Flintlock (lock) question?

[Swamp Buck]

I've read here on various posts and read in muzzleloader gun building books about heat treating (tempering/hardening) the different metal parts on a lock, such as the frizzen.

My question is this; are new locks purchased as part of a components kit from TOTW, MLBS, Chambers Flintlocks, etc and others, ready to use as is or do they need heat treating of some sort to function properly?

If these locks are ready to function as is, am I correct in assuming that heat treating of lock parts would only be done when scratch building a lock or building a lock kit?

 

[Zonie]

All of the Commercial finished locks are fully heat treated.

Most of the Suppliers sell lock "kits" which are the castings, screws and springs needed to make a finished lock. These Kits are not heat treated because the builder needs to do some machining on them so yes, your right.

 

[rexdevantier]

Just got an L & R off TOTW a couple of weeks back and they said their locks are ready to but for an extra slick lock the tumbler and sear can be case hardened with Kasenite.
Rex Dev.

 

[Roy]

You can get parts too hard and cause breaking like the sear tip and the full and half cock notches. If you can cut the piece with a file its not hardened, if not don't mess with it.

 

[Zonie]

"...their locks are ready to but for an extra slick lock the tumbler and sear can be case hardened with Kasenite."
________________________________________
They may have said that but I respectably disagree with them.
As Roy pointed out, too much of a good thing isn't necessarly good.

The sear and tumbler (and frizzen on a Flintlock) are usually made of oil hardening steel which has the correct amount of carbon in it to develop the correct hardness and toughness.
Adding carbon with Kasenit (which is intended to add carbon to low carbon, common steel) to a oil hardening steel can create a very brittle condition that tempering may not remove.

 

[B.Habermehl]

I would not mess with the heat treatment of the tumbler and sear. The lock plate in the area near the tumbler hole,the hole walls itself, and the bridle may be case hardened, Once the holes are polished up and the tumbler's two axels are polished up this will make a noticable difference. Just to be on the safe side I would bring the bridle up to non magnetic / cherry red heat and qwench in oil first check with a file just in case the alloy is not 8620 as l&r specifys for that part. Sometimes the casting outfits cheat. If the file doesen't scratch the part then draw the part back to blue with a propane torch. This wil be hard enough but not brittle, a bit harder than spring temper. No further heat treatment is advisable in this case. BJH