Frizzen Problem?

[poco47]

I got a Pedersoli Trade gun for Christmas and have been itching to shoot it but the weather has been prohibitive. Now that the sun has come back and the temperature has risen I've been able to get out to the local range and, in two sessions, I've gotten about 50 rounds off and in the process have had to replace the flint three times. That seems a bit much to me.

It's been about 25 years since I've been serious about shooting a flinter so in many ways I re-learning stuff I knew way back when. That being said, I was cleaning my musket from the last session and I found that my frizzen was getting chewed up in what to me is a most unusual place, the bottom edge of the junction between the face and pan cover. I have several flinters that I've shot a great deal over the years and none of them have ever exhibited this particular issue. It is a puzzlement for sure and for certain.

If anyone can give me some insight into what is causing this, I would really appreciate it. Here's a couple of pictures of what I'm posting about:

 

[BrownBear]

How do you go about adjusting the position of your flints?

 

[Rifleman1776]

Where does the flint strike the frizzen? Pic would help.

 

[Katahdin]

Looks to me ,and I shoot caps ,, that the bottom edge of the frizzen was never filed smooth/finished. That could account for the flints getten eaten up so fast,when the flint strikes the frizzen and it flips up,, eating the flint

 

[Rifleman1776]

Looks to me ,and I shoot caps ,, that the bottom edge of the frizzen was never filed smooth/finished. That could account for the flints getten eaten up so fast,when the flint strikes the frizzen and it flips up,, eating the flint

 

[poco47]

Brown Bear: The musket didn't come with a flint so I rummaged around in the shop and found a humped one that fit, wrapped in a bit of buckskin and installed it. It seemed to be striking the frizzen face a bit too square and too high so I slipped in a little tab of leather to change the angle closer to 60 degrees.

Rifleman: Here's what the face looks like. Though not necessarily obvious it does record the change that came when I changed the angle of the flint and moved the impact point down a bit.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Looks like it just was not finished to good. Dress it and move on brother.

B.

 

[bpd303]

Looks like the frizzen is rebounding hitting the edge of the flint.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Looks like the frizzen is rebounding hitting the edge of the flint.

That's my guess too. I'd try a thinner leather piece or the one with the oval hole in it to move the flint back towards the jaw screw.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Burrs are the wrong direction!

I would love to have your frizzen! Looks ground flat ! Mine was ground with a twist in it. I had to grind it flat and reharden it!

These Lott lock copies are hard on flint's.
I just got some 3/4" flints to try. To encourage a later contact point.
Polish the pan, makes wiping the sludge out easier!

B.

 

[Leatherbark]

The last Pedersoli I handled had a frizzen spring that was too strong. I took it off and ground in from the side to make it a little less in width and a little weaker.

Bob

 

[ohio ramrod]

I also got much better flint life by weakening the frizzen spring on my pedroseli. :idunno:

 

[jethro224]

In this picture it looks to me like the frizzen is de-laminating. Like a thin layer of the metal is flaking off of the bottom of the frizzen. If that is the case, the frizzen probably wasn't cast right at the factory.
I've seen brake rotors do this during the 25 years that I was a mechanic and it happens sometimes at the foundry/machine shop where I work now.

 

[Ron LaClair]

The frizzen is too soft, not tempered hard enough. :td: Send the frizzen back to them.

 

[hawkeye2]

"Looks like it just was not finished to good. Dress it and move on brother.

B."

100% in agreement with this. I'm willing to bet it has always been like that and you just found it while giving the gun a good cleaning. I believe that was left by the casting process and wasn't completely ground off. It's possible the rough edge is damaging the flint as it goes by. Clean it up and possibly look into adjusting the frizzen so it opens a little sooner.

 

[Ron LaClair]

If you want to harden it yourself, here's how to do it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKKhIOx707M

 

[Zonie]

I wish that video would go away.

There is not enough heat in that small pile of kindling to heat the frizzen to the bright red hot condition that is needed to carburize or harden it.

By the time the fire has died out (as shown in the video) the can and the frizzen inside of it have cooled to well below the temperature needed to cause the steel to harden.
(The frizzen must be a bright red/orange color and immediately quenched from that temperature.
If it is cooler than that color when it is quenched, it will not harden.)

As for the success of the person who made the video, notice that there are almost no sparks produced by the flint when the lock is "fired" at the end of the video.

 

[Britsmoothy]

I wish that video would go away.

There is not enough heat in that small pile of kindling to heat the frizzen to the bright red hot condition that is needed to carburize or harden it.

By the time the fire has died out (as shown in the video) the can and the frizzen inside of it have cooled to well below the temperature needed to cause the steel to harden.
(The frizzen must be a bright red/orange color and immediately quenched from that temperature.
If it is cooler than that color when it is quenched, it will not harden.)

As for the success of the person who made the video, notice that there are almost no sparks produced by the flint when the lock is "fired" at the end of the video.

Absolute agreement. Took me several attempts in my stove. Bean can ful of leather, charcoal dust and engine oil finally got it done!

 

[Rifleman1776]

I wish that video would go away.

Amen, Bro.
Enough heat to do the job would burn up the can. And, he didn't get sparks but still brags.

 

[Mercian]

Looking at the photo I would strongly doubt that is caused by the flint, that looks to me very much like a bad casting. Just lightly dress it and carry on. I have one of these Pedersoli Trade guns, and at first it was, a tad erratic, but I found that by paying more attention to the flint it improved with use, just keep the flint in good fettle and see how it goes. If all else fails Davis make a replacement lock. Nice guns, I find mine handle's very nicely, I like it.