heavy on acetylene and light on oxygen). Hold the flame on the frizzen, being careful not to get it so hot that it melts it. I'm not sure how long it will take, so you may want to experiment with a piece of scrap soft steel. This type of treatment slowly forces carbon into the steel. My Great Uncle did this years ago to harden bolts when he worked for the gas company. He said it worked very well.

 

[silverfox]

Sounds like a good idea. Thanks

 

[LRB]

The only long term solution is going to be a half-sole, or pack hardening in a crucible. IF, it is not high carbon. I would try to harden it first. Bright red-orange, quench in warmed canola oil. Check with file. If it doesn't harden, then repeat using water. If that doesn't harden it, then go with one of the first methods.

 

[Mathias]

Here is how i did when my frizzen no longer sparked: Made a airtight container from some pipe (i had accses to a lathe at the time) filled it whit leather scraps and the frizzen in the middle, then heated it untill itt was whitehot and then dunking it in water. Last i aneled the lower part so it would not break. This worked like a charm.
Regards
Mathias