Frizzen wear - smooth it or replace it

[hockeyref]

so, I pulled Patience (my Lyman GPR) out to put a fresh Rich Pierce flint in for the upcoming PA rock-lock season and noticed dents/nicks in the frizzen where the flint makes initial contact. I am gonna mess with the leather pad and wrap to change the impact angle a few degrees cuz it looked like it was too straight in.

Question is what to do about the frizzen face? I’m thinking of sanding the dents out a little to at least take edges off and shallow out the divots. But what’s my next step. Do I try to (re)harden the face and buy a spare/replacement frizzen just in case, or just drop the coin on an L&R?

 

[Phil Coffins]

Do nothing! The frizzen will always look like that because it’s getting hit with a rock. It’s normal.

 

[olskool]

as long as it sparks,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[satwel]

Do nothing. Your frizzen is fine. I wish all my flintlocks were as smooth as yours.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Draw a Smiley Face on it and just shoot it.

 

[hockeyref]

Draw a Smiley Face on it and just shoot it.

Thanks guys… wasn’t quite sure if I had an issue. I’ve used nothing but Rich’s chert flints that I got a few years ago (I will need to source more flints from somewhere in the near future as I’m down to my last couple). The one that I just pulled didn’t last as long and really seemed to be hammering and chipping rather than cutting/scraping.

 

[Salty Cracker]

so, I pulled Patience (my Lyman GPR) out to put a fresh Rich Pierce flint in for the upcoming PA rock-lock season and noticed dents/nicks in the frizzen where the flint makes initial contact. I am gonna mess with the leather pad and wrap to change the impact angle a few degrees cuz it looked like it was too straight in.

Question is what to do about the frizzen face? I’m thinking of sanding the dents out a little to at least take edges off and shallow out the divots. But what’s my next step. Do I try to (re)harden the face and buy a spare/replacement frizzen just in case, or just drop the coin on an L&R?View attachment 274795

Looks normal man. Shoot your rifle.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Thanks guys… wasn’t quite sure if I had an issue. I’ve used nothing but Rich’s chert flints that I got a few years ago (I will need to source more flints from somewhere in the near future as I’m down to my last couple). The one that I just pulled didn’t last as long and really seemed to be hammering and chipping rather than cutting/scraping.

You might consider using napped flints. Available in various sized that would fit your gun. I get mine at Track of the Wolf but there are many vendors to choose from.
Good link and have fun with your flintlock!

 

[French Colonial]

so, I pulled Patience (my Lyman GPR) out to put a fresh Rich Pierce flint in for the upcoming PA rock-lock season and noticed dents/nicks in the frizzen where the flint makes initial contact. I am gonna mess with the leather pad and wrap to change the impact angle a few degrees cuz it looked like it was too straight in.

Question is what to do about the frizzen face? I’m thinking of sanding the dents out a little to at least take edges off and shallow out the divots. But what’s my next step. Do I try to (re)harden the face and buy a spare/replacement frizzen just in case, or just drop the coin on an L&R?View attachment 274795

That is not even broke in yet!
I should take a picture of some of mine that have had years of shooting, they look like a rough gravel road.

Keep shooting.

 

[FlinterNick]

so, I pulled Patience (my Lyman GPR) out to put a fresh Rich Pierce flint in for the upcoming PA rock-lock season and noticed dents/nicks in the frizzen where the flint makes initial contact. I am gonna mess with the leather pad and wrap to change the impact angle a few degrees cuz it looked like it was too straight in.

Question is what to do about the frizzen face? I’m thinking of sanding the dents out a little to at least take edges off and shallow out the divots. But what’s my next step. Do I try to (re)harden the face and buy a spare/replacement frizzen just in case, or just drop the coin on an L&R?View attachment 274795

The first question i would ask, is does it spark well?

To me that frizzen looks pretty normal, scratches no some deep gouges are customary with frizzen use,.

Heavy gouges are sometimes an indication the frizzen has lost its hardened surface or wasn’t hardened well by L&R , or it could also mean the mainspring is too heavy.

I wouldn’t replace it.

If its not sparking well and everything else is in order, then it could be it was hardened well or it was tempered too high and too long.

I would first normalize the steel at 1600 for 1 hour, flux the frizzen with borax to avoid scaling, let it air cool, then lightly polish off the heavy gouges by hand.

Heat to around 1600 and quench in quenching oil, or heated canola oil.

