BUCK
CONNER
Editor - Staff Writer |
Smoke Signals
Sep./Oct. '09
Bi-Monthly Magazine |
Working with
Flintlocks
There have been dozens of books written on flints and
flintlocks, discussing the proper way to place the flint in the
hammer jaws, to sharpen the flint, and the speed of various brands
of flint locks. I
have been modifying and shooting flintlock rifles and pistols for
over forty years, and I doesn't think it makes any
difference which way you place the flint, bevel up or bevel down,
as long as it has a shower of sparks and the sparks fall in the
pan. Bevel up versus bevel down is more relevant to the particular
brand and style of lock that is being used and where it hits the
frizzen.
There’s always the question of which is best flint: knapped,
cut, agate, black English, or manufactured flints? I have used
everything available, and they all work. It's more of personal
preference, I prefer the black English or French amber flints.
A quality lock
versus a junk lock is a no brainier. How fast the hammer falls
doesn't determine how fast the pistol or rifle fires. There are
many things that affect the ignition on a flintlock. Condition of
the frizzen, placement of the touch hole or liner, shape of the
touch hole‘s interior, sharpness of flint all together determine
how fast a flintlock will fire. A rifle with the fastest lock that
throws only one or two sparks into the priming powder will not
fire as fast as a rifle with a slower lock that throws fifty
sparks in the pan. How fast the hammer falls is not that important
to the average shooter. How fast the rifle fires after the hammer
falls is the most important issue to the us.
Flints &
Knapping
A sharp flint is absolutely a must for good performance from
your flintlock. The fastest lock time cannot compensate for a dull
flint. An
old friend showed me years ago a simple and quick method to knap a
dull flint. The knapping tool was a piece of brass rod 1/2"
in diameter by two inches long. To use the brass tool, the hammer
of the lock is placed at half cock with the frizzen open and the
pan empty of priming powder and weapon unloaded. The piece of
brass is held at a slight angle to the face of the flint. Hit the
cutting edge of the flint with a sharp rap from the piece of
brass. Dwayne uses the handle of his Green River knife. The bottom
of the flint face will flake off, leaving a sharp new cutting
edge. Two or three sharp raps may be necessary for the desired
clean, sharp edge you want.
A word of caution: NEVER test the sparking of a
new or sharpened flint on a loaded gun, even if there is no
prime in the pan. CAUTION use only brass or bronze
to prevent sparks. Aluminum is too light to be effective, and
steel could produces unwanted sparks. The brass doesn't have to
be 3/4" in diameter, and it doesn't have to be round. Any
diameter or shape from 1/2" to 3/4" will work fine.
Plus the piece of brass fits very nicely in your possible bag or
shooting box and can be found quickly.
Years ago we have watched people that never learned how to knap
their flints, just throw them away replacing them with new
ones. Back then flints were 15-20 cents each, but today the cost
of a good English flint is a $1 or more. Learn to knap the edge on
your dull flints and get your money's worth.
Touch Holes
& Liners
Usually the general thought is, "If there is a hole
through the barrel to the main powder charge the rifle will fire
just fine." This is true, but the results may not be what you
want. A proper touch hole (vent) liner is critical to the speed
that a flintlock will fire. I like permanent touch hole liners in
my rifles. My experience has been that the liners with screwdriver
slots or the hex head screws tend to collect fouling and slow down
your ignition. I like the type that requires using a nipple wrench
for installation and filing off the excess lug so it's flush with
the barrel flat. The more times you screw a liner or nipple in and
out of your rifle or pistol, the looser it becomes. This common
practice stresses and wears the threads and increases the
possibility of cross threading. That leads to failure. Usually
"blow outs" of liners and nipples are the result of
shooters frequently removing and reinstalling these items. To
replace a permanent liner, just drill out the hole in the liner
and remove it with an Easy-Out.
The inside of the liner should have a funnel-shaped interior
not a straight tube. Think about this: powder will go into a
funnel easier than into a tube. After drilling the diameter hole
that you want, use a cone or "Christmas tree"
shaped carbide cutter to shape the internal part of the liner to a
funnel shape. After the liner is installed in the barrel, I seen
some guys put a shallow cup shape in the outside face of the
liner with a ball type carbide cutter. With this type of liner I
can usually see powder grains in the touch hole after loading the
rifle. I don't "pick" the hole before shooting, flashes
in the pan are very rare. This internal shape of the liner appears
to create a self cleaning action. The ignition is super fast, and
I have never had a liner blow out.
