PowderMonkey
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I need to replace my flint on my Lyman GPR. How do you know what the proper distance from the frizzen your flint should be?
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Replacing a flint
- Thread starter PowderMonkey
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jamesthomas
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I put mine about a 1/16th of an inch away from the frizzen, making sure it strikes the frizzen in a glancing blow so the flint glides along the frizzen without putting a gouge in it. Some locks like the flint to be bevel up some like it bevel down.
Same here I just see daylight between the flint & frizzen.
PowderMonkey
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Thanks guys, yes i was wondering about the bevel. On the GPR what would be best?
Len Graves
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Are we talking about the gap between flint and frizzen with the cock at half cock or full cock?
PowderMonkey
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I'm guessing at half cock?
Yep, half cock is correct.
Powder Monkey, When you install a new flint make sure the leather in the jaws almost covers the flint and you will get longer life out of your flints.I believe most flints are damaged by frizzen rebound and the marks will show on the leather that holds the flint,just don't let it interfear with the sparkin action. Curt
Len Graves
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I agree Curt. I have a Tulle that will break a flint in half every time if I don't leave the leather ( or lead ) long over the top of the flint. This lock has a very mild frizzen spring and the frizzen will rebound onto the flint. It will leave a pretty good mark on the leather. With the leather left longer I get very good flint life and good sparks.
If I'm not mistaken, the angle on the flint should be about 60 degrees.
PowderMonkey said:
Wat others said about spacing at half cock. Bevel is what you get with design of lock and shape of flint. Ideal rarely happens, if it sparks is all that is important. And do try bevel up/down. Sparks and bang is what is important.
:thumbsup: many times as a flint gets worn I will flip it and wear it down some more.
PA16th
40 Cal.
I use a popsicle stick which is 1/16" thick as a guide to square up my flint to the frizzen.
Crooked flints can gouge your frizzen.
Not sure when a popsicle stick was invented but they might be historically correct. :grin:
Don
Crooked flints can gouge your frizzen.
Not sure when a popsicle stick was invented but they might be historically correct. :grin:
Don
PowderMonkey
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Curt, yes i'll have to try that. The reason i'm asking this question is because i changed the flint the other day and with a new one and i chipped it so i'm sure i had it wrong.
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I like to place the new flint in the cock loosely and pull the trigger and cycle it through the firing sequence by hand. This will show you how close it should be to the frizzen, where it first makes contact and where it ends up. It will also tell you to put the bevel up or down.
After some experience you will be able to tell just by looking at it. Mike D.
After some experience you will be able to tell just by looking at it. Mike D.
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I'd bet your fizzen needs some spring bend adjustment on the tail and or the cock needs to be bent a bit forward. This will entail annealing, re-shaping and re-heat treating of both parts. I found this out when making a new frizzen spring for a flint match pistol.
If it needs a leather shock buffer to stop breaking flints something is wrong some where.
Heck if a Brown and Bess , which has a frizzen spring like a cross bow limb can work without breaking flint so should anything else, no?
If it needs a leather shock buffer to stop breaking flints something is wrong some where.
Heck if a Brown and Bess , which has a frizzen spring like a cross bow limb can work without breaking flint so should anything else, no?
I have a large Siler lock that seems to prefer the bevel down. I believe that's because it causes the flint to strike higher up on the frizzen (depending on the size and shape of the flint), and from my experience, higher is usually better.
I just don't think it looks as nice in the lock, but I'm trying to get over that bit of prejudice...or maybe OCD. :haha: If it works better, so be it.
I just don't think it looks as nice in the lock, but I'm trying to get over that bit of prejudice...or maybe OCD. :haha: If it works better, so be it.
Billnpatti
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I don't know why I have never thought of using a popsicle stick for setting my flint. You are right, it will set the flint at the correct distance from the frizzeen and square it with the face of the frizzen. I think that is one dandy idea. :thumbsup:
As for being historically correct, I know for a fact that they had and worked with wood and there is absolutely no reason why someone could not have made a nice flat stick for setting their flint. Yep, I'd call it H/C.
As for being historically correct, I know for a fact that they had and worked with wood and there is absolutely no reason why someone could not have made a nice flat stick for setting their flint. Yep, I'd call it H/C.
PowderMonkey
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I guess i will have to go by the candy aisle netx time i'm at the store 
Hey douglasd,
Don't worry about how it looks at either bevel up or bevel down. What you really want to do to make sure you get good sparks is adjust your flint forward or backward, bevel up or bevel down until you get the flint to strike the frizzen at a 55° to 60° angle. That will slice at your frizzen and give you massive amounts of sparks as well as be self knapping at the same time. If you make the flint strike at less of an angle than that, you will find it crushes the edge of your flint and stops sparking prematurely. Conversely if you have it strike at much more of an angle, it will smack the top of the flint against the frizzen instead of slicing it and will break big chunks off your flint. It's that Goldilocks Effect...not too little, not too much...just right!
Don't expect to have your flint hit the top of your frizzen when you have it set correctly. If it does hit the top of the frizzen, it will hit at too abrupt of an angle and will crush the edge of your flints quickly.
Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup:
Don't worry about how it looks at either bevel up or bevel down. What you really want to do to make sure you get good sparks is adjust your flint forward or backward, bevel up or bevel down until you get the flint to strike the frizzen at a 55° to 60° angle. That will slice at your frizzen and give you massive amounts of sparks as well as be self knapping at the same time. If you make the flint strike at less of an angle than that, you will find it crushes the edge of your flint and stops sparking prematurely. Conversely if you have it strike at much more of an angle, it will smack the top of the flint against the frizzen instead of slicing it and will break big chunks off your flint. It's that Goldilocks Effect...not too little, not too much...just right!
Don't expect to have your flint hit the top of your frizzen when you have it set correctly. If it does hit the top of the frizzen, it will hit at too abrupt of an angle and will crush the edge of your flints quickly.
Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup:
