Proper fitting of a flint

[bones92]

If the flint gets hung up on the frizzen at the bottom of the frizzen face.... is the flint too long or too short? 

It seems like the angle and shape of the cock/frizzen combination can make for some tricky fitting of a flint.

[chubby]

On all of my locks i set the cock on safe , with the frizzen closed i set about a 1/16th gap between the flint n frizzen. if your gap is to wide you may be hitting half way down on your frizzen not getting enough throw forward.Hope this may help!  Chubby 

[Ky-Flinter]

If the flint gets hung up on the frizzen at the bottom of the frizzen face.... is the flint too long or too short? 

Too short. 

Mounting a flint:  Cut a piece of thin leather to cushion the flint in the cock jaws.  Buckskin works for me.    Pull the cock to half bent.  Close the frizzen.  Some locks like the flint bevel up, others like it down.  The Silers I have seem to like the bevel up.  Position the edge of the flint around a 1/16" or so from the frizzen.  The edge of the flint should be parallel with the frizzen face.  Check to see that the flint does not contact the barrel as it comes to rest.  Tighten the top jaw screw.  Go shoot.

-Ron

[Jim Chambers]

If the flint hangs up at the bottom of the frizzen face it probably means the frizzen was not hardened all the way to the bottom edge.  A soft edge at the bottom will cause the flint to hang up almost every time.
On some locks like the L&R ones with a very short throw, you can position the flint 1/16" from the frizzen at half cock.  But, on locks like we make, the half cock position is much further back, and positioning the flint that close would result in the flint smashing into the pan when the cock is all the way down.  When using one of our locks just use a flint of the width and length we recommend, clamp in securely in the jaws using leather to pad it, and don't worry about how close or far awayit is from the frizzen.  Some locks prefer bevel up, some bevel down.

[Bill of the 45th]

Thanks jim. any advice on other brands?"

Bill

[Hungry Horse]

I adjust the flint length by notching the heel of the flint to set it back, and to span the top jaw screw, to keep it from turning when it contacts the frizzen.
 I agree with Mr. Chambers that the frizzen probably isn't hardened all the way to the bottom.

  Hungry Horse

[Hadden West]

I have a pistol, and had it hang up, just like you describe. I moved the flints, I changed the flints, and was about to give up, when I tried a cut or sawn flint. The problem went away. Perhaps there are other changes that I overlooked but the sawn flint seems to be working. Somehow, I can't duplicate, a knapped flint to make it shoot reliably, so for now, I'll stick with the sawn flint.

[bones92]

This is a Russ Hamm flint lock that is on the Cornell Kemper rifle I picked up a couple months ago.  I am trying to get it ready for a shoot next week.  I am wondering if it has ever actually been fired before.   

The flint I put in it is hitting about halfway down the frizzen face, and it sparks really well.  I have longer flints, but I will need to narrow them down to fit.    Any suggestions on how to cut a flint to be more narrow?  Would a Dremel cutting wheel trim the edge off?

[Mike Brooks]

Thanks jim. any advice on other brands?"

Bill

I doubt he promotes other brands.....

[Mike Brooks]

This is a Russ Hamm flint lock that is on the Cornell Kemper rifle I picked up a couple months ago.  I am trying to get it ready for a shoot next week.  I am wondering if it has ever actually been fired before.   

The flint I put in it is hitting about halfway down the frizzen face, and it sparks really well.  I have longer flints, but I will need to narrow them down to fit.    Any suggestions on how to cut a flint to be more narrow?  Would a Dremel cutting wheel trim the edge off?

Folks don't use Russ Hamm locks for a reason.....My guess is soft frizzen.

[Smoketown]

The flint I put in it is hitting about halfway down the frizzen face, and it sparks really well.  I have longer flints, but I will need to narrow them down to fit.    Any suggestions on how to cut a flint to be more narrow?  Would a Dremel cutting wheel trim the edge off?

A 320 grit diamond whetstone used with water works well.

Also great for flattening the hump on the top of some flints.

If you just love your Dremel tool ...

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Cheers,
Smoketown

[little joe]

This is a Russ Hamm flint lock that is on the Cornell Kemper rifle I picked up a couple months ago.  I am trying to get it ready for a shoot next week.  I am wondering if it has ever actually been fired before.   

The flint I put in it is hitting about halfway down the frizzen face, and it sparks really well.  I have longer flints, but I will need to narrow them down to fit.    Any suggestions on how to cut a flint to be more narrow?  Would a Dremel cutting wheel trim the edge off?

Folks don't use Russ Hamm locks for a reason.....My guess is soft frizzen.

Locks were hard to get in the 60.s and 70.s  and Russ Hamm locks avialible and we used several with fare to very good results. Workmanship was only fare however he did use forged springs.

[Hungry Horse]

Russ Hamm locks, and the Spanish copies that followed, had a frizzen that was a little on the soft side. They sparked well, but would wear out pretty fast. Being left soft at the bottom of the frizzen was also quite common. They have a narrow waste at the bottom of the frizzen, where it attaches to the pan cover, that can shear off if the frizzen is too hard. They often didn't open completely due to the softness at the bottom of the frizzen. For some unknown reason it seem to be quite easy to get these frizzens too hard, causing either breakage, or a surface so hard it won't spark at all.

  Hungry Horse

[Bob Roller]

This is a Russ Hamm flint lock that is on the Cornell Kemper rifle I picked up a couple months ago.  I am trying to get it ready for a shoot next week.  I am wondering if it has ever actually been fired before.   

The flint I put in it is hitting about halfway down the frizzen face, and it sparks really well.  I have longer flints, but I will need to narrow them down to fit.    Any suggestions on how to cut a flint to be more narrow?  Would a Dremel cutting wheel trim the edge off?

Folks don't use Russ Hamm locks for a reason.....My guess is soft frizzen.

They aren't used because they are no longer being made.Any in service today were made by Hamm or another man in Indiana
whose name was Dean Mitton (I think). I made up a number of them over the years but probably not since the late 70's.
Parts are available from Jerry DeVaudreuil in Wooster,Ohio. His phone # is 1-330-234-4500. He has no Email.

Bob Roller

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

It is my observation that a frizzen should snap open by itself once it has reached a position in its arc that brings the heel about 3/8" off the pan.  The frizzen spring does all the work.  If your frizzen does not do this it will likely hang up and not open at all.  Chambers' locks have a nice long throw which stores a lot of energy in that spring, and they seldom if ever suffer from the above syndrome.  L & R's Ashmore lock has a very short throw and a quick action.  I've never seen this hanging up on those locks either.  Lock geometry and spring balance is just as important today as it was in the past.

[hanshi]

I have several Silers, both large and small.  They work perfectly with the flint about 1/16" from the frizzen at half cock.  I also have three Jim Chambers locks, G.A., Late Ketland and Colonial Va.  and this can't be done the same way with these.  The cock throw is long and powerful so I set the flints up to contact the frizzens at the correct angle when they strike and this puts the flints well off the frizzen at half cock.