leather to hold the flint

[gtkupiec]

What does one use to hold the flint in the cock,(hammer)?

 

[1950DAVE]

Yep! Leather, Old shoe/boot tongue
Dave

 

[gtkupiec]

Yep! Leather, Old shoe/boot tongue
Dave

any certain size it should be cut,,thickness,,length etc.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

Buckskin leather. I started out using scrap leather in my flintlocks, then read on line that lead was supposed to offer better sparking. From my observations I don't see that it does. What it does do is loose its grip on the flint after several firings and requires retightening of the screw. After getting tired having loose flints fall out I went back to leather but this time using buckskin leather from deer hides I have tanned. It grips extremely well and I never have to retighten the jaws.

 

[Cowboy]

Leather has a tendency to absorb the shock of the flint edge upon striking the frizzen face.

Also seems to be more reliable than lead in holding the flint in place after repeated strikes.

Respectfully, Cowboy

 

[1950DAVE]

Don't need to be really thick. I use old boot tongue. I tried lead , but as Tom said , continually re tightened. Leather cut to fit jaws of cock.
Dave

 

[Col. Batguano]

The thing to be aware of with both is to trim it really close to the edge of your top jaw. Otherwise, as your flint is scraping its' way down the frizzen, the leather will contact the frizzen up high and push the flint away down lower.

 

[French Colonial]

I used to have a Brown Bess and I found that lead seemed to make much deeper gouges in my frizzen and was worried that I would have to replace the frizzen. The leather worked just as well and I have tons of scraps of the stuff (okay maybe not tons but plenty)

 

[gtkupiec]

Ok, thank all for the reply, I do have a couple of old soft leather shoes i can cut up.

 

[Tom Compton]

Tops of leather work gloves.

 

[gtkupiec]

OH,,never thought of that one.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

What does one use to hold the flint in the cock,(hammer)?

So for a civilian lock, you want to use leather, BUT you want the back of the flint to rest upon the jaw screw. You want the rough side of the leather against the flint.

I use cowhide or elkhide, and there are two basic methods. The top method in the illustration puts the jaw screw through the two holes when the leather is folded and placed in the cock jaws. This keeps the leather from being lost IF the flint slips out. The second illustration simply leaves an open groove for the back of the flint wrapped within the leather to rest naked upon the jaw screw. I've always found more reliable sparking this way, and as extant jaw leathers and leads have such an opening, this seems to be correct.

LD

 

[Woody Morgan]

Someone suggested the leather tag from old jeans.

wm

 

[Zonie]

Leather for me on all of my flintlocks.

 

[CaptainKirk]

FYI Track of the Wolf sells pre-cut leather pads for this purpose in the same section as their flints.

 

[Ponderosaman]

I suppose if you wanted to stop the jaw from loosening while using lead, you could probably put a locking nut on the bottom of the tightening screw. Disclaimer, I don't own a flintlock.

 

[Old Timer 48]

FYI Track of the Wolf sells pre-cut leather pads for this purpose in the same section as their flints.

Don't bother, they are OUT OF STOCK! I guess there is going to be a restriction on flintlocks or armagetin. This hole gun thing is making me sick!

 

[CaptainKirk]

Don't bother, they are OUT OF STOCK! I guess there is going to be a restriction on flintlocks or armagetin. This hole gun thing is making me sick!

I'm good...just got some flints and leather last week. But you're right...this is nuts.

 

[user 49399]

I like to use the fingers of old worn out leather gloves. It’s soft and broken in.

 

[ord sgt]

I have plenty of scrap leather. For the small size needed to hold the flint, I am set for life. And whoever inherits my flintlock rifles, they have enough for their lifetime.