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Thoughts on my Frizzen?

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Hi everyone,
I’m hoping for some expert advice. As a lefty flintlocks are awfully hard to find. I recently acquired a lefty DGW Tennessee rifle which I’ve fallen head over heels for. I’m worried about the wear on the Frizzen. Since replacement parts are effectively non-existent I thought I’d ask for some advice. What can I do to prolong the life of the Frizzen and or are there any locks that can be used to replace it should it finally wear out?View attachment 290580View attachment 290581

I would either reface the frizzen or fit a cast 1095 frizzen.

There are plenty of replacment frizzens of this style that can be fit to that lock.

Resoled frizzens can be riveted, or soldered on or brazed on or TIG welded on.
 
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Ever time it gets sanded a bit of metal is removed for appearance. That tiny bit of metal would have been another spark. Don’t fix what isn’t broke.
One thing to consider is roughness of the frizzen face.
Frizzen will show chatter marks and gouges over time. Eventually these gouges can become so rough that the flint is not able get a good scrape. Also a rough frizzen can break flints decreasing flint life and sparks.
Add to this also when the flint breaks there can be jagged points that can create even more rough spots on a frizzen face.

It does not hurt to smooth a frizzen from time to time especially if the chatter marks and gouges will catch a fingernail.
 
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Well, maybe he used another part from a 40s era car, IDK. It's been 40 years since I saw him do this and he resoled my lock.
 
Well, maybe he used another part from a 40s era car, IDK. It's been 40 years since I saw him do this and he resoled my lock.

Probably a leaf spring, they’re 5160 steel or another type spring steel with manganese.

for exterior parts on an old car, I’d imagine they were made from mild steel so they could be bent rather easily like raw iron.
 
Are reciprocating saw blades a good option for reshoeing a frizzen ?
I’ve ready many post in the forum that they make good resole material due to their high carbon content and already thin nature. Up to .030” seems to be the preferred thickness but I’ve read many people have used thin bandsaw blades, pallet strap bands and old files, etc, etc. I dont believe the rivet method would work very well with thin material and they should be brazed, soldered or epoxied on since not much thickness for the rivet to grab. I personally used .060” thick 1095 high carbon steel stock purchased off Amazon and ground it down until thinner. There are many different lengths, widths and thickness available for cheap. The thicker it is though the more you’ll have to grind off the frizzen face to compensate for it. Not a big deal and easily performed on a bench grinder. You’ll typically want the frizzen close to the same thickness after resoling as it was before.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C1RX5LT6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Note I also counter sunk/beveled all the holes (resole as well) to give the rivets much more grab. It isn’t going anywhere! Vice grips are your friends! The brand new frizzen was toast, only one little spark from a BENCH GRINDER, much less a flint strike, so I resoled it. Sparks from the piece of 1095.
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I used a 4" razer scraper blade. Which are either 1085 or 1095 carbon steel. Cleaned up the frizzen with a Dremel and a 80 grit sanding wheel. Then did the same to the side of the blade that was going to fasten to the frizzen. I then shaped the blade close to the frozen size with aviation snips. Then I used 4000+lb epoxy on both surfaces and clamped them together with a pair of vise grips.
Next day I took a Dremel with a grinding cylinder and shaped to match the frizzen.

The nice thing about razor scraper blade is they are thin and can get them just about anywhere.
I did mine 3 years ago and probably 300 shots on it and still going strong.
 

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