Flintlock jaw pad - lead

I've not noticed a lot of difference between the two. If anything the extra weight of the lead seems to make it sparks better but not enough to change one way or another.

Mike in FL said:

I have heard of but never used a flint jaw pad made of lead. My Pedersoli came with one. Thin piece of lead folded in the jaws. Drilled to fit around the screw. I like it. Haven't used it yet, still waiting on some possibles.
Who has used lead? Any downside? Where would I get more? Track don't have it; I seldom offer from anywhere else so wouldn't know where to look? Do you think lead is more for military flintlock guns?

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I have a Brown Bess musket and tried lead. Worked for a few shots and then the flint kept coming loose. Leather for me works very well! I use leather in all my flintlocks and lead won't even be tried again.
Larry

Mike in FL said:

I have heard of but never used a flint jaw pad made of lead. My Pedersoli came with one. Thin piece of lead folded in the jaws. Drilled to fit around the screw. I like it. Haven't used it yet, still waiting on some possibles.
Who has used lead? Any downside? Where would I get more? Track don't have it; I seldom offer from anywhere else so wouldn't know where to look? Do you think lead is more for military flintlock guns?

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Lead wrap on the flint is what was used on ALL the British muskets. Over the years there have been some rather long and intense discussion about whether leather or lead are better for use as securing flint in the jaws of the cock. Search on "lead flint wrap" and you will get at least 10-pages of discussion about it. The upshot is that they both work. After you use the lead wrap for a few shots you will need to tighten down the jaws a bit more as it settles in.

***BE AWARE*** Using a lead wrap on any of Chamber's locks voids the warranty of the lock. You've been warned! If I recall correctly the swinging back and forth of the extra weight at that point of the lock causes premature wear and tear on it, which is why use of it voids his warranty. Personally I've always used thin leather and will continue to do so. The L&R Queen Anne lock in my Early Lancaster works great with it, so I'm practicing "Don't fix something that's not broke."

Don't quote me on this but I'm fairly sure that the lead goes down the bore and leather goes around the flint.

While I personally prefer leather, lead was, by far, the primary wrap used by the military in the 18th Century. That includes British, French, Prussian, and Colonial armies. References to using lead are found back to the 17th Century and through the War of 1812 and Mexican American War.

What were civilian flints during the 18th century wrapped with?

Civilian flints were wrapped throughout the use of flint locks with leather.

The way I see it . Back in the good old days , for civilian hunters and explorers leather was easier to obtain than lead , all of which would used for ammunition . Military had better access to recourses and big heavy locks where lead was no problem . The lighter a cock is the faster it will move , why weight it down ?
I use a fairly thin glove leather for my flints , I cut it to shape , chew on it to soften it , put it onto the flint , set it up in the jaws , wrap it on with dental floss until dry and shaped to the flint , then I super glue it in place . maybe it is not PC, but if I am in a competition and my flint snaps I can quickly change the pre set flint without any time loss .

hammered lead musket balls seem to be the choice for holding a flint back in the day?

tried both years ago lead caused to many problems and parts use leather

hanshi said:

Don't quote me on this but I'm fairly sure that the lead goes down the bore and leather goes around the flint.

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You must have been reading "Instructions to Young Sportsmen", I'm with the Colonel and you on this one. OLD DOG..

I used lead on my Miroku brown bess when I had it and it seemed to me to be hard on the frizzen.
Frizzen sparked great but the deep gouges in the frizzen face caused me to go to leather and I think it worked better.
I suppose if I had a frizzen that did not spark well I might try lead.... but I doubt it, I would probably try and fix why it wasn't sparking well.

Have used both lead and leather. Can’t really tell the difference between the two. However in my flint wallet my flint is pre wrapped in lead and compressed a little. When changing the lead wrapped flint is easier and faster to change than leather would be.
Doc,

I guess lead will lose its grip after some time, I thought about flatting a deep sea sinker and cutting a strip to try but never did it.

Should have added on my post . I just take a 50cal. Round ball and put it in a vise then cut the shape and center for the screw relief.
Doc,

I found some lead flashing which is used in roofing , it is thin and flexible and can be cut to shape with scissors . I tried it for a while and went back to leather .

Grenadier1758 said:

Civilian flints were wrapped throughout the use of flint locks with leather.

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That sir is what I needed to know. I see myself as a woodsman, not a soldier. Thanks.

I have used lead flashing for years and will swear by it. I got a piece of roof flashing sheet and cut the size I need with scissors, fold it in half and V notch it to clear the frizzen screw. The lead flashing is available in good hardware stores and the big box stores.

Flintandsteel said:

A lead jaw pad will void the warranty of a Chambers lock. There must be a reason!?!

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and I bet that is a custom expensive lock that they cant even make to take a lead jaw pad. well done

Probably the best, longest lasting, most dependable commercial lock on the market today.
well done!