Flint/Frizzen Question

Hi folks. Can you give some advice? I went shooting today and all went well at the range. After cleaning I put in a new flint because I will be hunting this week and I wanted a fresh one. I fired it a few times to see if it would spark. It did, but it would not throw the frizzen all the way open. It would slide down the face of it and slip underneath the frizzen. Seemed like it sparked fine, so it may not be a problem, but it bugs me because I never had the flint fail to throw the frizzen all the way open. Any ideas here? Is it something to worry about? Thanks.

Could be one of three things: 1. the frizzen hitting the spring hard enough to rebound back ("Deiseling") 2. the flint not hitting hard enough to kick it over 3. the frizzen is too tight to move freely. The first problem could be from a variety of problems, including too long a flint. That's usually the cause of my frizzens flipping back. The second is a flint size problem. Flint length is almost an art, & I think somewhat lock dependent. The tight frizzen problem can be caused by tightening the frizzen screw too much, causing the bridle to bend slightly, or the pan cover could be rubbing the barrel.

Nothing like an easy answer.

Do you take out the frizzen/bridle screw and clean out and lube the hole through the bottom of the frizzen after shooting? You'd be amazed how much gunk can collect in there, and it could keep the frizzen from popping all the way open. It could be something else, but I'd give that a try first. :hmm:

Thanks for the answers. I never thought of the possibility of the frizzen being hit too hard and bouncing back. That may be it, as this flint is new and fairly longer than the one I replaced. I'll also try cleaning things as suggested. Thanks.

This may be of some help...

Link

C.J. Also check to see if the outside barrel wall next to the flash pan is clean. Since you have just been shooting, perhaps some fouling has built up there that would interfere with the frizzen's movement.

Working the frizzen by hand, does it move easy or real hard?

Flint position comes into plays too, if the flint is too far out in the jaws the flint strikes the frizzen higher and there is more area to cover (longer scrape time), thus stalling the action.

If the flint is set too far back in the jaws, the flint will hit lower on the frizzen and it may not have enough distance to work up a good amount of sparks before the frizzen is kicked open.

The frizzen screw may be dirty (as stated before), but if it is overly tighten when reinstalled after cleaning, that too can cause opening/closing problems.

Since it was working fine prior to changing the flint, I would say that the frizzen's spring is still working properly, but you could polish the frizzen's foot (the part that rides against the frizzen spring), just enough to remove any burs.

Have you tried turning the flint over? Bevel up to bevel down or bevel down to bevel up. This will change the angel the flint strikes the frizzen. Just a thought.

C.J. Williams said:

Hi folks. Can you give some advice? I went shooting today and all went well at the range. After cleaning I put in a new flint because I will be hunting this week and I wanted a fresh one. I fired it a few times to see if it would spark. It did, but it would not throw the frizzen all the way open. It would slide down the face of it and slip underneath the frizzen. Seemed like it sparked fine, so it may not be a problem, but it bugs me because I never had the flint fail to throw the frizzen all the way open. Any ideas here? Is it something to worry about? Thanks.

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What size / type lock, what size / type flint?

For example, it seems manufacturers who have made mass produced Flintlocks during the poast few decades use a medium size lock.
I know in my case, T/C's lock design works best by positioning a black english flint "bevel up", and at half-cock the edge of the flint is all but touching the face of the closed frizzen...just clear enough to slide a piece of notebook paper between them.

I've had this happen several times and it usually means the flint is too long or siting too far forward.
You need to make sure the flint is just barely touching(or just off) the frizzen at half cock.

Thanks for all the good replies. I experimented a bit and it seems like my problem was the flint was to far forward. I set it back further and now it sparks well and the frizzen stays completely open without rebounding. Thanks again. Nice to have a problem solved!

C.J. Williams said:

I fired it a few times to see if it would spark. It did, but it would not throw the frizzen all the way open. It would slide down the face of it and slip underneath the frizzen.

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CitadelBill said:

I've had this happen several times and it usually means the flint is too long or siting too far forward.
You need to make sure the flint is just barely touching(or just off) the frizzen at half cock.

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I can't picture how a flint being too long can cause this problem...if the ideal location of the flint's edge is all but touching the frizzen face...and I agree that it is at least for my locks...any longer than that and the flint will be holding the frizzen open, up off the pan and priming powder would fall out.

But even if that was the case, I don't understand how it would cause the problem CJ are you are talking about...can you put some more words around it?

I see what you are saying. Initially the new flint was resting very, very close to the frizzen at half cock, and this is when I got the rebound. I positioned it slighty further away (very slightly) and the problem disappeared, and it sparks much better. I guess even a slight position change in the flint makes a big difference...at least that's how things worked out for me. I appreciate all the replies.

My locks will do that if I put the bevel down....Striking at the wrong angle.........Pedersoli lock and Siler lock..........Might just be my locks, but when I try bevel down this happens................Bob

Leatherbark said:

My locks will do that if I put the bevel down....Striking at the wrong angle.........Pedersoli lock and Siler lock..........Might just be my locks, but when I try bevel down this happens................Bob

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Some locks thrive with bevel down, other's with the bevel up. Lock geometry is not the same from builder to builder. The only way to be sure is to try it both ways and then judge for yourself which way is best for that particular firearm.