Yet Another Flint Discussion

[rich pierce]

Wow, we are getting off topic. Ben, you got any long barrels?

Back to springs. Lots of true things have been said about "springs" but context is important. A coil spring in a ball-point pen is not a spring. It's tempered soft, probably because it needs to be weak. Many springs are tempered a little soft and are overbuilt. The result is a spring that could take a set if over-stretched. Now changing the "pull" of a spring by over-compression, that's another thing. If you're talking about compressing the working arms, you're out of luck because a V spring in a lock is designed to nearly close and so closing it at the ends does not over stress it. If you scrunch it at the bend and it breaks, it was properly made. If you scrunch it at the bend and it takes a set, it was tempered soft. The dend in a V spring is like the handle of a stiff handled bow. It's not designed to flex there.

 

[BenCoogle]

With flat or Vee springs they "Load up" and get harder as you flex it. Coil springs do not. Try it, with a coil spring lock the tension doesn't change as you draw it to full cock. With a Vee spring it gets harder as you draw it back.

If you try and bend a flat spring too much it will not take a new shape, it will break.

You can lighten a frizzen spring by grinding the top leaf or heating bending and retempering. I do recommend that you have a spare on hand in either case! You may not get it right the first time!

The other question was economy. I looked and flints seem to average $1.75. At 30 shots thats a bit shy of .06 per shot. Percussion caps were $6.50 per can of, I believe, 100. Thats .061/2 cents per shot not counting extras for clearing the nipple etc. Not a bad comparison.

Slow match on the other hand is probably even more economical. Ben

Hello Rich! I just make them to order. You make spall type flints don't you?

 

[user 13289]

Automotive springs, flat and coil, do fatigue and lose their shape over time and sometimes from overloading (bending).

I have personally changed the spring function in cartridge arms by bending them. Now I read that a spring cannot be bent. You may understand my reluctance to accept this-given my personal experience with other results. :v

--on edit

What I'm hearing you say (and not understanding) is that a piece of metal is bent into a spring--and then it is a spring and now it cannot be bent again.

 

[rich pierce]

Lots of springs in suppository guns, etc are tempered soft and can take a set if bent way beyond normal range. If you make a flat mainspring this way it will be slow, heavy for the energy it stores, and can take a set, but will never break.

Yes, Ben, I make spall flints. I love long barrels. Hope to meet up some time.

 

[Toomuch_36]

All advice given would be be applicable, but in my experience the better method to lighten frizzen spring tention would be to hone a bit off the heal of the frizzen where it rides on the spring. In this way as you encounter slight differences in casting when replacing frizzens you won't have to also replace the spring to compensate.

Toomuch
........
Shoot Flint