Rocks?

[OverMax]

I've been using Pierce flint for a while. Always a nice shower of spark.

[fouronesix]

Yes, I use some of Rich Pierce's white chert flints in a couple of my guns. They do spark well but flake and chip in odd ways. If they don't chip out on the long axis, I can usually re-shape and re-vitalize them by dressing on a wet diamond wheel. If they fracture the wrong way, I just grab another because they are very inexpensive.

[waksupi]

Rich's flints spark very well, but it seems I was getting a lot of frizzen wear from them. I just keep them for emergency use now.

[Lead Fred]

I bought 3 sawn, and after 8 shots, the frizzen broke. No rifle for 10 months.
Been using chipped ever since, Ive had the same frizzen for over a decade now.

BTW whom ever's video that is above. The rock isnt sposed to run straight on into the frizzen, sposed to rake it from top to bottom
Either the rock isnt at the right angle, or the spring is too stiff.
Thats what broke my frizzen, and why Ill never own another production imported rifle again

[rfd]

....

BTW whom ever's video that is above. The rock isnt sposed to run straight on into the frizzen, sposed to rake it from top to bottom
Either the rock isnt at the right angle, or the spring is too stiff.
Thats what broke my frizzen, and why Ill never own another production imported rifle again

no, actually the flint did "rake" the frizzen as you can see in this frozen frame that shows the ghost of the flint cocked and then as it came down to slice metal off the frizzen ...



... nothing like texas georgetown chert to throw good sparks.

i took the following text off an ml forum years ago, i like what this feller hasta say about flints and his words still ring true for me today ...

One thing I might mention about dressing flints is that I don't do that anymore because I don't find it necessary. Any easy way to knap your flint that I learned years ago from Paul V (please don't ask me to spell his last name) on the other forum was called "hammering" the flint. You do that easing the frizzen up and lowering the cock until your flint just hits the bottom edge of the frizzen. Not above the bottom but right at it. Then, holding your frizzen in place with your thumb, cock and fire the lock. The flint hits the bottom edge of the frizzen and your flint is knapped evenly all the way across.

Another thing you can do to avoid the need of knapping the flint is adjust the angle that the flint initially strikes the frizzen to make sure it hits at a 55° to 60° angle. At that angle the flint will make a slicing motion against the frizzen. Flip bevel up or bevel down, move the flint forward or back as needed until you get that angle and you will rarely need to hammer the flint. If your flint strikes the frizzen at too abrupt an angle (~45° or less) it crushes the edge of the flint into the frizzen instead of slicing, doesn't spark well, and results in round flints, which I believe was the reason for this thread on renewing flints. Conversely, if you make the angle too steep on the flint it will hit the top of the flint instead of the edge and will break off huge chunks of flint. But get that 55° to 60° angle and the only thing you'll need to worry about with your flints is wiping the fouling off of the underside of the flint from time to time.

I also learned that from Paul and it made a huge difference in the reliability and performance of my flintlock. I really do not spend any time dressing my flints anymore.

[fouronesix]

Never could figure out the precise strike angle thing. One thing that needs to happen for best results is the flint should strike about 3/4 of the way up the frizzen face. AND, at whatever angle which doesn't shatter the flint yet allows the flint to do its job of scraping the tiny metal particles off the frizzen face thus creating the incendiary metal sparks that ignite the pan powder.

I've tried about every kind of material for the flint. Most anything harder than the face metal itself will spark by shaving those metal particles off the frizzen face. So all combined, the flint and frizzen have to work in combination for the best result. I can personally tell little difference between various natural stone flint materials and the rate of frizzen wear- either cut or knapped. After all there HAS to be some frizzen wear in order to create the incendiary metal particles that ARE the sparks. Obviously given the various types of "rocks" available that will work, one good additional criteria is the relative toughness of the flint in resisting fracture during repeated strikes against the frizzen. Volcanic glass (obsidian) will shave metal particles (creating sparks) very well but seems to lack the "toughness" for surviving repeated strikes.

As far as I can tell from trial and error, the flint material that really wears the frizzen more aggressively than other flints, either cut or knapped, is the composite man made "flint" that appears to be similar to a carborundum material in a matrix. They are cut and of very dark color. While their perceived downside is faster frizzen wear their upsides seem to be excellent spark production and relatively long life.

[nagantguy]

I've said ed this post to my favorites, thanks gents this is great stuff, looking to go down the flint/trade gun route very soon, as soon as the master bathroom has drywall and running water I'll have a little time and a little pocket jingle and that's what I want is a smooth bore flintlock.

[rfd]

muskets are waaay cool. this is my second that keb at m&h just built and i was lucky to acquire. an early trade smoothie in .58 with a chambers early ketland lock. holy krap, a dry fire with that lock is like an explosion of sparks! i can prime it with 2f and she still pops off clean. with flinters, it's all about the lock and its timing, and the better it and the flint is, the better the ignition.

[EMC45]

Beautiful arm there RFD!

[True.grit]

This is a great thread it should be a sticky.

[Old Scribe]

Have not bought commerical flints in decades. There is a guy over at the traditional flintlock forums that makes better ones than Ive ever seen
At $14 a dozen, Ive got lots of them.

Lead Fred-what forum are you refering to? At $14/dozen I'd get a couple dozen...if you've had good success with the flints.

[Bad Water Bill]

I would like to see how anyone can travel to the location,dig the rocks,clean them,read and split with the grain then knapp them to fit and show a profit for a dozen at todays wages?

[Hang Fire]

I used to haunt rock shows and buy sliced broken or flawed Brazilian agate for next to nothing, I now have more than a lifetime supply. Already being the right thickness, with a cheap wet diamond saw, they are easily sawn as to shape and size and spark like crazy.

[waksupi]

I would like to see how anyone can travel to the location,dig the rocks,clean them,read and split with the grain then knapp them to fit and show a profit for a dozen at todays wages?

For a good lithic artist, they could make a good living. A couple guys around here can turn out arrow and atlatl points at the rate of 2-3 per hour, and they are good quality. At $5 per inch, they would average out pretty good wages. When they were making rifle flints in a demonstration this past weekend, they were generating probably $30-40 per hours worth.

This is some of the work they were turning out.

[Texantothecore]

I am fairly close to Georgetown Texas. Will check some chert.

[Maven]

Rich Pierce is semi-retired, but look at this site for 3 types of "flint": http://www.neolithics.com/gun-flints/

[Texantothecore]

Thanks Maven. I think I will go ahead with a flintlock (T/C?) and if it goes well will go ahead with a Chambers a bit later. Your post is a real game changer for me.

Thanks again.
Mike

[Maven]

You're most welcome, Mike!