The reason that reenactors who use the Pedersoli bess for battle reenactments use a lead wrap, is that the musket works better with such. The lead should be imprinted with marks from the top and bottom jaws, and the hole in the back of the wrap is to allow the back of the flint to touch the jaw screw. Scroll down on the page from
Avalon Forge and you will find a good illustration of two types of lead. Leather has a tendency with the large musket locks to absorb too much of the impact.
Sometimes the geometry of the cock is off just a tiny bit, so you get less sparks, and destroy flints fast, as the edge of the flint "rebounds" so hits the frizzen at too square of an angle..., the frizzen moves just a bit so contact is lost, but it doesn't open, it then snaps backwards and hits the edge of the flint again, but the impact of the flint has been slowed by then, the frizzen opens, and you get a few sparks. If you see an obvious impact spot on the upper part of the frizzen, and then a second lesser impact line a bit further down..., the frizzen is rebounding. Often placing an extra sliver of lead just under the flint, at its base where it contacts the cock screw..., will push the angle the front edge of the flint downward, and correct this.
If the Pedersoli frizzen face is gouged with marks from the flint, but you are not getting enough sparks, then the frizzen is too soft. If it isn't gouged, then it may be too hard.
Pedersoli locks sometimes suffer from poor action. Often the spring is fine, but in some cases over tightening of the internal lock screws on the interior bridle (the part that covers the tumbler and the sear) will slow down the movement of the cock. Sometimes the inner surface of the lock plate, and the surface of the interior bridle are rough and slow up the movement of the tumbler and thus slow the movement of the cock. Also the frizzen spring screw, if it goes a fraction of an inch too deep into the lock plate, may protrude a teeny tiny amount on the inside of the lock, and rub or block the action of the mainspring. Finally, sometimes the frizzen screw has been overtightened, and causes the metal on either side of the frizzen pivot hole to pinch inward, slowing the frizzen action, and reducing sparks. All of the above, save for the frizzen hardening and retempering are easy fixes.
Don't be fooled by YouTube videos where they wrap a Pedersoli frizzen in leather, put in into a steel can that once held canned peaches, and dump this into a campfire, followed by a quench in a bucket of water. That doesn't add carbon, and at best is a crude retempering. :shocked2: If the problem is the frizzen hardness, have it worked on by somebody who knows how to do it by controlled heating at specific temperatures.
LD
