removing frizzen spring

[kansas_volunteer]

What is the proper way to remove a frizzen spring fron a rock lock. The Rifle Shoppe offers a somewhat expensive frizzen spring compressor, but other than that I can't find anything similar in any of my catalogs. Likewise, in the rifle building books I have I find no mention of a way of removing a frizzen spring -- and reinstalling it. Are Vise Grips the answer? There are available mainspring compressors, why not ones for the frizzen spring?

 

[mloader40]

I always use my main spring compressor it works great. Do not use Visegrips. Compress the spring as little as possible.
Good luck and great shooting.
BPWRL

 

[Roy]

I open the frizzen to the point where it compresses the frizzen spring the most and then use a small parallel clamp to hold the spring in that position. Fully open the frizzen and you will be able to then loosen the spring screw and remove the spring. :thumbsup: I'm not a big fan of visegrips, the are big and tend to leave marks :haha:

 

[ky_man]

Before I purchased the proper tool, I used a small c-clamp; the contact surfaces were padded with a couple pieces of stick-on moleskin. Worked like a charm.

 

[J.D.]

Buying those fancy spring cramps for frizzen springs is a waste of time and money.

All you need is a ordinary screw driver long enough to slip under the pan and over the top of the spring. Lever the spring enough to remove tension from the frizzen, remove the frizzen, release tension on the spring and remove the spring screw.

Reverse the process to reinstall the spring and frizzen.

 

[Vaino]

A screwdriver won't work on Chambers locks because the frizzen spring is wider than the opening between the pan bridle and plate. I put masking tape on the frizzen spring so a very small Visegrips won't slide down the spring and score it. A little care is needed so that the spring isn't overcompressed. My main spring vise won't work on frizzen springs......Fred

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

This is a case where having the proper tools is a very good idea. I've got a fairly large spring clamp and a couple of smaller ones. They don't mar the springs and I have never broken one either.

 

[paulvallandigham]

YOu can use vise grips instead of parallel clamps, but you have to use them the same. Otherwise, the vise grip may score, or scratch a line at right angles to the length of the spring arms, and that will make a weak spot where the spring will eventually break. When, I can't say, but left alone, without being polished out, it will weaken the spring, and eventually be the site where it breaks.

As with parallel clamps, you compress the frizzen spring by closing the frizzen on the pan. Turn the adjustment knob on the vise grips so that it is snug agains the two arms of the V-spring. Then release the spring tension by opening the frizzen. The spring is held at the bottom by a screw, and at the bottom of the V, by a tab or pin that fits into a hole in the lock plate. The spring is tipped toward you to remove it, with the bottom coming out first. It goes back the same way. If you leave the spring in the vise grips you do no damage to it. You can tape the jaws of the vise grips to give the metal even more protection, but I have not found it necessary, UNLESS I am removing and replacing the vise grips back on the spring after using the Vise grips to do some other chore.

I have used my main spring vise to remove most frizzen springs. I have found a few that did not have enough clearance between the upper spring arm and and the bridle for the spring vice to fit in between them so that I can lock the frizzen spring. That is when I have resorted to Vise Grips.

Once I figured out to use the advantages of the vise grips( ie. substitute parallel clamp) and avoid its disadvantages, I have no problem. I still have not found small enough parallel clamps to use for these small parts. The ones my father had, and used, were made of stell with even sharper and harder edges to them than my vise grips! I had to watch very closely how those clamps were applied to avoid scrathing my frizzen springs. Tape would help, but the parallel clamps don't have any " teeth " in the jaws to help hold onto anything. They work fine on parallel surfaces, but not so well on angled ones. That is why the mainsrping vise has one jaw that tilts in a slot, so that non-parallel surfaces can be clamped tight.

 

[Roy]

been working for me all this time, just need to know where to look[url] http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI...hopmainPcircularid=9086Ppagenumber=1088Pmode=[/url]
:v

 

[LRB]

I'm with JD on this. What he said works often, when it doesn't, I just use semi-smooth pliers to compress it while I remove the screw. The area of grip is not a critical zone as far as fine scratches, and will not cause problems when done with common sense and care.

 

[Birddog6]

This is what I use. You just squeeze the lever & it compresses the spring slightly & you take the screw out. Have one for L&R and one for Silers.
I think I bought these from Dave Motto while at Friendship years ago. Pretty simple & they work ! so even I can use them !!
:thumbsup:

 

[Roy]

cool :thumbsup:

 

[kansas_volunteer]

Thanks all for the great tips. I just stumbled onto a way to rermove a frizzen spring here:
[url] http://www.midiowa.com/hootalrifleshop/Tips And Aids.htm[/url]

scroll down

 

[George Holton]

A dedicated pair of common slip joint pliers with copper soldered to the jaws to prevent matks ,has always worked for me and cheap too.

 

[bob1961]

before i bought my spring vise i used the open end of a combo wrench that fit the width of the compressed frizzen spring and just used masking tape in the wrench in make it nonslip....compressed the frizzen spring and slipped the wrench on and closed the frizzen and removed the screw and the spring stays in the wrench till i needed to put it back on, i think the wrench size was 3/8" or 5/16" :v ...............bob

 

Here's what the correct tool looks like , in case anyone wants to build one

I'm frugal though. I compress the spring with the frizzen, then find an open end wrench that just fits over it. I then release the pressure, and remove the spring leaving it compressed by the wrench, until I put it back on the lock. Remember with spring clamps, you first compress the spring with the cock, or frizzen, and then attach the clamp, and tighten only up snug on the spring. Trying to compress the spring with the clamp can damage the clamp, spring, or both.

Bill

I started with nothing, and still have most of it left!

 

[bob1961]

i like that bill, good thinking :thumbsup: :v ..............bob

 

[WRussell]

As really old Bob mentioned, copper is good for "safe" jaws. Vice-grip type pliers are made in a variety of sizes, too. Copper jaws on a pair of vice grips (just sheet, hammered over the jaws) work well for lots of things, including spring clamps.

That said, what I've found is that the spring I'm working on is always just a little different so none of my tools works well. It's best to put the clamp close to where the spring normally gets loaded, and that's the tough part.

The only good answer is to keep on making tools until you have all the bases covered. I'm not there yet...