Weak frizzen spring ?

[Rebel]

What is the proper way to re-temper a weak frizzen spring. The one on my N. W. Tradegun is too weak, and the frizzen isn't opening all the way when the hammer is dropped. I put a wedge in the bend of the spring and then it worked ok, so i assume the spring is too weak. Any thoughts or advise? Thanks guys.

 

[fatboy]

Hey Rebel have you had this rifle long ? If you havnt had it that long maybe who ever made the lock and or rifle can send you a new spring

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Hey Rebel,
Your first question------> Springs By Kit Ravenshear is excellent information and it is just a little paperback. Dixie Gun Works is where I purchased mine.
Usually a spring with too much temper is brittle and one with the temper drawn too much is usually mushy. Weak springs are (IMO) just not stout enough for the selected job. If and I say if your spring is too weak, then (IMO) you need to get a heaver spring, and not re temper (provided it is not mushy) Mushy is a lazy spring that doesn't come back to it's original shape when compressed. I have been told, but never tried it, that a good flinter will work without a spring. What I would do first is just make sure that the frizzen is moving freely in both directions. (take the spring out when doing this) Just use your hands, flipping the frizzen back and forth to make that determination. Make sure that you do not have any metal drag. Not being an expert, and not seeing this first hand this is about all I can do for you at this point.
Flintocks Forever
Lar :m2c:

 

[madstone]

Rebel,
I learn something in here every visit. I would have thought a fr.spring that was too strong would do this? Wedging it might have pushed it into proper shape rather than changed its strength? Or an ill fitting spring, or improper angle of flint impact. Does it eat flints? Some frizzens are curved so they allow the flint to drag, if not bevel down. Some are softer at the lower frizzen area and do this.
Bob Brownells' Gunsmiths Kinks I, and II, had some good info on retempering leaf springs, I believe. My old gunsmith friend said always temper three, for each job, and one will be perfect? I'd order a new one and "play" with this one?
:results:

 

[Rebel]

Thanks for the input fellas. I took the gun to a friends today and we figured out that the mainspring was hitting the barrel and binding. We took a little off the top edge of the spring and it works fine now. Guess my first guess was wrong. Ohh well, won't be the first, or probably not the last time that happens. ::

 

[madstone]

Great to hear you solved the spring mystery. Go ahead and order another spring, though, as you may have weakened the original in reshaping it? Hate to have it break the evening before a good hunting day.
The old folks used to beware of reshaping a leaf spring. Probably you only had to take off a little metal but it still might cause it to flex differently. A few flexes and it may go.
I'm being too cautious, as usual, but have reshaped some leaf springs and had some fail, others worked for years!
I have seen some mauled by visegrips and later break while others were chewed up and never failed.
Wonder what would happen w/o a frizzen spring and only wax to hold the frizzen closed? Wonder if the flint would continue to slide down the face or would the frizzen pop open and only get a little spark?? ::

 

[Rebel]

Madstone, thanks for the advise. All we did was angle the top outer edge of the mainspring a little. We didn't need to take much off at all. But i will probably order a new mainspring and frizzen spring if i keep the gun after i get it all back together. The guy that built it did a lousy job on the stock and i have it all ready to strip the old finish off, do some reshaping and wood removal and then restain it. It is a Track Of The Wolf N.W. Tradegun that he built from a kit. May decide to keep it for myself after i get it finished and do some shooting with it. May just find that i really like it. Thanks again. Take care.