FYI, ‘crumbly’ pyrite works in a wheelock

[Flint62Smoothie]

FYI, before ‘Canute Rex’ on here turned me onto sources for his pyrite chunks, I bought some in a box that has about 20 big chunks, for $10 shipped. They are the size of your thumb to that of the tip of your index finger … BUT they look very granular.

If you look at the picture, you only see one piece (top center) from the box that seems ‘more solid’ and has some nice straight ‘facets’ from where it was saw cut, presuming by a diamond blade or Dremel cut-off wheel.

I took another big granular chunk, like that at the bottom of the picture, and taped it to duck tape on one side. Then I used a sharp cold chisel and a small sledge and broke it into 4 pieces. I lost very little material, just dust to sand sized pieces only, in the fracturing process.

Those pieces sparked great and did not fracture when struck against the spinning wheel!!!! Now if anything, it almost appears as they could almost be ‘self cleaning’? As I ‘wrote on or blackened’ one strike edge w/ a Sharpie marker and after sparking it a half dozen times, I couldn’t see any more evidence of marker. And yet I cannot visually detect any loss of material to that little chunk.

More shooting to take place “to test my theory”, but these seem to work! As a bonus if they do work well … I figure I may also get 80 or more little chunks just from this box I bought for only $10.

Someday (hopefully this week?) I will test to see how many shots I get from such a little granular looking chunk …

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Sparks 1, the 1st Image captured on my cell phone at slow motion.

Note I had the barrel pointed up in the air at a steep angle, the action kind of cradled in my arms, so it looks like the sparks are falling down or lower than the lock. I wouldn’t be shooting it like that, LOL!

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Sparks 2 photo … pan & dog at the right.

 

[Rudyard]

Can't not like that post though Ive used my rifle years hunting when the fragmenting pyrite isnt such a problem it Was one on a range . .This is all good stuff you do us all proud. Brer Cutfinger is onto it too.
Regards Rudyard

 

[DuncNZ]

I can get sparks almost every time from granular chunks , BUT they don't seem to generate enough heat to ignite the prime , or are not hitting the priming powder with enough sparks.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

I can get sparks almost every time from granular chunks, BUT they don't seem to generate enough heat to ignite the prime, or are not hitting the priming powder with enough sparks.

Yikes! Hence the ‘live testing’ to be conducted later this week when it stops raining … bad pun, but maybe in my haste to report that I went off ‘half cocked’? LOL

Will advise and update all!

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

FYI, no sparking problems here … 10-shots in a row w/ perfect ignition!

I may get 30-60 or more ignites from each piece, woo hoo! I also did find that a brass brush between shots also cleaned off the ‘granular’ pyrite extremely well.

 

[DuncNZ]

Well done , I had been using small pieces set into wood , not big chunks .

 

[cw1873]

FYI, the geologic term for the lumps of minerals with no real crystal structure is "massive". The edges you are looking at that look saw cut are probably the natural crystal faces of the pyrite. I use massive pyrite in my wheelock as well, because I collected it for free from a mine I used to work at. Some of mine is soft, but most of it sparks pretty well. I cut it up on a tile saw into little chunks.

 

[DuncNZ]

I cut a 1/8th" slice off one of my lumps with my Dremel with a diamond cutting blade , it took less than 1 minute . I have been fiddling with it for the last hour or so , It would spark well at the start then stop working , I broke it by tightening the jaws too tight , so I tried a pointy bit It worked fine for 5 shots then it seemed to loose the point , I tried a piece with a thin edge ( like an agate flint ) and that worked very well , I will cut a piece about 3/8ths" and put an edge on it tomorrow and see how that lasts . Then ¼" and so on .
I found if I pushed down on the dog it sparked like a sparking thing , but that is not entirely practical , I prefer to be Cutfinger than Burnt finger Lots of black smelly dust came off when I was cutting it but no sparks .Cutting is mask, safety glasses and gloves territory . I have noticed that I smell like a used firework , well I'm off for a swim now ,

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

… so I tried a pointy bit It worked fine for 5 shots then it seemed to loose the point , I tried a piece with a thin edge ( like an agate flint ) and that worked very well , I will cut a piece about 3/8ths" and put an edge on it tomorrow and see how that lasts.

