Pedersoli 1816 ?

[10 gauge]

I just picked up a brand new unfired Pedersoli 1816 Harpers Ferry 69 Cal Musket. I did not plan on buying one but a guy walked up to me at the gunshow today and asked if I would give him $300 for it. Sounds good to me I said and bought it off him. My question is will the LEE 69 cal mould be a good fit for it or do I need to buy the more expensive Lyman mould?

 

[Tkendrick]

Mine won't take a .690 ball, even without a patch. You will probably want to go with the Lyman.

 

[Tkendrick]

Also, if plan on shooting it more than twice, you might as well get the frizzen hardened while your at it.

 

[10 gauge]

Where did you send your frizzen to have it hardend and what rockwell hardness should I request?

 

[10 gauge]

Your right, my bore measures out at 685 so I will need a Lyman 662 mould.

 

[Tkendrick]

I took my frizzen to a local gunsmith and had "dose it to the max with Casenite".

That was three years ago, I don't have any idea how many times its been shot since then, granted maybe not a lot compared to others, but its been shot a lot.

So far its working fine.

 

[10 gauge]

I tried to look up your local gunsmith in Wittmann AZ and theres no listings. So where is this smith hiding? :hmm:

 

[Many Klatch]

You can harden your frizzen yourself. You need to buy a can of Kasenite first. Find a friendly welder with an acetylene torch. Grab a vise grip and hold onto the part of the frizzen where the bolt goes through. This will act as your heat sink and keep that part of the frizzen softer. Hold the frizzen so the part that the flint hits is flat and facing up. Heat up the frizzen to cherry red hot. Do not heat it to straw color that is the next hotter color and is too hot. Sprinkle the Kasenite on the frizzen and let it bubble. When it stops bubbling scrape it off and do it again. Do this for 15 minutes. When the time is up drop it into a bucket of water. After it cools take it home and put in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour to anneal the frizzen so it doesn't shatter when you use it.

You will notice that these instructions are not what is on the can. We are trying to get a deeper carbon soaking than the instructions will accomplish. Don't try to do this with a propane or MAP gas torch, it won't work, believe me I have tried. This works well, I recently had to reharden my Pedersoli Bess frizzen. My Bess is older and has been shot alot. I could tell the minute that I wore through the hardening. One shot I was getting reliable sparks and the next shot I was getting many klatches.

Many Klatch

 

[10 gauge]

Thank you very much for that detailed info. I own my own gas axe unit so this will be no problem.

 

[Tkendrick]

They were on 51st and Olive in Glendale, next to Randalls. He's not there any more. I think you could find any good gunsmith to do it.

 

[10 gauge]

I remember them they were called "AA gunsmith shop". Your right their long gone.

 

[kb466]

Don't try to do this with a propane or MAP gas torch, it won't work, believe me I have tried.

Many Klatch

Why not a MAPP gas torch? It seemed to work for me getting the frizzen to the right color and temperature.

 

[Leatherbark]

Some MAPP torches will burn hotter for some reason. Mapp will do it if the torch is up to it.

I had an old Craftsman Mapp torch that would really heat a frizzen almost as good as acetylene.........But I wore out the aluminum threads. I recently bought a wal mart special Bernzomatic and although it worked it took a long time to get the frizzen just right before dunking...........Acetylene/oxygen is the way to go if you have access to it. One could try a BBQ and Charcoal briquets..................Bob

 

[gjkershul]

An old Hibachi with charcoal hooked up to the exhaust of a shop vac-put some pipe on the plastic end of ths shop vac hose- makes a fair ersatz forge for heating parts for the Kasnit treatment and heating scrap lead to make ingots.