Modifying a Small Siler Flintlock so it has a more English Appearance
I am known to prefer Siler locks, but some folks criticize me for putting them on some of my hog rifles. And these folks are correct! In it's normal state of appearance, the Siler is a Germanic style lock and thus inappropriate for the majority of the Southern guns. Those guns had a distinct English flavor to them.
The following photographs depict how I modify a small Siler flint lock into a more English appearance. REGARDLESS, unless you weld up the notch in the frizzen and sculpt it and perhaps draw out the tail of the lock plate, the new shape will still not be quite what you want, but it will be a dern sight better than what you started with! Click on the blue framed pictures to see an enlarged photo.
This shows the pan, frizzen, and frizzen arm rough rounded from it's normal hex shape.
Another shot from a different angle. The notch in the frizzen needs welded up. The frizzen toe is rounded, too.
The rounded pan with the frizzen open.
You lucky dog! Yet another pan photo for you! This shows the pan molding after it has been rounded.
I round the feather spring screw head, too.
This photo would have been pretty tiny if I had made a thumb nail out of it, so I didn't resize it. This is the modified top jaw screw. Two sides have been ground flat and a hole drilled for an awl. (This is used when you don't have a knife or a screwdriver to tighten the rascal up.)
The reshaped thumb spur. Teeth have also been filed deeper into the lower jaw.
The sides of the spur have been cleaned up and rounded a tad. The jaw has been narrowed somewhat from the more oval German shape.
Teeth have been filed deeper into the top jaw and the sides have been narrowed. The sides can be narrowed up to the square boss if you desire. This can require a smaller flint to be used.
Here is the assembled cock. Don't look too bad, eh? The Cock screw has been rounded and the goose neck has given way to the later pigeon breasted shape. All this work can be done with a torch, hammer, and files in about two hours. Polishing the parts will require a bit more time and elbow grease.