- Joined
- Jul 11, 2019
- Messages
- 43
- Reaction score
- 25
Hi!
I recently acquired a never shot 1777, that had been dry fired a little bit. Sparking was minimal - a single spark that didn't usually hit the pan, even with a new amber flint or an english flint. It was also striking at the turn in the top of the frizzen, and battering the frizzen. So I decided to re-harden the frizzen after reshaping the "turn" at the top to let the flint slide down the frizzen. At this point all the original color case hardening was gone.
I have done several TRS builds, make hardened spring steel medieval armor, have forged some knives, and make springs. I do a lot of heat treating. I decided to first try the "fast" method, which works well with decent steel, with a torch and oil quench. No joy. Redo with water quench. Also no joy. Third go, I used Kasenit. That helped a bit, but Kasenit leaves a rough surface. Last go around I went full "I'm not asking". Repolished, packed the frizzen in bone meal, and put it in the heat treat oven. I have a program what ramps up to 1550 deg F slowly, takes about 45 min. Works very well with 0.5% carbon steels (1050). Then a hot water quench. Frizzen skated a hardened prick punch with almost no marks. Tempered in the house oven at 400 deg F for 45 min. It is now sparking extremely well with the same english flint that it didn't work with previously. Gold straw color looks nice on the pistol.
Anyone else seen this kind of issue with ASM frizzens? I know from experience with an ASM revolvers that some of their steel was soft, but this was surprising.
T
I recently acquired a never shot 1777, that had been dry fired a little bit. Sparking was minimal - a single spark that didn't usually hit the pan, even with a new amber flint or an english flint. It was also striking at the turn in the top of the frizzen, and battering the frizzen. So I decided to re-harden the frizzen after reshaping the "turn" at the top to let the flint slide down the frizzen. At this point all the original color case hardening was gone.
I have done several TRS builds, make hardened spring steel medieval armor, have forged some knives, and make springs. I do a lot of heat treating. I decided to first try the "fast" method, which works well with decent steel, with a torch and oil quench. No joy. Redo with water quench. Also no joy. Third go, I used Kasenit. That helped a bit, but Kasenit leaves a rough surface. Last go around I went full "I'm not asking". Repolished, packed the frizzen in bone meal, and put it in the heat treat oven. I have a program what ramps up to 1550 deg F slowly, takes about 45 min. Works very well with 0.5% carbon steels (1050). Then a hot water quench. Frizzen skated a hardened prick punch with almost no marks. Tempered in the house oven at 400 deg F for 45 min. It is now sparking extremely well with the same english flint that it didn't work with previously. Gold straw color looks nice on the pistol.
Anyone else seen this kind of issue with ASM frizzens? I know from experience with an ASM revolvers that some of their steel was soft, but this was surprising.
T
