Ignition Problems – No I idea what I am doing!!! Please help!

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I like the modification you did to your Pedersoli breech. I think it's probably the best thing to do to solve all ills, however you need to have someone who knows what they are doing.
Thank you for you kind words. It did help ignition greatly on that rifle and made cleaning easier. You really need a metal lathe with a four jaw chuck and some experience to make that modification.
I still wish I hadn’t sold it but I surely do love my Kibler Colonial in .54!
 
Wow. Lots of interesting conversation. I've got a forged metal needle attached to my flint napping hammer and pan brush on a ring. I always insert it into the flash hole after priming to make sure it is clear. I also keep the frizen closed while I load the charge and bullet. A little powder will always flow into the pan so that I know that the flash channel is clear. Bill
 
You brought up something, the touchhole is slightly below pan level. People talk about sunrise, I don't exactly know what that is. When I remove the touchhole screw, I clear it with a 1/16 bit, but assembled, you can't fit the bit in the hole because the pan is to high. Does this sound like a prob?

Let me know if you need a photo and I can post one tomorrow. Thanks!
Touch hole like this ... Straight across the top of the pan and centered ... best of luck !
 

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Touch hole like this ... Straight across the top of the pan and centered ... best of luck !
Thanks.

That's different, I thought it should be a "sunset"? I'm guessing it works well for you. This is becoming more confusing.

I could deepen and polish the pan if I am confident it would help. It's hard to put the steel back on! :)

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Thanks.

That's different, I thought it should be a "sunset"? I'm guessing it works well for you. This is becoming more confusing.

I could deepen and polish the pan if I am confident it would help. It's hard to put the steel back on! :)

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From here that looks okay. The way I was taught is to draw a straight line from top, rear corner of your pan to the top front corner of your pan. If the line intersects the hole, it’s good. I think Mike Belivue shows that in one of his videos.

That’s what Rob M. Is showing also.
 
From here that looks okay. The way I was taught is to draw a straight line from top, rear corner of your pan to the top front corner of your pan. If the line intersects the hole, it’s good. I think Mike Belivue shows that in one of his videos.

That’s what Rob M. Is showing also.
Ahh! Rob M has a much deeper pan! I'm guessing I should at least polish my pan. You think Maybe I should first grind off .030" or so?

No hurry, the entire NE is in a new ice age! :mad:
 
Thanks.

That's different, I thought it should be a "sunset"? I'm guessing it works well for you. This is becoming more confusing.

I could deepen and polish the pan if I am confident it would help. It's hard to put the steel back on! :)
The ideal position of the touchhole is the sunset position with the touchhole right on top of that line across the top of the pan. This is line with the most heat being on the top of the burning powder and that position keeps the touch hole where the most heat would be even if the pan is fully filled with powder. Knowing where the touch hole exits with respect to the top of the powder gibes a bit of leeway for the touch hole position. Just don't fill the pan to cover the touch hole. That's why there are so many recommendations for the pan to be half filled or banked away from the touch hole. That's also why deepening the pan is often recommended but not always needed.
 
The ideal position of the touchhole is the sunset position with the touchhole right on top of that line across the top of the pan. This is line with the most heat being on the top of the burning powder and that position keeps the touch hole where the most heat would be even if the pan is fully filled with powder. Knowing where the touch hole exits with respect to the top of the powder gibes a bit of leeway for the touch hole position. Just don't fill the pan to cover the touch hole. That's why there are so many recommendations for the pan to be half filled or banked away from the touch hole. That's also why deepening the pan is often recommended but not always needed.
So, you think my depth is ok? Or maybe deepen it a bit?
 
My trade gun pan is identical to yours and works just fine. My advice would be open the touch hole to .075. All of my rocklocks are at .075 on the touch hole. I prime with just enough powder to cover the bottom of the pan one granule deep.
 
For most of us the 1/16" (0.062") is perfectly adequate when using 3Fg powder for both main charge and pan powder. If the 1/16" touchhole is consistently giving delays, the a #51 number drill (0.700") should open the touchhole sufficiently. If that's not enough, then the 5/64" (0.781") drill can be used. 5/64" is the maximum diameter to use or you will start to loose powder through the touchhole.
 
As some of you may know, I recently bought my first flintlock. I do not know anyone who shoots one so I have no mentor. ....

I hope some of you will notice some obvious things I am doing wrong and set me straight. I need you guys to help turn this into lemonade!
Keep hanging around here. Lots of mentors. You'll be drinking lemonade soon. Hopefully fortified with a little vodka or rum!! :thumb:
 
Yeah ... For touch hole location ... A line across the top of your pan , as in pic ... and right in the middle . Funny ... A few time on here and a couple times in the field ... I saw their T.H. and it was " line across the top of pan " but wasnt centered ... Their ignition was still fast so no problem ... Ive had them just BARELY , and I mean barely ! , below the line and they fine but ....as in the pic , thats the optimum position . There's all kinds of way to fix them if the T.H. isn't in the correct position but I can't touch on them all here . A few times the T.H. was too low so the person took metal off the bottom of the pan where it touched the barrel . A lot of times its " plug the old T.H. and redrill it " ... Sometimes there's room and drill a guide hole then drill tap drill hole for a Touch hole liner ... That R.E. Davis lock sure does have a deep pan , I like it . For Carolina guns I use the L&R Queen Anne lock . Right where the pan touches the barrel the pan narrows and comes up . I grind that away , sides and bottom , 90 degrees . I like that much better , just my personal thing . ..a good quality lock and good TH. position and your going to have fast reliable ignition . VDO ... N.W. gun I made , Canoe gun length ....
 

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Thanks.

That's different, I thought it should be a "sunset"? I'm guessing it works well for you. This is becoming more confusing.

I could deepen and polish the pan if I am confident it would help. It's hard to put the steel back on! :)

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Yeah .... That one is in the " line across the top " and centered .... GOOD !
 
The s
Thanks.

That's different, I thought it should be a "sunset"? I'm guessing it works well for you. This is becoming more confusing.

I could deepen and polish the pan if I am confident it would help. It's hard to put the steel back on! :)

View attachment 384153
The screw slot should never be oriented like that. Mini cutting torch. I prefer vents that can be cut off and leave no slot.
 


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