L&R lock sear hardness

[Leatherbark]

I've been tuning on a young friend's percussion longrifle.  It uses an L&R John Bailes style lock.  I had to buy him a new sear as the sear bar was broken off.  The sear I bought from T.O.W looks "as cast".  Are these already hardened and tempered? The casting will need cleaned up and polished some first. If not hardened how hot should I heat it and what should I quench it in?  And then temper in the oven at a certain temp for a certain amount of time?

Thank You

Bo

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I doubt it's been heat treated.  Fit it, polish it, heat it red, quench in oil, re-polish it, temper it to dark straw/brown.  Probably not correct - just what I'd do.

[Mark Elliott]

I temper sears and tumblers to 500 F .

[Scott Bumpus]

Call L&R and ask them.  They know what kind of steel was used and the proper tempering method. 

[galamb]

This is how the part is described at Track-

sear, wax cast steel, tempered, use 6-40 screw

[Acer Saccharum]

Part will be easiest to work in the annealed state. But the part is supplied hardened.

Heat dull red, and bury in a tin can of dry wood ash. Let cool several hours before working.

I do this with frizzens, because soft, they are so easy to file. Hard, all you can do is stone them for days on end. Which I hate.

Then re-harden.

[Mark Elliott]

Any insulating material will work for annealing.   I use Pearlite which you can get in the garden area of Lowes or Home Depot.    This works well enough for most things.   If I have a piece that I just can't get soft enough with the Pearlite,  I use my heat treat oven. 

[Acer Saccharum]

You can also pack a piece in crushed charcoal in a tin can, bring up to red heat in a fire. Cover the can up with coals, then leave it there to cool slowly. This is how I anneal my frizzens. The charcoal pack maintains the carbon in the frizz.

[Leatherbark]

A big Thank you to everyone.   Great advice.  I'll get to work it as soon as it is colder in Fairbanks Alaska than it is in southern WV.

Bob