May I suggest that pyrite doesn’t need any ‘edge’ on it? I just use the cubes or pieces ‘as is’, as raw cut.

I found if I pushed down on the dog it sparked like a sparking thing …

Or, whereas they worked for me, your dog spring must be bearing full pressure as the dog sits on the sliding pan cover. It may not be the pyrite, rather that your dog spring is marginal on all but perfect pyrite pieces or that the geometry of the stirrup/foot on the end of the dog that bears against the spring is off (which is usually the culprit w/ wheelies).

 

[DuncNZ]

I don't get the dog sitting on the pan cover ,I open and close my cover by hand , My cover is open and I lower the dog so the pyrites sits on the wheel . Am I doing that wrong ?

 

[DuncNZ]

I have spent another 2 hours trying different things . I tried a piece of pyrites which was a bit crumbly , 8 out of 10 tries got a puff of smoke . wow . So I tried a slice off one of my big lumps , first time flash , then no more . I tried a thinner edge , no flash , I tried different orientations , incase it was a grain thing , no flash , different thickness , no flash . Back to the original piece , flash after flash . I am beginning to think the small crystals in the conglomerate break off and burn , but the big lumps are just one big crystal , I will cut up a lump of crumbly pyrites tomorrow and try that . It goes on

 

[rickystl]

Good Thread !!!

Rick

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

I don't get the dog sitting on the pan cover ,I open and close my cover by hand , My cover is open and I lower the dog so the pyrites sits on the wheel . Am I doing that wrong ?

Is there a cam on your tumbler that opens the pan cover when the wheel moves?

The easiest way to check this is to close the pan cover, when the gun is uncocked/unwound, then wind the spring and if it opens up the pan cover, then yes indeed … there is a cam on the tumbler to open it upon firing.

The whole concept of having the pyrite resting on the pan cover, when the arm is cocked/wound, and then the trigger is pulled … is that it allows the wheel to come up to RPM ‘before’ the dog spring drops the pyrite down into the wheel with force.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Works fine here!

 

[Rudyard]

There is a cam from memory but I too used to rest the pirates on . Some of the well used W locks the wheel Iv'e examined on old rifles where the cover was removed . Since they likley carried the rifle un spanned with a quill to seal the vent which evidently they did . Hunting big regions is better with the quill sealing any damp out . & if a shot is likley I turned the spanner & primed . What his nibs in the big house did & what the Keeper did would it seems vary .
Regards Rudyard

 

[DuncNZ]

There is a cam and the pan cover does move but only half way .It never has move all the way since I have owned it .I have noticed witness marks on both sides of the wheel where it is rubbing , so maybe the wheel isn't going at top speed . I found that making the tip of the pyrites about 1/8" wide and roughening it up with a file makes a difference , I have to wait for the rain to stop in the next few days before I can shoot it. That is a large flash from the pan , how much prime do you use ? .

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

On the MZL event from the picture shown, a mis-fire ‘costs you a target’, but that isn’t primed any heavier than needed.

To me, that is a ‘typical firelock’ pan flash, which is a screen capture taken from a video. I think you should take some videos of your own guns and then look at some still frames and you will see much more flash in the pan than you think.

Note I usually use less prime in my wheellock than some flintlocks I have need. I also only prime on the side of the wheel next to the touch hole.

 

[DuncNZ]

Eureka . Flint62Smoothie Thank you , you have saved Louis from being sworn at in French .
When I span the lock with pan cover closed the cover opens over half way which allows priming but keeps the pyrites away from the wheel if the dog was to be knocked down ,
If I then close the cover and lower the dog, rest the pyrites on the cover and pull the trigger the cover opens all the way and it gives a very satisfactory shower of sparks . It is now not only beautiful , it also works. WooHa !!. The maker should have written a manual to go with it .
Ps there aren't enough wheel locks in New Zealand to have competition .