Flint maintenance

[JohannesKepler]

So I finally got my Bess out for a round of SUCCESSFUL shooting today. No hiccups, nothing went wrong, everything went perfectly. (I know right, what were the chances knowing my luck thusfar )

The only thing I ran into was the flint dulling. Now I know this is bound to happen, and I was prepared by having a knife; however, I was unable to sharpen the flint at all with it. Is there a certain technique? Or a different tool?

 

[ord sgt]

I use my forged turn screw to lightly tap along the top edge of the flint. If done correctly, small bits of flint will be dislodged. This usually restores the edge. Another way is to flip the flint over and realign the edge to the frizzen. Either way should allow several more shots.
I have found that some flints will not yield good results. I have had some flints totally malfunction after two or three hammer falls. Other flints have been too worn down and have become unusable.

 

[JohannesKepler]

I use my forged turn screw to lightly tap along the top edge of the flint. If done correctly, small bits of flint will be dislodged. This usually restores the edge. Another way is to flip the flint over and realign the edge to the frizzen. Either way should allow several more shots.
I have found that some flints will not yield good results. I have had some flints totally malfunction after two or three hammer falls. Other flints have been too worn down and have become unusable.

Oh so maybe I was doing it to hard then. I'll keep it in mind. It's pretty dull so it might take some real working. Thanks!

 

[Stumpkiller]

Definately a technique worth learning. Take tiny "bites" with 1/16" or less under your tool when flaking. Spine of a knife works. It's a steady pressure more than a strike.

 

[JohannesKepler]

Definately a technique worth learning. Take tiny "bites" with 1/16" or less under your tool when flaking. Spine of a knife works. It's a steady pressure more than a strike.

Yeah that's nothing like I was doing. Thanks, I'll try that asap and see if it starts sharpening.

 

[Brokennock]

I strongly recommend you, or anyone looking to maintain their flints through knapping methods, familiarize yourself with concoidial (spelling?) fracture. It helps to know what you are trying to remove rather than just banging or chipping away at the edge.

Essentially you are striking/tapping or applying pressure to the top of the edge, with the purpose to break off material from the bottom of the edge, and this material comes off as sections of a cone. Think of the cone like hole a bb puts in plate glass. A tiny hole on the side the bb struck, and a larger hole on the other side. Hint: this is why glass can be a good material to use to learn to knap.

 

[Many Klatch]

Just a note of caution. If you use the back of a steel knife to knap your flint there is a slim chance of a spark. It's a good idea to dump the powder out of the pan first. Also, make sure the gun is pointed downrange.

 

[Sidney Smith]

Not worth the trouble IMO. Flint gets dull turn it over. Gets dull again, remove, toss it, install a new one.

To me attempting to refresh a flint is like trying to reuse dirty patches. A waste of time.

 

[JohannesKepler]

I strongly recommend you, or anyone looking to maintain their flints through knapping methods, familiarize yourself with concoidial (spelling?) fracture. It helps to know what you are trying to remove rather than just banging or chipping away at the edge.

Essentially you are striking/tapping or applying pressure to the top of the edge, with the purpose to break off material from the bottom of the edge, and this material comes off as sections of a cone. Think of the cone like hole a bb puts in plate glass. A tiny hole on the side the bb struck, and a larger hole on the other side. Hint: this is why glass can be a good material to use to learn to knap.

I'm a geology major, so am familiar with conchoidal fracture. Just not sure how to translate it to knapping the flint, it's a whole art in and of itself.

So pressure applied to the top removes material from the bottom? I think I get it, it's not so much flaking or grinding away as it is chipping/pushing off the bottom by forcing it from its outermost edge.

 

[JohannesKepler]

Not worth the trouble IMO. Flint gets dull turn it over. Gets dull again, remove, toss it, install a new one.

To me attempting to refresh a flint is like trying to reuse dirty patches. A waste of time.

Even when I only got maybe 30 shots out of it tops?

