Soling a frizzen ...

[flatsguide]

How is a frizzen soled ? What alloy?
Thanks, Richard

[rich pierce]

1095 steel is about the best. Few frizzens from contemporary locks will need soling or deep pack case hardening because they are made of 1095 typically.

I use old hand saw blades. I anneal in a fire outside, then cut it oversized. I grind back the frizzen the thickness of the sole. Then cut the sole a little oversized and bend it just right and get it nice and bright. Check the fit 3 times and make sure they lie together nicely.

Then I flux both surfaces and wire them together and braze them together and quench in brine. Then I pickle in vinegar then do cleanup by grinding. Then temper everything at about 450 degrees then heat the toe of the frizzen to blue.

Method 2 is to get the pieces to fit, harden the sole independently, tin with low temp solder, wire the pieces together, heat the frizzen until solder flows and cool in water immediately.

Method 3 is to fit the pieces, drill through in 3 places for steel rivets, rivet in place then do the hardening and tempering.

[flatsguide]

Got it! Thanks. I was most curious on how the sole was hardened once it was attached to the frizzen.
Cheers Richard

[David Rase]

This was timely information.  I am beginning a miquelet lock build and one of the features of these locks is a removable battery face.  The face is dovetailed into the battery and held in place with a screw.  I was going to anneal a piece of file but since I stopped making springs with 1095 and switched to 1085 I think I have a piece of 1095 wide enough to use.  I would think 1085 would also work for the face.
David

[B.Barker]

I have used 1084 on a couple of frizzens. Mostly because it's what I have in the shop all the time. It has been a very good sparking sole for frizzens though and would use it again.

[Rich]

I used 1095 to resole a frizzen on a mountain rifle. I did not want to risk screwing up the temper on the original frizzen toe, etc. I shaped the 1095 to fit, and drilled a rivet hole on the top and two on each side. I then hardened the 1095. I believe the temp for hardening is the same as the melting point of salt. I used a coffee can forge. I put a little pile of salt off to the side in the forge. When it melted, I pulled the 1095 sole out and tempered it. I then soldered and riveted the sole to the old frizzen. It's been a couple of years now with no problems.   

[Rich]

The rivets were made from small nails.

[Dennis Glazener]

Dale Johnson resoled the frizzen on an original Golcher flintlock for me. He used an old clock spring and now it really spark well.
Dennis