Thoughts on my Frizzen?

[FlinterNick]

Hi everyone,
I’m hoping for some expert advice. As a lefty flintlocks are awfully hard to find. I recently acquired a lefty DGW Tennessee rifle which I’ve fallen head over heels for. I’m worried about the wear on the Frizzen. Since replacement parts are effectively non-existent I thought I’d ask for some advice. What can I do to prolong the life of the Frizzen and or are there any locks that can be used to replace it should it finally wear out?View attachment 290580View attachment 290581

I would either reface the frizzen or fit a cast 1095 frizzen.

There are plenty of replacment frizzens of this style that can be fit to that lock.

Resoled frizzens can be riveted, or soldered on or brazed on or TIG welded on.

 

[Compressorguy]

 

[kyron4]

View attachment 291265View attachment 291266View attachment 291267View attachment 291268View attachment 291269

Thank you !!

 

[54ball]

Ever time it gets sanded a bit of metal is removed for appearance. That tiny bit of metal would have been another spark. Don’t fix what isn’t broke.

One thing to consider is roughness of the frizzen face.
Frizzen will show chatter marks and gouges over time. Eventually these gouges can become so rough that the flint is not able get a good scrape. Also a rough frizzen can break flints decreasing flint life and sparks.
Add to this also when the flint breaks there can be jagged points that can create even more rough spots on a frizzen face.

It does not hurt to smooth a frizzen from time to time especially if the chatter marks and gouges will catch a fingernail.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

No worries ... I found a replacement LH frizzen for @Fieldgradevt ...

Free to a good home too ... just one Lefty helping out another Lefty ...

 

[BackDraft]

My old gunsmith buddy, Ron Griffie, used to keep a fender from a 40s era car to make frizzen faces with. He claimed the old steel was better than new steel.

Probably why China is pillaging WWII gravesite ship wrecks.
https://www.militarytimes.com/off-d...e-ship-accused-of-looting-iconic-wwii-wrecks/

 

[LRB]

I do not believe car fenders from any time frame would have been made of high carbon steel.

 

[LRB]

I do not believe any car fender from any time period was made from high carbon steel. It would make no sense.

Probably why China is pillaging WWII gravesite ship wrecks.
https://www.militarytimes.com/off-d...e-ship-accused-of-looting-iconic-wwii-wrecks/

 

[FlinterNick]

Probably why China is pillaging WWII gravesite ship wrecks.
https://www.militarytimes.com/off-d...e-ship-accused-of-looting-iconic-wwii-wrecks/

We have better steel today, its a matter of cost and availability when a manufacture determines what grade to use.

Indian gun makers use recycled steel from ships, bridges, rail cars etc to forge and cast their parts, which is one reason why their products are inferior in quality.

 

[Horizontal Hunter]

Probably why China is pillaging WWII gravesite ship wrecks.
https://www.militarytimes.com/off-d...e-ship-accused-of-looting-iconic-wwii-wrecks/

They are being raided for their “low-background metal” as it was never exposed to the radioactive fallout and has no traces of radio nuclides.

https://edconway.substack.com/p/the-eerie-story-of-low-background

Thanks to @Compressorguy for the education. It was interesting to a newbie like me.

Bob

 

[reddogge]

Well, maybe he used another part from a 40s era car, IDK. It's been 40 years since I saw him do this and he resoled my lock.

 

[FlinterNick]

Well, maybe he used another part from a 40s era car, IDK. It's been 40 years since I saw him do this and he resoled my lock.

Probably a leaf spring, they’re 5160 steel or another type spring steel with manganese.

for exterior parts on an old car, I’d imagine they were made from mild steel so they could be bent rather easily like raw iron.

 

[waksupi]

I question, why does the frizzen show such an angle of strike on the top of the frizzen?

 

[Compressorguy]

Resoling worked particularly well in my case. From NO sparks to this! The rivets BTW were made from coat hanger wire, lol. Not alot of rocket science involved, just much better high carbon steel and a good sharp flint.

Result

 

[leakytire]

that's a really nice video to see how the frizzen rebounds a little and the frizzen spring moving and the pan filling with sparks; really cool

 

[Compressorguy]

I like this photo, hard to catch the beginning of the sparks being thrown but neat to see. Good amount of slivers being shaved off and heading straight for the center of the pan!

 

[kyron4]

I like this photo, hard to catch the beginning of the sparks being thrown but neat to see. Good amount of slivers being shaved off and heading straight for the center of the pan!

View attachment 293209

Are reciprocating saw blades a good option for reshoeing a frizzen ?

 

[Compressorguy]

Are reciprocating saw blades a good option for reshoeing a frizzen ?

I’ve ready many post in the forum that they make good resole material due to their high carbon content and already thin nature. Up to .030” seems to be the preferred thickness but I’ve read many people have used thin bandsaw blades, pallet strap bands and old files, etc, etc. I dont believe the rivet method would work very well with thin material and they should be brazed, soldered or epoxied on since not much thickness for the rivet to grab. I personally used .060” thick 1095 high carbon steel stock purchased off Amazon and ground it down until thinner. There are many different lengths, widths and thickness available for cheap. The thicker it is though the more you’ll have to grind off the frizzen face to compensate for it. Not a big deal and easily performed on a bench grinder. You’ll typically want the frizzen close to the same thickness after resoling as it was before.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C1RX5LT6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Note I also counter sunk/beveled all the holes (resole as well) to give the rivets much more grab. It isn’t going anywhere! Vice grips are your friends! The brand new frizzen was toast, only one little spark from a BENCH GRINDER, much less a flint strike, so I resoled it. Sparks from the piece of 1095.

 

[LRB]

Are reciprocating saw blades a good option for reshoeing a frizzen ?

Depends on the blade. Many today have cobalt steel, or high carbon edges bonded to a low carbon main body. If the blade is made all of high carbon, yes.

 

[4119Bill]

I used a 4" razer scraper blade. Which are either 1085 or 1095 carbon steel. Cleaned up the frizzen with a Dremel and a 80 grit sanding wheel. Then did the same to the side of the blade that was going to fasten to the frizzen. I then shaped the blade close to the frozen size with aviation snips. Then I used 4000+lb epoxy on both surfaces and clamped them together with a pair of vise grips.
Next day I took a Dremel with a grinding cylinder and shaped to match the frizzen.

The nice thing about razor scraper blade is they are thin and can get them just about anywhere.
I did mine 3 years ago and probably 300 shots on it and still going strong.