Lock woes

[Dewey]

Try putting a piece of paper or thin cardboard over the top of the frizzen spring and snap the lock ...

Just to be clear, that's with the lock in the gun, of course.

 

[AZbpBurner]

If you have a candle, you have inletting black. Just hold the piece that you are fitting in the tip of a candle flame and it will deposit soot on the piece. Put the piece in the mortise and look for the soot marks. That's how it was done for all the years before someone came up with inventing inletting black or lipstick.

Actually, with a candle alone, you only have black soot. Mix that soot with tallow & beeswax patch lube or chapstick & you have inletting black.

I use a butane flame to deposit soot on a piece of sheet steel, then mix with the patch lube. I store the unused in a percussion cap tin.

When you make the mix, it's easier to use than soot alone and you don't have to worry about overheating parts with the candle flame.

 

[Dewey]

If you have a candle, you have inletting black. Just hold the piece that you are fitting in the tip of a candle flame and it will deposit soot on the piece. Put the piece in the mortise and look for the soot marks. That's how it was done for all the years before someone came up with inventing inletting black or lipstick.

Actually, with a candle alone, you only have black soot. Mix that soot with tallow & beeswax patch lube or chapstick & you have inletting black.


I use a butane flame to deposit soot on a piece of sheet steel, then mix with the patch lube. I store the unused in a percussion cap tin.

When you make the mix, it's easier to use than soot alone and you don't have to worry about overheating parts with the candle flame.

Good stuff, both of you - thanks !! :thumbsup:

 

[Billnpatti]

".....and you don't have to worry about overheating parts with the candle flame."

That's not a problem. Actually, I have no idea how long it would take to over heat a part with a candle flame or even if it is possible. At least not in the time it takes to deposit a good coat of soot with a candle flame.

 

[Pete G]

I had a lock that would do that when it was just sparked with no load in the rifle, but would never do it under firing conditions. Since it was not really a problem I just let it be. Eventually the lock wore in enough that it no longer occurred.
Incidentally, all locks rebound to some extent. Some of the late style English locks can be so snappy that they will actually break the flint off about 1/4" behind the leading edge after a couple of dozen shots. Some of the larger locks can cause the flint to loosen from the constant pounding. Seems that every lock can carry its own unique set of characteristics.

 

[Dewey]

Seems that every lock can carry its own unique set of characteristics.

That's the pleasure ... and the pain ... of flintlocks, I guess.

My Haddaway lock has always worked perfectly ... I was spoiled and didn't know it, LOL !!!

 

[nchawkeye]

Just saw this as I have been at the beach since the 4th...

I have a Small Siler on my .54 that does the same and has for years, it's no big deal as she goes off quickly...I don't worry about it...

 

[Rifleman1776]

My Haddaway lock

You have a Haddaway lock? :shocked2:

I am soooooo jealous!!!!! :bow:
:wink: Enjoy.

 

[AZbpBurner]

Just to toss in the 'dog' lock on my fusil. It needed the sear and tumbler hardened in order to simply allow the cock to travel fully forward.

It is now smooth and fast. The frizzen has over 300 strikes on it, and there are no perceptible scratches on it - unlike my commercial and also big name-maker locks that have frizzens that are all severely scuffed and scraped up, some after only just a few strikes.

I can't remember exactly when I actually replaced the flint, it just keeps on sparking. All my other locks need new flints about every other trip to the range.

 

[vulture]

I dealt with a similar problem on an L&R lock, the difference being that with the lock installed the frizzen would rebound back and "nap" the flint, was going through a lot of flints, but with the lock dismounted from the rifle it worked perfectly. I sent it back to L&R and they checked it out and could find nothing wrong, tuned it up a bit for me and sent it back, still the same problem, but once when I installed it back in the stock I left the mounting screw, it has only one, a bit looser, and what do you know, it worked perfectly. This is on a rifle I built myself, which means I inlet the lock mortise, so I went back and checked out the inletting, deepened it and cleaned it out a bit under the mainspring and found that the problem all along had been poor inletting on my part, lock works great today.