Best Lock Cleaning Method ? (flint)

[Muleskinner]

Just wondering how some of you clean the lock on your flinter?,mine stays very clean on the inside after shooting but gets rather dirty on the outside of course,I normally just use plain water like I do in my barrel and then dry and re-oil ,is there a better or easier way? thanks

[Eric Laird]

I do the same. I pull the lock, plug the touch hole, fill the barrel with water and let it soak while I wipe down the lock with a damp cloth. I'll pull the flint, topjaw, and screw off the lock to make cleaning easier and more through, plus I routinely replace the real flint with a wooden one when I'm done shooting. That way I can grab the rifle off the wall and dryfire a time or two whenever I walk by. It only takes 5 minutes to wipe down, dry and lube the lock, and by then the bore has soaked long enough that I can then proceed with the rest of the cleaning. It's a routine that works for me.
Eric

[sniper68]

I use one of those hand held steam cleaners. After I blast it with the steamer, I then immerse the lock in boiling water for a few seconds to heat it up and using tongs, remove it from the water and place on a towel to dry. While still warm, I give a light but thorough coating of Teflon spray. After it is cool, give it a wipe down with a cotton rag to remove any excess. This method will remove stuff from nooks and cranny's you didn't know existed.

[hanshi]

I do about the same thing roundball does with his locks.  Only difference I can think of is that I scrub it with a toothbrush in soapy water and dry with a hair dryer.

[Roger Fisher]

My routine includes disassembly of the jaw/screw/flint/leather, and the removal of the frizzen & frizzen pivot screw, then:

1. Clean everything with a toothbrush and hot soapy water.
2. Blow everything off with compressed air.
3. Power flush everything with aerosol WD40 to drive of any possible moisture.
4. Blow that all out with compressed air.
5. Use a Shooter's Choice grease syringe on frizzen pivot points and bridle.
6. Reinstall the lock assembly
7. Put in a new dry flint leather.
8. Replace or Knapp the flint.

Holy Canolies

[Daryl]

I remove the lock and use a tooth brush (my wife's) to scrub the lock all over the outside (clean on the inside surface) surfaces with cold or cool water.  I then wipe and blow the excess moisture off the lock and set it aside while I clean the barrel.
When finished cleaning the barrel in a bucket of water, I dry it then blast WD40 down the tube so it runs out the vent, then patch that out.  Then I liberally blast the lock all over, being diligent to force any moisture from under the cock and spritz WD40 over the interior of the lock. Since I use moly grease on the bearing surfaces, it doesn't run off, but stays to lubricate.  I re-grease the lock's moving parts about every 6 months if I'm using it a lot, otherwise a year is OK.  After WD40'ing the lock, I wrap it in a fairly clean cotton cloth to transport back inside the house for ressambly.

[hanshi]

I don't disassemble to that extent, forgot to mention it.

[wmrike]

Once a year I disassemble & clean, and reassemble with a silicone pump grease - waterproof and stays put.  Then after shooting sessions I disassemble the jaw, lightly bush the whole mess under cool water, dab dry, and hose down with WD40, dab dry again.

[Daryl]

I only remove the flint when changing it - about every two weeks.

[bob in the woods]

Same as Daryl. I don't even take the lock out everytime I clean.Often I'll just give it a good wipe.
Usually I'll be shooting it again in a day or two anyway.

[Daryl]

I do brush the cock and flint area well with the toothbrush and water. I've not experienced any rust in the jaws, ever.  The WD40 blast seems to get rid of all the water that remains after wiping it off with a cloth and blowing - compessed air, or just hot air from me.

[William Worth]

All of my barrels are wedged, so they come out of the stock each time.  As the barrel is soaking it's breech in a bucket of water, I dunk the lock in the water and start wiping (the lock), then blowing with compressed air, then spray down with Rem Oil and set aside to allow the oil to penetrate while turning my attention to the barrel, then, when done with the barrel, wipe all the oil off that shows itself and reinstall and R&R the flint and leather on an as need basis.

[Robert Wolfe]

You guys are doing too much work. Just stick it in the dishwasher with your wife's good china! 

[Don Getz]

The easiest way I have found to clean a lock is to do it with boiling water.   I will put the teakettle on the stove, get the
water hot, then pour it over the pan, the bottom of the frizzen and over the cock.....it comes out clean...immediately.
Since it is hot, it evaporates immediately.   I then spray it with WD40, wipe it off and re-oil some of the bearing surfaces,
done.   I only do this when I am at home, if I'm still out hunting for several days, I would merely wipe out the pan and othere surfaces that I could get at easily and go on............Don

[smylee grouch]

Don: Can I assume the boiling water does not affect the springs or other hardend parts in a negative way.   Gary

[Don Getz]

Gary.......no, not really hot enough to affect the steel in any way.    I usually just pour it over the pan, the bottom of the
frizzen and the cock and flint, this is where most of the $#@* accumulates anyway.   I don't immerse the whole lock in
water.  I then spray those areas with WD40 and wipe it off, apply a light coating of oil and I'm ready to put it back on the
gun..........Don

[Darkhorse]

After the barrels clean I turn it upside down to help residual water drain and take the lock in the house, then using hot tap water I clean everything with a dedicated toothbrush. I wipe it down with a paper towel then when I'm walking back to the shop I sling it a few times (don't let go) and it helps those hidden drops let go.
The heat helps dry the rest of the lock and it gets a good spraying of WD-40, then some of Mr. Chambers fine lock oil in strategic places, to include the tiny gaps on each side of the friz. And after the lock is back on the rifle a good coat of Mr. Chambers heavy rust preventative oil.
This is the only place I use hot water on my ML's.
Sometimes I'll spend a week or more in the woods during the deer season and all my cleaning then is on the outside with a water wipe.

[satwel]

I remove the lock; remove the flint; spray with Windex; scrub with an old toothbrush; wipe dry; blast the whole lock with WD40; let it drip dry; apply lithium grease on toe of frizzen and the mainspring/tumbler junction; install flint; put it back in the rifle. Takes a matter of minutes.

[William Worth]

I dunk the lock in the bucket with the barrel (just water).  Wipe if off.  Blow it all off with shop air and spritz it down with Rem-Oil.  Let it sit, while I finish up the barrel, then wipe off all of the oil that shows itself and reinstall on the stock.

[flintlock]

FWIW, when I'm ready to clean my rifle, I remove the lock first (flint too) and hold it under the hottest running running water I can get. I usually use a toothbrush to make sure I get the part of the frizzen that covers the pan. I make sure I hold it under the water long enough so the lock is warm to the touch. I shake and dry it (only superficially), spray it thoroughly with WD-40, then set it aside while I clean the bore. By the time I'm done with the bore, most of the excess WD-40 has drained off. I wipe off any other excess then reinstall the lock.

[northmn]

All the methods on lock cleaning sound excellent.  The breech area of the barrel exposed to the flash has caused me more corrosion problems than the lock.  One of the rifles that I ahd put away over the years before I got back into shooting BP has a good bore, no lock problems but some corrosion around that area.  That area needs special attention also as powder loves to cake onto the barrel.

DP