DISMANTLING & RE-ASSEMBLY  of  a  SILER FLINTLOCK

For your convenience I have included a blow-up of a Siler flintlock below. Also, I am including here the way I dismantle a flintlock for those of you new to our sport. Firstly, rotate the hammer into the full cock position and using a mainspring vise, slightly compress the mainspring just until you can wiggle the mainspring out. PLEASE NOTE: The mainspring fits into a notch up under the bolster; and, a post halfway on the upper spring leg sits in a corresponding hole in the plate. So the “wiggle” is to rotate up and down until the top of the spring comes out of the notch and to pull outward to clear both the tumbler ledge and the post hole. As soon as you get the mainspring out, release the pressure on the spring and allow it to “rest.” Now remove the two bridal screws, sear spring screw, sear spring, and the sear in that order. Don’t worry about which screw goes where. They usually are all the same thread, but are different lengths. Just watch the screw on the outside of the plate. They will be even or slightly protrude. But they should always come all the way through the plate. Turn the lock over and remove the hammer screw. There and are two ways I know to remove the hammer from the tumbler. One way is to use a tool know as a hammer press. After removing the hammer screw this tool fits over the outer surface of the hammer with sharp inclined edges that reach underneath and pull up on the hammer while exerting pressure downward against the plates surface. Good idea, but common deep gouges can often occur from those sharp steel puller edges. I made a puller with nylon faces but it often will not pull hammers that are really tight. I always try it first. If the hammer won’t budge, I flip the lock over the top of my vise, close the jaws down until they just clear the tumbler, orient the lock to sit perfectly flat and punch the tumble shaft out with a brass piece of bar stock I made just for that purpose. To remove the frizzen, open it fully and remove the external frizzen spring screw, then the internal frizzen screw (which passes through the bridle on the pan)and is located on the bolster on the back of the lock. On Siler and Germanic locks (which if authentic have octagonal removable pans), the pan removes by removing the last pan screw. Re-assembly however, is not a reversal of the above procedure. To re-assemble: Install the pan and pan screw, the frizzen full forward and frizzen screw, then insert the frizzen spring screw through the spring and push up on the spring until the screw falls into the hole. Now, insert the tumbler in the plate, fit the bridal over the top and install the upper bridal screw. Insert the sear underneath the bridal and slip the screw in. Don’t tighten this sear screw too tight. Rotate the tumbler with the mainspring ledge low (like in the picture) and with the sear free and not in any of the engagement notches. Start the screw through the sear spring in the hole, but don’t tighten down all the way. Don’t worry about the little notch yet. Once you have it slightly tight, apply a little downward pressure on the spring against the sear and it will “pop” right into that slot. Now tighten the screw. Make sure the tumblers mainspring ledge is still low and re-install the mainspring. Turn the lock over and place the hammer over the square tumbler shaft in the forward position and press on being very careful to stay straight and even. Be careful and don’t over tighten any of the screws. The fine threads will easily strip.