Making gun flints

[IanH]

I just started my journey with flintlocks this year but it didn't take me long to become frustrated with excessively thick Fuller flints and the relatively thin supply in general of this subset of an already niche market, not to mention expense and shipping costs. I'm fortunate to live where there is an abundance of chert, albeit pretty poor quality for the most part. The local chert does, however, make excellent gun flints after a fashion. There isn't much information on the internet about how flints are made but a couple of short youtube videos and a small book surfaced after a long search and I sort of figured out the process. My local rock is of a large variety of types, mostly comes from the river and, is in small pieces about potato sized on average. The blade spalling techniques used on good, commercial flint don't work very well on this stuff so I've been working out different methods of spalling flakes and blades from my local material. I've made around a thousand so far and am finally getting the hang of it, sort of. At least I can make exactly what I need to fit the different locks I have and optimize the shape to best interact with the frizzens. This chert is tougher on average than either English or French flint and lasts a lot longer on the softer L&R frizzens that tend to bite and shred the edges of the commercial flints to the point of having to be resharpened in only 8-12 shots.

Does anyone here knap their own flints? If so? Would you mind sharing any tips you may have?

 

[Mulebrain]

Those look good, impressive work

 

[Kansas Jake]

I knock chunks off chert and occasionally get one that looks like a gunflint. I can cut myself regularly though.

 

[IanH]

It's a blood sport for sure!

 

[64Springer]

I tried to sharpen a flint once. On the second or third tap with a small hammer a small flake made a bee line for the corner of right eye and hit my skin.

Put down the hammer, jumped on the TOTW website and bought flints. Happily paying the delivery fee and taxes.

I ain't no flintologist, but I'd assume a shard of flint would cut a fluid filled eyeball open in a flash.

No thank you, Sir.

 

[Uncle Miltie]

I have made them before and the best stone I found was novaculite, or white chert. They were not shaped very well but they worked.

 

[1950DAVE]

I just started my journey with flintlocks this year but it didn't take me long to become frustrated with excessively thick Fuller flints and the relatively thin supply in general of this subset of an already niche market, not to mention expense and shipping costs. I'm fortunate to live where there is an abundance of chert, albeit pretty poor quality for the most part. The local chert does, however, make excellent gun flints after a fashion. There isn't much information on the internet about how flints are made but a couple of short youtube videos and a small book surfaced after a long search and I sort of figured out the process. My local rock is of a large variety of types, mostly comes from the river and, is in small pieces about potato sized on average. The blade spalling techniques used on good, commercial flint don't work very well on this stuff so I've been working out different methods of spalling flakes and blades from my local material. I've made around a thousand so far and am finally getting the hang of it, sort of. At least I can make exactly what I need to fit the different locks I have and optimize the shape to best interact with the frizzens. This chert is tougher on average than either English or French flint and lasts a lot longer on the softer L&R frizzens that tend to bite and shred the edges of the commercial flints to the point of having to be resharpened in only 8-12 shots.

View attachment 230965

View attachment 230966Does anyone here knap their own flints? If so? Would you mind sharing any tips you may have?

Em is perty.

 

[Thomas.bill92]

I just started my journey with flintlocks this year but it didn't take me long to become frustrated with excessively thick Fuller flints and the relatively thin supply in general of this subset of an already niche market, not to mention expense and shipping costs. I'm fortunate to live where there is an abundance of chert, albeit pretty poor quality for the most part. The local chert does, however, make excellent gun flints after a fashion. There isn't much information on the internet about how flints are made but a couple of short youtube videos and a small book surfaced after a long search and I sort of figured out the process. My local rock is of a large variety of types, mostly comes from the river and, is in small pieces about potato sized on average. The blade spalling techniques used on good, commercial flint don't work very well on this stuff so I've been working out different methods of spalling flakes and blades from my local material. I've made around a thousand so far and am finally getting the hang of it, sort of. At least I can make exactly what I need to fit the different locks I have and optimize the shape to best interact with the frizzens. This chert is tougher on average than either English or French flint and lasts a lot longer on the softer L&R frizzens that tend to bite and shred the edges of the commercial flints to the point of having to be resharpened in only 8-12 shots.

View attachment 230965

View attachment 230966Does anyone here knap their own flints? If so? Would you mind sharing any tips you may have?

Man, those look incredible! I wish I had chert or Flint where I am, I would definitely get into making gunflints.

 

[appalichian hunter]

They look good.

 

[BillinOregon]

I am up to my ankles in cherts here in this part of Texas, but hadn't thought of trying to knap a gun flint. The material here is pretty tough, and would likely benefit greatly from heat-treating, but I would not know where to start on that, either.

 

[stikshooter]

I am up to my ankles in cherts here in this part of Texas, but hadn't thought of trying to knap a gun flint. The material here is pretty tough, and would likely benefit greatly from heat-treating, but I would not know where to start on that, either.

Boob tube is your friend /Ed

 

[rich pierce]

I’ve made many thousands and used to sell them. Your raw material looks pretty good to me.

 

[deerstalkert]

spalling blades to knap into flints is the hardest process for me. usually end up pressure flaking alot to get the correct profile. have only once in 60 years or so bought flints. bought some English from October Country. didn't work any better than my nubs so went back to bleeding. flints seem to work better after being baptized in blood

 

[IanH]

I am up to my ankles in cherts here in this part of Texas, but hadn't thought of trying to knap a gun flint. The material here is pretty tough, and would likely benefit greatly from heat-treating, but I would not know where to start on that, either.

You must have moved...lol! All they have in Oregon is agate and obsidian, I have a knapper/rockhound buddy up there on the dry side who I send flint from time to time and he sends me drops from his machine shop.

I'll admit to never having heat-treated any of this but only because I was advised it is the wrong thing to do for gun flints. Heat treating helps the knapping and ability to drive a long pressure flake but weakens the stone. A lot of this material knaps well raw and makes fine points, but I noticed it doesn't spark as well or last as long as the coarser raw chert that would definitely benefit from a cook.

 

[1950DAVE]

Started with a chunk about the size of two fists. Shudda took a pic. Here is my feeble attempt. Tested a few with the little lock you see. They will spark. Flint came from one of my sons property.

 

[BillinOregon]

Ian, yes, I've done most of my bleeding with Oregon obsidian. That said, the Native Americans in the region also made many points not only of various agates but also the jaspers common in my home state -- I have found them made for both yellow and red -- and the material had to be heat treated. Jasper is tough stuff. Of course, they were not focused on knapping gun flints.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Knapping gun flints is impossible. All you get are crumbles and bloody fingers. I know, I've tried.

 

[deerstalkert]

Knapping gun flints is impossible. All you get are crumbles and bloody fingers. I know, I've tried.

it is impossible for me to hide from the warden when i am knapping flints.
she just follows the blood trail! seems i am to dumb to search out my gloves.

 

[IanH]

Me too on the gloves. They get a hole in a certain spot right away anyhow so there's no point anyway, right?

 

[deerstalkert]

Me too on the gloves. They get a hole in a certain spot right away anyhow so there's no point anyway, right?

mine get kinda stiff because i get them on after an attempted amputation.