 

[Rifleman1776]

Even when I only got maybe 30 shots out of it tops?

30 isn't bad. Some folks get only four or five. Others might get many more. And depends on what kind of flint. My German swan agates seem to be useful for forever and longer.

 

[rdlowe]

Nice to see you’ve made it thru a flint! Muskets usually have very powerful locks that go thru flints a lot faster than civilian arms do. At least mine are that way. I keep one of those small brass hammers (commonly sold as a flint hammer) in my shooting kit. My technique is simple: put the lock at full cock and tap the leading edge of the flint a few times. You’ll see small bits break off when you do and through the “miracle of flint” it’ll leave behind a sharp edge again. A Geologist could better explain why it works, heh. I just know it works.

 

[Grenadier1758]

No, @rdlowe! Not full cock! Half cock will hold the hammer a bit more securely. Better yet is to remove the flint and hold in a small hand vise to prevent breaking out the half cock notch.

 

[rdlowe]

Well, that’s another way to go about it, sure.

 

[hanshi]

When I sharpen I pull the cock back past full cock and hold it OUT of battery with a finger underneath the dull flint edge. The tiny chips will be on the finger pad after "tapping" and the sear/cock notches aren't stressed. I use a small copper hammer/screwdriver tool I cobbled up for that purpose. In a hurry one can use a knife, screwdriver blade, etc to simply scrape the upper and lower flint edge for a couple more shots prior to knapping. I've had flints that could not be made to spark over 3 or 4 times no matter what I tried. And there were others that self knapped and kept going until not enough was left to stay in the jaws; I quit counting after 100 sots.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Just a note of caution. If you use the back of a steel knife to knap your flint there is a slim chance of a spark. It's a good idea to dump the powder out of the pan first. Also, make sure the gun is pointed downrange.

This is good advice, but I personally suggest not even tooling a flint with anything that can/will cause spark unless the gun is unloaded. When I was just out of high school and trying to shoot my first flintlock I experienced ignition without prime. Thank the good Lord I had the brains then to have it pointed in a safe direction.
Scared the pants off me. I will never forget! (in the 60s)
Flintlocklar

 

[Sidney Smith]

Even when I only got maybe 30 shots out of it tops?

Sometimes youre lucky to get 30 shots out of one. I've had English flints that gave me 30 shots, and Ive had some that gave me 10. Ive even had a few that split in half on the second shot. It's all in how they were knapped, and whether or not they've got hidden hairline fractures that get missed. Sometimes just the way you mount the flint in the cock jaws and the tension placed on them will determine the flints life span.

Even if you do manage to resharpen a flint you're only going to get a few more shots out of it before you'll have to do it again. It's like a roller coaster. The first hill is always the biggest.

If flints cost 20 bucks a piece, then yeah Id try to get more life out of them. Since they dont, it's just easier to replace than to try and fiddle with it.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Pressure flaking will make small conoidal fractures on the reverse side that will get you. a dull flint in a hurry. You are better off if you can hold the flint vertically and apply pressure (or strike it with a snapping hammer) at a steeper angle, which will create deeper fractures on the opposite side. The steeper your angle, the bigger the flake on the opposite side.

 

[SDSmlf]

I’ve always used a notched piece of soft steel to refresh a flint’s edge. I typically use a 16 d nail with notches filed into the end.

 

[SDSmlf]

Not worth the trouble IMO. Flint gets dull turn it over. Gets dull again, remove, toss it, install a new one.

To me attempting to refresh a flint is like trying to reuse dirty patches. A waste of time.

I find I can knap or refresh a flint quicker than I can change one out. One of the first flintlock specific basic skills I was taught was how to knap a flint. After two or three knappings I may want to move the flint forward a bit, but typically refresh and go. Depending on the flint (some just give up the ghost real quick) and the lock, I can easily extend the life of a flint by 4 or 5 times. There is usually not much left of a flint when I’m done with it, but maybe that’s just me.