weellock meatl

[richard97]

dear sirs madam
 what type or modem number steel was used to make a wheellock in 1500 1600?
thank you
Richard westerfield

[Acer Saccharum]

Many parts could be made of cold rolled steel (1018) or hot rolled steel. Springs can be 1084 or 1095.

Both cold and hot rolled can be case hardened after shaping and fitting for surface hardness, durability and corrosion resistance.

The wheel? I don't know enough about wheelocks. Is it the pyrite that sparks, or is it burning metal(as in flintlock)

I think there is someone around here who knows a lot about wheelocks. 

[eddillon]

Raz, please stand up!

[Acer Saccharum]

Raz said he was going to take a short vacation. 

Taylor built a wheellock. Very fast ignition system.

[richard97]

 have any of you ever seen this web site?   http://firearm.ch/
thank you
Richard westerfield

[raszpla]

pyrite hardness on the Mohs scale - 6.5. steel must have a minimum of 1% to 1.4% carbon -  harden - not forgive . wheel must be more harder than pyrite . wheel can also enrich the carbon.

[frogwalking]

Richard, thanks for the information on the website. 

The Wiki website has an entry that defines "flilntlock" as the first type of firearm ignition system.  I have to wonder if all of his other entries are so far off base.

[Acer Saccharum]

carbon steel for the wheel, minimum of 1% to 1.4% carbon, and case harden it. (enrich the carbon content).

[volatpluvia]

The pyrite burns.  The hard wheel scrapes flakes of pyrite off the nuget and the flakes burn.
volatpluvia

[raszpla]

If you are doing low-carbon steel -> it is necessary to enrich the carbon

[Acer Saccharum]

In an effort to better my understanding: How much of the below is correct?


There are two different technologies of producing flame with a mineral/rock:

Wheel lock: the pyrite burns. The wheel turns, the friction causing flakes of pyrite to burn.

Flintlock, miquelet and doglock: the steel burns. The flint peels thin pieces off the frizzen. The steel burns because of friction and the tearing of the molecular bonds.

and then....

How much of these inventions were accidental, and how much was deliberate?

[hammer]

Acer, is it not the carbon in the steel that actually burns?   The carbon being a tiny percentage by weight, but a high percentage by volume?   

Always assumed this was so but never seen it confirmed.

[BIGMAN]

Acer, is it not the carbon in the steel that actually burns?   The carbon being a tiny percentage by weight, but a high percentage by volume?  

Always assumed this was so but never seen it confirmed.

It is actually the tiny particle rusting. Rusting, or oxidation gives off heat. When it is a tiny particle of iron suddenly exposed to oxygen, it bursts into flame. Well at least that is what I remember from my chemistry classes. Carbon has nothing to do with it as far as I know.

[Acer Saccharum]

I'm not a scientist. The carbon certainly alters the steel's hardness. High carbon steel that has not been hardened will not work with the flint. Maybe the steel has to be soft enough to peel with the flint, and hard enough so the flint does not bury itself in the steel.

[raszpla]

well you say.
flintlock - burning iron with Frizem
wheellock - the combustion of iron that is in pyrite

wheel must be more rigid than pyrite

onto the fun stuff - I do not zmam English

[shortbarrel]

think  torch lighter or cigarette lighter (iron pyrite???) Made one from a torch  lighter flint and the wheel from a cheap cigarette lighter. put your thinking caps on and play awhile. ignition is instant. just  something else to do when you are working on a FL and get tired of it.

[volatpluvia]

shortbarrel,
I tried making a holder for torch lighters for my wheellock.  It worked to light the lock perfectly.  But when I put it back into the gonne it worked perfectly for the first shot.  Then I had to replaced the torch lighter.  A friend noticed that the 'flint' for the torch lighter glowed red for a time after the shot was fired.  So apparantly the blast from the flashole consumed the 'flint'.
volatpluvia

[shortbarrel]

yep, you are right about the heat braking down the torch lighter rod. had the same experience. use ronson or zippo flints in the cock and figger them as just a percussion cap. i would never put one of these contraptions on a gun i would build. have fun.