Frizzen Re-hardening

[Weapontech]

Anyone know of someone who can re-harden a frizzen?
I picked-up a flintlock pistol, but the frizzen is too soft to give me good spark. That, or a replacement would be great.
Thanks for any help!

 

[snowshoe]

Check with Track of The Wolf

 

[DEZ]

You can buy mehenite that is the wrong spelling from dixie gun works and re-harden yourself or Loyalist arms in Canada will do it for a fee.

 

[mooncoon]

I just did a google on mehenite; sounds like they are a mold company? The product that I use is called Kasenite and you probably need an oxy propane or oxy acetylene torch to get the frizzen red hot so that it will absorb the Kasenite. You want to keep the frizzen red hot with molten Kasenite on it for about 3 minutes then quench into water. Would suggest drawing the striking surface to brown afterwards and the lower corner to blue (protect the brown area with a wet rag). Heating the corner is just insurance in case there is enough carbon in the original frizzen to leave it brittle.

cheers mooncoon

 

[DEZ]

Thanks mooncoon Kasenite is what I ment . You are correct Mehenite is what they use for bullet mold at NEI. just couldn't remember

 

[Weapontech]

The problem I heard with doing this, is that the frizzen lower hinge point has to be protected against being heated, if not it will become too brittle & very likely break.

 

[mooncoon]

The corner will only become brittle if the frizzen is over about .35% carbon. As mentioned above, just as an insurance policy against it being brittle, after casing the frizzen face, protect the face with a wet cloth or some form of heat sink and use localized heat on the corner to bring it to dark blue. It is my impression that the striking face can be too hard and not spark as well as if it is a titch softer. That is why I would suggest after casing to draw it back to brown.

cheers mooncoon

 

[Aries-]

you will want to do it in a well ventilated area. or wear a breather mask that can filter out very harmful chemicals.

if its the stuff i think it is it contains a lot of arsenic(sp) and it comes out in fumes when you apply it to the hot surface. (the method they use for putting the carbon into the kasenite uses arsenic for some reason. it holds a lot of carbon atoms and lets them go easly into the steel.)

depending on how good you are with the torch and such, you may need to buy a new frizzen anyhow. (if its not heated properly and cooled it will be very very brittle and could snap off when you shoot it) just a warning. (one of my dads friends builds flintlocks and makes his own locks so he does this a lot (been doing it for a very long time atleast 30 years) and he still gets frizzens that arent hardened right.

 

[Beater]

where can you get Kasenite in canada?
anyone carry it?

 

[Smokepole]

I've seen Kasenite @ the sporting goods store in Terrace B.C.. Also well stocked hardware stores. You can order it from TOTW.