Flint in the Jaw

[musketman]

How do you install your flint?
_______
______/ Point up?

_______
_______\ Point down?

I use the point up, I seem to get better spark this way.

I have seen people do point down and say, "It don't make any difference."

I think point up will allow knapping in the jaw easier, to each their own.

The point up way will work as a squeegee and force the sparks between the frizzen and the bevel towards the flash pan, insuring maximum sparks reach the priming powder.

 

It depends. I use cut agates rather than knapped flints and in my L&R Durs Egg and my Chambers Golden Age I run point up (bevel down) with very thin sheet lead. On the Chambers which I only finished a few weeks ago, I'm at 130 shots on the first agate and will likely get 10 -20 more. On my 20 gauge double, I run point down (bevel up) with leather and I haven't counted but think I get 80 -100 from each agate. I use the up/down position of the agate and the thickness of the leather/lead to adjust the effective throw of the hammer (distance from center of tumbler axel to striking edge of agate). The geometry of every lock is a little different, even in quality production locks and this adjusts for minor differences.

Cody

 

[2172]

I use knapped flints, and have had luck only in the bevel-up position. I believe I could make the bevel down position work if I adjusted the flint to properly strike the frizzen, but I believe knapping is easier bevel up, so see no advantage. I use a thin lead "wrapper"...in a small siler lock.
Hank

 

[tg]

All of my locks prefer the bevel up, and this is much easier knapping as you need a flat surface on the opposite side you strike in order to throw good flakes, I can use 7/8 flints till they are to small then knap them down and use them in smaller locks this would no work with the bevel down.