Chamber's Virginia Lock redux

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

What are some causes of slow flintlock ignition?

I know the common one is burying the touch-hole with priming charge.  But I also know that is not my problem.  The way the Chamber Virginia's pan is shaped there is no way a builder can set the hole too low without obscuring it.

I've noted now that the slow ignition seems sporadic.  Sometimes it's quick, sometimes it's slow.  I'm having a difficult time predicting it.

So I'm looking for suggestions as to what sorts of causes to look for.

Would a dull flint be a cause?  I've always thought dull flints were the cause of failure to ignite the pan, but perhaps they can slow the lock time too.

Could the frizzen condition be the cause?  This gun has seen maybe 1,000 - 2,000 shots.  There is a horizontal groove in the frizzen where the flint makes initial contact.  Perhaps the frizzen needs to be rehardened?  But I wouldn't think a Chamber's lock would need that.

Your thoughts?

 

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I have two guns with this lock and they are both very fast, giving quick and reliable ignition.  I'm sure they have each seen several thousand shots too.  Usually, the groove that gets cut into the frizzen's face is only hard on flints - it doesn't interfere with ignition.  But you certainly could grind a new face onto the frizzen by removing it from the lock, and holding it against a 6" bench grinder's stone.  keep your thumb on the back, and when it gets uncomfortably hot, quench it in cold water, and go again.  It takes a little while, but you'll have a brand new face that should spark like a cutting torch.
With these two locks on my guns, I have found that the flint bevel up gives noticeably faster ignition that bevel down.  The flint strikes lower on the frizzen this way, and likely produces fewer sparks, but they are directed straight into the pan,whereas with the bevel down, a lot of the sparks shoot forward of the pan. There's nothing like a brand new sharp flint or a freshly knapped one, set as far out toward the closed frizzen face as possible.
This should probably be moved to BP Shooting Forum.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

"I know the common one is burying the touch-hole with priming charge.  But I also know that is not my problem. "

Please say some more about this..... are you banking your powder away from the vent by tilting your gun or tapping it??  If I remeber correctly, Pletche's research showed that burying the touch hole was actually better than banking  the powder away from it.........But, hey,  I am old and the memory is slipping,,,,,,,,So for the first time, I might be wrong..........Check out his site

http://www.blackpowdermag.com/   
"In my earlier article called "Pan Vent Experiments", I examined powder placement in the pan and timed vent locations. I found that pan placement was far more forgiving that we thought. I found that a vent covered with prime did NOT slow ignition as we once thought. In fact priming powder located as close as possible to the barrel was the fastest way to prime."

[Roger Fisher]

What are some causes of slow flintlock ignition?

I know the common one is burying the touch-hole with priming charge.  But I also know that is not my problem.  The way the Chamber Virginia's pan is shaped there is no way a builder can set the hole too low without obscuring it.

I've noted now that the slow ignition seems sporadic.  Sometimes it's quick, sometimes it's slow.  I'm having a difficult time predicting it.

So I'm looking for suggestions as to what sorts of causes to look for.

Would a dull flint be a cause?  I've always thought dull flints were the cause of failure to ignite the pan, but perhaps they can slow the lock time too.

Could the frizzen condition be the cause?  This gun has seen maybe 1,000 - 2,000 shots.  There is a horizontal groove in the frizzen where the flint makes initial contact.  Perhaps the frizzen needs to be rehardened?  But I wouldn't think a Chamber's lock would need that.

Your thoughts?

 

Easily the winner is: Crud buildup in the vent!

2nd place or first 'loser' is fouling rock buildup on breech face with the access to the main charge blocked off from teenie to none!  Keep that breech clean!

[Acer Saccharum]

What are some causes of slow flintlock ignition?

Damp powder

make sure you are getting good spark. In a dimly lighted room(with no load in the gun) spark the lock. If you are not getting a goodly shower of sparks, try a different kind if flint. Locks prefer one kind of flint over another, English, French, or Missouri White-Hots.

If you are getting good spark, then it could be WHERE the sparks land. Change length and position, bevel up/down until you get most of the sparks landing in the pan.

If you have the above in good order, and you still have inconsistent ignition, it could be powder or touch hole geometry.

Tom

[rich pierce]

Agree it's more likely to be the vent than other things.

[Mike Brooks]

Agree it's more likely to be the vent than other things.

DITTO

[Pete G.]

What size vent? 1/16" is about the minimum size for good consistient ignition. Do you have a liner, and if so what does the interior geometry look like? I had an older gun from Dixie with a bronze liner. I used a dremmel bit in a hand drill to reshape the inside of liner and it made a world of difference.

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Hmmm.  Everything I've ever read was that the touch hole should be in the sunset position, or level with the top of the pan, which is how my gun is built.  I thought this was because it was faster for the flame to reach the touch hole if it doesn't have to burn down through the prime.

My touch hole is a White Lightning 5/16 or 3/8 inch or there abouts.  It's big.  The hole is 1/16 inch.

I'll give vent picking an honest try next outing.

There's nothing like a brand new sharp flint or a freshly knapped one, set as far out toward the closed frizzen face as possible.

What is meant by setting the flint out toward the frizzen face? 

Do you want as little gap between flint and frizzen as possible when at half cock?

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

First, the vent in a new Chamber's liner is only about .040" and I always open them out to .0625" or 1/16"  I used to use a #50 drill and open them out to .070" but I found they burn out faster that way, and 1/16" is about perfect.

The closer your flint comes to the face of the frizzen, the higher on the frizzen it'll strike, potentially and theoretically producing more sparks.  that's what I was referring to.