Temper back at 400 for 40 min to an hour until the frizzen is the color of straw or a little darker, then temper the foot until it’s blue.

 

[bldtrailer]

the sparks are the flint shaving off metal in white hot sparks(metal is hardness

of 5-6 flint 7 diamonds 10) normal ware.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Do nothing! The frizzen will always look like that because it’s getting hit with a rock. It’s normal.

As usual, Phil is spot on. Do nothing except shoot it.

 

[hockeyref]

You might consider using napped flints. Available in various sized that would fit your gun. I get mine at Track of the Wolf but there are many vendors to choose from.
Good link and have fun with your flintlock!

I AM using hand knapped flints done by Rich Pierce. I have considered getting some English just to see if there’s any difference

 

[hockeyref]

The first question i would ask, is does it spark well?

To me that frizzen looks pretty normal, scratches no some deep gouges are customary with frizzen use,.

Heavy gouges are sometimes an indication the frizzen has lost its hardened surface or wasn’t hardened well by L&R , or it could also mean the mainspring is too heavy.

I wouldn’t replace it.

If its not sparking well and everything else is in order, then it could be it was hardened well or it was tempered too high and too long.

I would first normalize the steel at 1600 for 1 hour, flux the frizzen with borax to avoid scaling, let it air cool, then lightly polish off the heavy gouges by hand.

Heat to around 1600 and quench in quenching oil, or heated canola oil.

Temper back at 400 for 40 min to an hour until the frizzen is the color of straw or a little darker, then temper the foot until it’s blue.

Does it spark - yes. Main concern was the marks at the impact point and whether they were lessening the flint life, an indication of a soft spot that needed cleaned up/replacement, Or the knapped chert that Rich sold was supposed to be pretty hard & it might be wearing a bit on the frizzen (whether it was poor impact angle or frizzen hardness. IT IS a factory lyman/Investarms lock and I have debated many times about just replacing it with an L&R RPL. AND .

Heat treat and temper…. You are taking me back to the days of my internship in the R&D lab of a steel company. Did all sorts of heat treatments as well as mechanical and NDR testing. Been 35 years now… sometimes I wish i had access to the ovens and stuff I used to.

 

[Commodore Swab]

Does it spark - yes. Main concern was the marks at the impact point and whether they were lessening the flint life, an indication of a soft spot that needed cleaned up/replacement, Or the knapped chert that Rich sold was supposed to be pretty hard & it might be wearing a bit on the frizzen (whether it was poor impact angle or frizzen hardness. IT IS a factory lyman/Investarms lock and I have debated many times about just replacing it with an L&R RPL. AND .

Heat treat and temper…. You are taking me back to the days of my internship in the R&D lab of a steel company. Did all sorts of heat treatments as well as mechanical and NDR testing. Been 35 years now… sometimes I wish i had access to the ovens and stuff I used to.

I would smooth and reharden IF it wasnt delivering sparks like I desired or was cutting away at the metal. But then i do have a few pounds of kasenit left.

 

[Absoroka]

I have smoothed the face of the frizzen on my go to flinter multiple times with emery paper. I have no idea how many shots the frizzen has ignited but the edges of the frizzen are very sharp from long hard use. If I live long enough it will probably start looking like an hourglass. Keep shooting.

 

[M. De Land]

I have smoothed the face of the frizzen on my go to flinter multiple times with emery paper. I have no idea how many shots the frizzen has ignited but the edges of the frizzen are very sharp from long hard use. If I live long enough it will probably start looking like an hourglass. Keep shooting.

Time for a re-sole me thinks !

 

[Brian Gibbs]

if it sparks shoot it! Don’t wipe it with oil or greasy fingers! Keep it dry and make smoke!

 

[JK0l]

Smooth it and shoot it .

 

[FlinterNick]

I have smoothed the face of the frizzen on my go to flinter multiple times with emery paper. I have no idea how many shots the frizzen has ignited but the edges of the frizzen are very sharp from long hard use. If I live long enough it will probably start looking like an hourglass. Keep shooting.

I wouldn’t have smoothed the frizzen face, I’ve worked on many locks and have had over sanded frizzens, to the point of them having almost a knife edge it really just weakens the part. I would attempt to case harden it or have someone do it for you. If that does not work, i woudl resole it with a 1084 shim or 1095 shim, a good welder can make it work pretty well.