Sharpening Flints

I've been sharpening my flints using a diamond file, and it works pretty good, BUT, it takes plenty time.

I've bought myself a diamond grinding blade for my grinder with the aim of sharpening flints, these blades are suppose to be able to cut ceramics, and natural stones.

Any views on the ability to do the required job?? Or will I only be breaking flints, and spending time?

If used carefully, a diamond file, or wheel, can be used to cut or sharpen flints. But the danger is taking off too much flint.

The easiest way to sharpen the edge is to install the flint in the cock, so that it is between a 1/16" and 1/8" from the frizzen face, then raise the frizzen up from the bottom with the side or your left thumb, until the edge of the flint will strike the bottom of the face of the frizzen, or the " heel " if the frizzen if you look at the frizzen as a miniature leg and foot.Hold the frizzen at that raised spot, cock the hammer, and pull the trigger. The flint will strike quite hard, but at such a steep angle or refraction that the entire front edge of the flint will be struck off, all across the face of the frizzen, so that when the flint strikes the frizzen when you are shooting, the entire edge is cutting steel from the face of the frizzen, and not a few high spots. High spots create vertical gouges, and that eventually ruins the frizzen, or so reduces the number of sparks you get that you need to grind the face of the frizzen again.

If the angle that the flint strikes your frizzen is less than 55 degrees from the square on, you will get horizontal gouges, like the ribs on an old washboard. That will destroy expensive flints, and keep sparks from being thrown into the pan, and result in either hang fires, or very slow ignition, relatively speaking. You weill have to grind the face of the frizzen to restore the smooth surface.

So, I don't recommend using brass hammers( I made one before I got smarter) or other tools to knapp a flint. It is best done when held in the cock, so that the edge is married to the frizzen its going to be striking.

Maybe I'm overlooking something (exhausting day), but why not just knap the flint with a small hammer, or use Paul's suggestion? I do both and it's fast, easy to do in the field, and requires very little effort to keep the flints in top shape. It just seems that filing and grinding is a laborsome process with very little returns, in comparison.

To help with any flint grinding chore regardless of the reason, these Diamond Cutter (grinding) wheels for Dremels are outstanding...go through a black english flint like it's butter. They are at[url] WidgetSupply.com[/url] in the category of burrs & cutters...not 'grinders' as you might first think.
[url] http://www.widgetsupply.com/page/WS/PROD/dremel-diamond-wheel-1/BDL34[/url]

I have found the time tested method of knapping do do quite well, one can often take a larger flimt and when it will no longer work in the particular lock size it down so it will work in a smaller one, a good deal if you have guns with different sized locks.

VERY GOOD ADVICE............

i have found the diamond wheel is good for removing those "humps", but as for sharpening...the natural edge left from the knapping is what is needed.

You ARE using natural Black English hand made flints aren't you? If you are using machine cut agate, they will not hand knapp worth a darn. The agates would be better served with the file or a grinding wheel than trying to chip an edge on them.

I just cannot understand the process of knapping, maybe pictures will help me...

Heinrich said:

I just cannot understand the process of knapping, maybe pictures will help me...

Click to expand...

I'm not an authority on the subject but the way I learned to knapp black English flints is as follows, and assumes a right-handed person:

I lay the rifle down on it’s belly, on the carpeted shooting / work bench in front of me with the muzzle pointing downrange / away from me;

I bring the hammer to full cock;

I place the forefinger of my left hand under the lower jaw to steady things;

As a knapping tool, I use the steel shaft of my short starter at the range, or a brass rod the size of a pencil in the garage;

I bend forward slightly and lightly tap-tap-tap-tap-tap down from above onto the leading edge of the flint, from left to right;

It flakes off tiny little scallops of flint from the bottom of the edge so it ends up looking like the blade of an electric knife...scalloped/serrated on the bottom side but basically still flat and straight across on the top edge...very light little pecks really...just need to cause tiny scallop shaped flakes of flint to flake off the UNDERSIDE of the flint's edge...only takes 10-15 seconds.

But the easiest way I’ve found to keep my ¾” BEFs working without knapping at all is to just flip them over every 10-12 shots when I stop to clean the lock with an alcohol rag...flip them back over 10-12 shots later, repeat, etc...they tend to sort of self-knapp themselves that way.

Hope this helps

If you are going to do any type of grinding of flint, chert or agate with a power tool head there will be a lot of dust created. Do not breathe in the dust:nono: - wear some sort of mask or breathing devise to filter out the dust.

I use a carborundum millwright stone (8"L x 3"W x 2"D} to flatten the "Humpy" flints from my bulk order of BEF's. I have not tried it for sharpening the flints. I used water on the stone and hand rubbed the flint on the stone until a nice flat was produced. Dust was turned into a paste and absorbed by cloth at the next aplication of water. Each flint was ready in just a few seconds of stonning.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, thanks, thanks everybody.

Plenty VERY good advice. I'll surely try that advice on the knapping, it will help for sure.

If I mess up the knapping, then grinding and sharpening will work until I get the knapping working. :applause:

I would only knap an EMPTY rifle and would do it like this:

Cradle the rifle pointing in a safe direction in your left arm.
Open the frizzen.
Put lock on full cock.
Use a small knapping hammer and lightly tap across the flint edge from an angle above and front of the edge of the flint as described above.

This way you don't have to lay it down on the ground and you look cool like an old mountain man.

Heinrich said:

I just cannot understand the process of knapping, maybe pictures will help me...

Click to expand...

If your using real knapped english or French amber flints it's easy.With the flint in the jaws of the lock,I put one finger under the flint to support it then I use the back edge of a heavy knife(my throwing knife),or a knapping hammer or the edge of a musket tool and you just kinda tap the now dull edge of the flint straight on.Little flakes will chip off,just work your way down the edge.I don't get a good clean sharp edge but a sharp jagged edge will cut sparks too.
If your useing a cut agate like Thompson center or cva they won't knap....Hope this helps...Mark

reddogge said:

This way you don't have to lay it down on the ground and you look cool like an old mountain man.

Click to expand...

When I do this I prefer to think of myself not as a mountain man but as a soldier in a firing line trying to get his weapon working again to stay alive.

Those bloody-backs can be awful mean.

as far as tools for heat of the moment knapping go, I carry an old square nail with my pick and whisk to focus the pressure to areas needed for sharpening.