Wobbly Flintlock Hammer

[PathfinderNC]

On my small Siler lock, the hammer (cock) wobbles forward and back a bit, and a wee bit side-to-side. It works great and I can live with it, but just wondering if a small shim like a thin piece of soda can would tighten it up for the duration. Maybe something else? I did make a small washer to go under the screw head against the flat of the hammer, from a bit of aluminum can, which helped a bit.
I am not gonna try peaning the hole.
Thanks.

 

[hawkenhunter50]

I had a similar issue and used a small shim on the tumbler shaft and it worked great.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/appropriate-fix.163288/#post-2329978

 

[64Springer]

Find an old feeler gage and use one of the blades.

They be steel.

You could probably peen the front and back of the square hammer hole too.

 

[PathfinderNC]

I got it better- I just had to really righten the screw holding the hammer to the tumbler shaft. There’s almost no wobble now
(I was afraid I would bust the screw actually)

 

[IanH]

Most of the looseness is the hammer on the tumbler shaft? You can stake the hammer in eight places near the corners of the square hole on the back side to snug it up. Might have to do the front side under the screw head, too. Press the parts together firmly with wood blocks or 3/8" drive short sockets in a vise or arbor press, don't use the screw to draw the staked parts together.

 

[wiscoaster]

I got it better- I just had to really righten the screw holding the hammer to the tumbler shaft. There’s almost no wobble now
(I was afraid I would bust the screw actually)

I thought you weren't supposed to do that?

 

[FlinterNick]

pictures of the tumbler without the screw would help.

But from the sound of things I’m reading, you’ll need to countersink the tumbler screw.

 

[S.Kenton]

Most of the looseness is the hammer on the tumbler shaft? You can stake the hammer in eight places near the corners of the square hole on the back side to snug it up. Might have to do the front side under the screw head, too. Press the parts together firmly with wood blocks or 3/8" drive short sockets in a vise or arbor press, don't use the screw to draw the staked parts together.

That’s exactly what I done a few years back, I used a small punch and a medium sized hammer. I was able to just move enough metal to tighten everything up.

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

I have used bits of soup can to shim up hammers with good success. If it's just barely loose, and 1 thickness of soup can is a no-go, I have also had good luck with using JUST 1 OR 2 DROPS of red loc-tite.

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

Find an old feeler gage and use one of the blades.

They be steel.

You could probably peen the front and back of the square hammer hole too.

As far as shimming one, this really is probably the best fix. You can select exactly which thickness you need. Great idea.

 

[FlinterNick]

That’s exactly what I done a few years back, I used a small punch and a medium sized hammer. I was able to just move enough metal to tighten everything up.

Why not counter sink the tumbler screw? It will bring the screw head closer to the surface of the hammer. Making it tighter.

 

[S.Kenton]

.

 

[S.Kenton]

Why not counter sink the tumbler screw? It will bring the screw head closer to the surface of the hammer. Making it tighter.

That’s been years ago that I done that, it didn’t take much and it tightened right up.

 

[FlinterNick]

Because I found it easier simply to stake the hammer, that’s been years ago that i done this. I honestly can’t even remember who made the lock.

Staking or Peening the square shaft around the hammer is a temporary fix, it can also lead to undesired effects on the geometry of the flintcock’s interface with the tumbler.

Countersiking the tumbler screw is the way to go because it prevents the part from being marred up.

A tumbler screw that is not countersunk will have a very small point of contact, which exerts brutal sheer forces and tears the part up, stripping the threads in the tumbler and gashing parts against a bear surface, in this case the lock plate.

Hammering, bratting or peening a surface in on itself is pretty much the only thing you could do worse.

A counter-sunk screw, on the other hand, has a large contact surface to a cleanly-cut funnel, and the resulting direction of the force is mostly downwards, and you want the force of the contact point to be downward.

The flintcock will end up imbalanced as it was before.

I would even argue that countersigning the tumbler screwhole to be far easier that peening or staking an area around it.

 

[S.Kenton]

Staking or Peening the square shaft around the hammer is a temporary fix, it can also lead to undesired effects on the geometry of the flintcock’s interface with the tumbler.

Countersiking the tumbler screw is the way to go because it prevents the part from being marred up.

A tumbler screw that is not countersunk will have a very small point of contact, which exerts brutal sheer forces and tears the part up, stripping the threads in the tumbler and gashing parts against a bear surface, in this case the lock plate.

Hammering, bratting or peening a surface in on itself is pretty much the only thing you could do worse.

A counter-sunk screw, on the other hand, has a large contact surface to a cleanly-cut funnel, and the resulting direction of the force is mostly downwards, and you want the force of the contact point to be downward.

The flintcock will end up imbalanced as it was before.

I would even argue that countersigning the tumbler screwhole to be far easier that peening or staking an area around it.

It’s still working perfectly to this day. That’s been about 10 years ago and it has been heavily shot at matches and such.

 

[FlinterNick]

It’s still working perfectly to this day. That’s been about 10 years ago and it has been heavily shot at matches and such.

If it still working then problem likely wasn’t the tumbler screw hole or screw.

I had a few here. In my shop with the tumbler screws that were too long and were counter sunk.

In the case where a tumbler key-way is over cut too much, there are few options with best best option being a TIG weld and recut.

 

[HSmithTX]

I’d use some layout dye or a blue sharpie and see how the contact is between the tumbler and the cock, looking very closely at how far the cock is engaging down the tumbler shaft. Some need a little filing and stoning of the cock (square hole) so that it can fully engage the tumbler (square shaft). Sometimes the tumbler needs cleaned up so that the cock fits well. I’ve seen these two causes far more often than anything else, the siler lock uses good castings but they aren’t fitting them past ‘good enough’ when they are assembled, I have a couple where they weren’t fit much at all past ‘it’s together’. Go very slow and just touch the high spots on the tumbler and the cock until you get >50% contact and it will be very solid for a long long time. Get it fitting too good and you can have a really hard time getting it apart the next time, I’d not take it past maybe 65-70% contact.

 

[S.Kenton]

If it still working then problem likely wasn’t the tumbler screw hole or screw.

I had a few here. In my shop with the tumbler screws that were too long and were counter sunk.

In the case where a tumbler key-way is over cut too much, there are few options with best best option being a TIG weld and recut.

No it was a loose cock, the square hole was enlarged a tad and I just slightly peened it to fit

 

[CyrusP]

I just had this problem as well. A new cock was sent but I ended up peening the square hole (mortise) and it tightened it up considerably. Still a bit of movement and I’ll peen more to get a press fit, even if I end up needing to open up a bit with a file.