The hole in a percussion nipple runs between .020 and .030 in
diameter, depending upon the manufacturer. This size hole is not
practical for good ignition in a flintlock. For best results I use
a liner with a .062 (1/16th.) hole for my flintlocks in .40
caliber or larger. For .32, .36, and .38 calibers, I like to use a
.050 hole in the liner. With the smaller powder charges that are
normally used in these small calibers, the .062 hole allows too
much jetting of main powder charge out of the touch hole. This
causes erratic pressures and affects the accuracy. The lag time
between the jetting and ignition of the main charge makes it more
difficult to hold through on the target in the offhand position,
especially with a flintlock pistol. The smaller hole reduces the
pressure loss from the main charge in a smaller caliber. Replacing
the touch hole liner when the hole gets about .008 larger than the
original hole size, or when the accuracy falls off. A good,
properly shaped liner should last for about 800 to 1000 shots, and
that’s a lot of shooting.
The best hole gauge and vent pick that we have found is a set
of welding torch tip cleaning wires. These can be purchased at any
welding supply store. To check the size of the hole, insert the
largest wire that will fit into the hole, and then measure the
wire with a dial caliper or micrometer. If the hole is too large,
then replace the liner.
Your Frizzen.
The condition of the frizzen is very important to how the lock
sparks with a sharp flint. If the frizzen looks like a
"washboard", breaks up the edge of your flint, or
doesn't throw many sparks, it is time to clean up the face of the
frizzen and reharden it. The procedure that most use is very easy.
Heat treating is not that hard a process. The items you need are:
One wire clothes hanger; "Kasenit" surface hardening
compound sold at several of the muzzle loading suppliers; Two
quarts cheap 30-weight motor oil; one quart cheap automatic
transmission fluid; and two propane torches (one will not generate
enough heat). A word to the wise, do this outside or in a well
ventilated area. A friend loaned me a book on this process written
by George Shimel in 1947, here's his method of
caring for a frizzen. This is as clear as anything anyone has ever
written.
- Mix the oils together in
a large coffee can or similar metal container equipped with a
lid for storage. Three quarts of oil will stay cool longer and
cool the metal best. CAUTION: Do not use water,
because it can cause fractures in the metal by cooling too
quickly. Remove the frizzen spring with a spring vise, remove
the frizzen from the lock. Smooth the face of the frizzen on a
six-inch coarse grinding wheel. Going slow and grind off only
enough metal to remove any "wash board" and gouges
visible. Grind vertically, not across the frizzen. Don't worry
about getting the frizzen hot, you're going to heat treat it
anyway.
- Next, cut a section of
wire from the clothes hanger, about eight to ten inches long.
Run the wire through the screw hole in the frizzen and wrap
the wire tightly so the frizzen doesn't move around. Pour
about a cup of "Kasenit" into a shallow metal can. A
tuna can works very nicely. Clamp one of the torches in a vise
and light both torches. Heat the frizzen until it is bright
red throughout. It must be entirely heated to a uniform color.
Smother the heated frizzen in the "Kasenit" until it
is well coated. The "Kasenit" will melt and adhere
to the metal. Immediately reheat again to a bright red color
and cook it for about three minutes. Be sure the entire
frizzen is a uniform bright red color and completely coated.
After cooking, quickly quench the heated frizzen in the oil
mixture and swirl it around to assure fast cooling. Leave the
frizzen in the oil until it is cool enough to handle. Wipe the
excess oil from the frizzen and repeat the procedure for a
second time. It’s recommended doing the above procedure
twice to assure a good deep hardening.
- After the frizzen is
cooled enough to handle, clean it with acetone, alcohol, or
any degreasing agent. Remove it from the wire and polish the
face of the frizzen with 400 grit paper or emery cloth. Be
careful, and don't drop the frizzen on a hard surface because
it is brittle like glass and can break at this point. Affix
the frizzen back onto the wire and light one torch. With a low
flame starting at the pivot point and pan lid, slowly and
carefully heat the frizzen. This is called drawing the temper
back. Be sure that the color changes uniformly. It will happen
very quickly. When it reaches a soft yellow/brown (STRAW)
color, quickly quench it in the oil and swirl around to assure
uniform cooling. Leave in the oil until completely cool. The
ideal colors are between straw and bronze. If you don't hit
the straw color, but maybe blue, don't worry, try it for
sparking it will probably be fine.
- Remove the frizzen from
the oil and clean with a degreasing agent. Put a drop of oil
in the screw hole and install the frizzen and frizzen spring
back onto the lock. Test it using a new sharp flint. It may
take several attempts before you start getting uniform
sparking. After you start getting sparks, check to see if
there are any tiny metal shavings in the pan. If there are,
you have done it right.
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