What should frizzen face look like?

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

My Chamber's Roundface lock develops a groove where the flint makes initial contact pretty quickly.

Is this normal wear? Or is this an indication something is amiss?

My frizzen looks like the flint hits and then bounces a bit before contacting again.

 

[biliff]

My guess is the flint is striking too high on the frizzen and is hitting perpendicular to the face.

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

OK. So that is not the way the frizzen should wear?

The lock works, so whatever Chamber's does they do it so well that imperfections are overcome.

I think it just eats flints a bit faster than it ought.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Try a bit shorter flint to start with...good place to begin. This will tell you if it's the angle or just a "basher" of a lock! *

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Lets see if some pictures help. . .

 

[biliff]

OK. So that is not the way the frizzen should wear?

The lock works, so whatever Chamber's does they do it so well that imperfections are overcome.

I think it just eats flints a bit faster than it ought.

No, a groove is not good. Eating flints is not good. Place the flint bevel up in the jaws. This will lower the leading edge. If you're already doing that, then do as WT suggested and try a shorter flint. Cutting a notch in your leather flint wrap will also let you move the flint back some.

 

[bpd303]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/130247623@N06/15478524383

Looks like the flint is striking low and too straight on, adjusting it should help.

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

OK. What sorts of adjustments. Thanks this is helping a lot you guys!

 

[M. De Land]

I had to heat up the cock and bend it a few degrees so the flint edge hit at more of an angle on my match pistol.

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Wow. That seems like a pretty drastic adjustment. I would expect that for a CVA or Traditions but not for a Chambers lock.

I will try a shorter flint first.

 

[M. De Land]

I agree about the shorter flint first.
Also if you will take the time to learn how to knapp and grind your flints you can set them up with an increased bevel angle to better accommodate the interface contact with the frizzen.

 

[bpd303]

If you could post a picture of the lock from the side with the frizzen closed and on half cock it might help diagnosing the problem.

 

[TMan51]

Also if you will take the time to learn how to knapp and grind your flints

M.D. Can you recommend a reference for that? A book, link, ??

 

[Britsmoothy]

I had this issue on my Pedersoli.

I realised that the frizzen toe to frizzen spring relationship is crucial. Shaping the toe it's initial movement from the flint contact point can be lightened a little and then as the flint nears the end of it's stroke resistance increases.

B.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Here is a lousy sketch of what I mean.



B.

 

[M. De Land]

I did something similar but I shaped the spring instead of the heel as in the your diagram. I put a slight up hill bend in the spring toward the frizzen under the heel thus retarding the cam over timing to keep the flint on the frizzen face longer.
This also required strengthening the cock spring by removing 1.5 coils.
Pretty much took a lock overhaul to make it reliable but she works very well now.
In my view the object is to keep the flint edge to the frizzen face as long as possible before the heel cams the frizzen over to the toe stop.

 

[Britsmoothy]

I did something similar but I shaped the spring instead of the heel as in the your diagram. I put a slight up hill bend in the spring toward the frizzen under the heel thus retarding the cam over timing to keep the flint on the frizzen face longer.
This also required strengthening the cock spring by removing 1.5 coils.
Pretty much took a lock overhaul to make it reliable but she works very well now.
In my view the object is to keep the flint edge to the frizzen face as long as possible before the heel cams the frizzen over to the toe stop.

My conclusion exactly :hatsoff:

B.

 

[MSW]

My Chamber's Roundface lock develops a groove where the flint makes initial contact pretty quickly.

This isn't right

Is this normal wear? Or is this an indication something is amiss?

something is very much amiss. while this is not the end of civilization as we know it, it's "not right," in a flint eating sense.

My frizzen looks like the flint hits and then bounces a bit before contacting again.

That's because your flint is hitting and bouncing a bit before contacting again. unless you fix it, this problem will feed upon itself and become worse.

You want (in the best of all worlds) the flint to not quite touch the frizzen, about two third of the way up, while the lock is a half cock. I like mine a bit higher, but that's a personal preference, and you must usually listen to what the rifle tells you rather than try to force your will upon it. otherwise it will develop an appetite for both your flints and your patience.

I would contact Chambers and ask if they can sell you a spare frizzen, then see if you can have this one resmoothed and rehardened, since it won't work properly until you do. Shouldn't cost too much, especially when you consider the price of flints these days (not that I'm complaining - jeez, look at the cost of centerfire cartridges and it's a pretty good bargain, an a lot more fun. too).

Good luck with your project, and let us know how it turns out! Make good smoke!

 

[M. De Land]

I got a book by D.C. Waldorf from Track of the Wolf on arrow point flint knapping. It also has a section on gun flint knapping.
I begged and finally ordered some commercial flint spawls and taught myself to knap arrow points and gun flints.
There are a bunch of how to's on the internet as well that greatly aided my quest.
Learning to pressure flake instead of percussion flake is the secret to gun flint longevity.
It is far better than back scraping a flint against the frizzen face to sharpen the edge which stresses the lock and prematurely wears the frizzen face.

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Try one of the links to my flickr account. It has the picture you mentioned, However I'm a bit of a luddite and could not get the pictures to show up here.