LOCK ASSEMBLY

[KILTED COWBOY]

I have been looking through past posts trying to find a good tutorial, and preferably a video on taking apart and assembling a Chambers colonial lock. I have no experience in doing this for the purpose of polishing and lubricating. I do not want to screw the pooch. Any help would be appreciated.

[tlallijr]

 This video should help .   TOW flintlock kit update 1 

[rich pierce]

Not sure where this has been documented.  Look above, posted while I wrote a tome.

I pull to half cock and snug a mainspring clamp on the mainspring. I release the sear to allow the cock to fall forward and remove the mainspring. If the spring is going to be out of the lock more than a couple hours I release the mainspring from the vise.

Next I loosen the sear spring screw halfway and pop the spring from its slot. Remove screw and sear spring.

Next I remove all bridle screws and sear screw and set aside bridle, sear, and screws. I pluck the fly out and tape it to a card and set it aside.

I loosen the cock screw and holding the plate over open vise jaws I smack it with a screwdriver handle once. If it starts to loosen the cock from the tumbler, I back the cock screw out more and repeat until the cock is free of the tumbler. If it’s not easily loosening, I use a square brass punch on the tumbler shaft.

Ok now we have the frizzen and spring to remove. Options are to use a mainspring vise to clench the frizzen spring a tiny bit, or pry down with a piece of brass on the frizzen spring tip using the pan as a fulcrum. Then remove frizzen spring screw and spring, then frizzen.

[KILTED COWBOY]

Thanks for the advice y'all. I will take all advice I can get.
You have no idea how many times I have taken stuff apart, let it sit for a while then forgot how to put it back together.
Typical man, as my wife would say.
Now that i am older, not afraid to ask for help. Keep the good advise coming.

[G_T]

For the frizzen spring you can also set a gap in an adjustable wrench, pull the frizzen halfway to closed, slip on the wrench, and let the frizzen back. Now the frizzen is free and the spring is captured in the wrench. As mentioned above, I'd not do that for long-term keeping the spring! But if your spring clamp is in use with the mainspring this is an easy way to deal with the frizzen spring.

Gerald

[KILTED COWBOY]

I bought one of those Chambers main spring vice from Barb. She says it will work on both springs. I do not intend to keep tension on the springs as per the advise here and the lock will be apart for some time while I learn to polish it. Thanks again

[Lzymtlsmth]

If you’re gonna do much of this work or even just cleaning etc. on your lock you need a mainspring vise imho. Yeah, you can use a channel lock or what ever but when you go to reset the spring it’s problematic compressing it.
Btw, I’ve kept mainsprings in a vise for some time with no ill effects, and most of the springs in modern locks are cast. 

[rich pierce]

I had a Chambers frizzen spring pop overnight in a mainspring vise at what I thought was a very small compression. They replaced it but advised leaving a spring compressed in s vise is a no-no so I stopped doing that.

[ron w]

when you leave a spring in the vise, you are taking away half of it's length to allow the spring to flex. so you are essentially doubling the spring's compression and concentrating it all into the bend. normally the spring's termination points allow the entire length of the spring to absorb the compression.

[Turtle]

 One small, but important thing I have found. After reassembling and shooting, retighten the screw holding the cock to the tumbler. It will almost always be a little lose. If not corrected that can wear the square shaft to hole fit.