Hardening an Old Frizzen

Loyer

Loyer

CGN Regular
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Location
SW Ontario
My old time musket now has a new mainspring and frizzen spring. I tried to get a spark with a good flint and nothing.

The fizzen has lost it's hardness over the years and I want to re-harden it.

Apparent Kasenit is no longer available. I saw a leather wrap technique on youtube and wondered if anyone has ever tried it ?

Wrap the frizzen in many layers of scrap leather. place in a tin can and seal that can. Put in a wood fire for one hour. After the hour remove the can from the fire put the can in cold water.

Rretrieve the part and Clean it and it should be re-hardened.
 
Brownells lists "Surface Hardening Compound".
There is a product called "Cherry Red" available from an industrial supply company. Try a google search.
 
I bought some Kasenite about 3 years ago, from Track of the Wolf. It was slightly different from the Kasenite that I had bought 20 or 30 years ago but it still case hardened frizzens etc. Try using the "surface hardening compound" and with a bit of luck it will work. How I have done frizzens in the past was to grind a smooth surface on the frizzen with a 6" grinder. The curvature is just about the same as what is on the frizzens that I have done. The purpose is to remove the ripples that form after many many shots. Those ridges or ripples slow down the flint and reduce the chance of it sparking. I heat the frizzen red hot and keep the kasenite on it for at least 3 minutes by the clock (3 minutes is a long time when you are waiting) I usually have to add more Kasenite part way through the process. Drop the frizzen red hot into water and then reheat the striking surface to about brown in colour. I also head the corner of the frizzen where it becomes the pan cover, to about dark blue in case there is a high carbon area there

cheers mooncoon
 
Had access to a nice wood fire on Sunday and tried the leather wrap method in a sealed tin can with brine water immersion after 50 minutes. (1816 Valley Forge Musket)

It worked.
 
Last edited:
Loyer said:
My old time musket now has a new mainspring and frizzen spring. I tried to get a spark with a good flint and nothing.

The fizzen has lost it's hardness over the years and I want to re-harden it.

Apparent Kasenit is no longer available. I saw a leather wrap technique on youtube and wondered if anyone has ever tried it ?

Wrap the frizzen in many layers of scrap leather. place in a tin can and seal that can. Put in a wood fire for one hour. After the hour remove the can from the fire put the can in cold water.


Rretrieve the part and Clean it and it should be re-hardened.
Click to expand...
Sounds a bit like guy lautard’s description of colour case hardening.. should never have sold those books
 
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