Lock Tuning

[Gren]

I just finished up removing nearly 1lb of wood from my French musket from Middlesex Village. I know there are those that hate, and those that get by with these muskets. I must say after cleaning up the wood, and taking off the 1957 chrome polish on the metal its begining to look nice.

The problem that I am at now is that I have never messed with tuning a lock at all. This one is much like a bear trap in the strength of the springs, and pretty clunky in operation.

I have also noticed that its smashing the edge on a couple of different flints I have tried.

Is there anyone I can send the lock to to have it tuned? or is there any instructional guides to learn how to do it?

Thanks,

 

[hbarrett]

Take a look at this forum there are several topics that address lock tuning.

 

[J.D.]

Flint bashing is often the result of a somewhat soft frizzen, though there can be other causes.

Can you cut the frizzen with a file?, Or at least scratch it? If so, it's too soft.

How about the frizzen spring? Is it pretty strong, or is it weak enough that the frizzen will bounce back and contact the flint?

Most lock tuning is little more than polishing the moving parts, however, issues of hardening and lock geometry can arise.

These issues are often not that difficult to deal with, but some issues can be a real bear to correct.

If you don't feel confident enough to do the work yourself, BoB Roller does excellent work, as does William Young. Wick Ellerby, who is a forum member also does excellent work.

Bob Roller can be found on the Yahoo long range muzzle loading group.

Unfortunately, I don't have direct contact info for any of those folks.

I have rebuilt a couple of locks for my personal guns, so in a pinch, I could do it. However, I don't have a lathe to turn the tumbler axles, nor can I make the necessary bushings, so I would suggest contacting those who have that capability.
J.D.