need help on flints

[ROB BARLOW]

Ok my buddy bought a 50cal FL. we took it out today after I spent 5 hr reading most of this forum so we would know what to do.
The problem we had was...if we got spark from the flint ,the gun went boom,poor spark,no boom(no flash either)
is the flint in the jaws wrong? It is even on the frizzen left to right,hits about 3/4 inch above the pan. when it sparks it is great.
Where do I go?

 

[Coot]

Two simple things to check:
Is the flint sharp?
Is the frizzen clean & free of oil?

Some locks prefer the flint bevel down instead of bevel up. You may want to try that if the first items are not an issue.

Can you post a picture of the lock or at least tell us what kind of lock you have? Many on the forum have extensive experience with certain makes of lock and may be able to offer more specific advise once your lock is identified.

 

[Samuel]

Welcome
Tell us a little more about the Gun/weapon.

Brand name if factory or Lock manufactuer or style if known. if posible a picture of the lock and touchhole and make sure your flint is sharp

 

[Stumpkiller]

Wipe the frizzen off with acetone or at least 91% alcohol and never touch oil to it.

At half-cock the flint should be about 1/8" from the frizzen.

 

[Zonie]

You mentioned "if we got spark from the flint..." so I'll direct my thoughts towards flints.

You didn't say what kind of flint you were using.

Some of the modern "flints" aren't flints at all. They are ceramic and machine cut. These usually don't look at all like a piece of rock. They are usually very light colored and have smoothly cut sides, top, bottom and bevel. They also aren't very sharp.
Every time I've used these they have preformed very poorly often producing few sparks.

Now, if your flint is irregular and looks like something that was chipped out of a piece of rock then you have the real thing. It may be black, gray or amber colored.
Although this is a true flint it won't produce sparks if it is dull from usage.

A true flint when sharpened is as sharp as a razor blade and it will have little problem scraping off a small bit of steel to make lots of sparks even on a "so-so" lock.

If your flint is dull, use our search feature and type in "knapping". There are a lot of posts about ways of knapping or sharpening a flint on the forum.

If your flint is real and sharp follow the suggestion of the others and turn it upside down.
This will sometimes make a lot of difference.

 

[ROB BARLOW]

Thanks for the replies!
The gun is a Pedersoli, that is all I know.
The flint was put on by the vendor he bought it from. I will see how sharp it is as it is right out of his bin of flints. As far as oil,could there be enough on your thumb to coat the frizzen? We did wipe it with our thumbs.
I did make sure the flint was square to the frizzen,will have to look at how far from the frizzen at half cock, I wondered if the angle might be wrong!
Thanks again I will come back after I check some of these out!

 

[ohio ramrod]

If it is a pedroseli I would try to sand down the frizzen spring.I had two flints that would do nothing but break flints. I would get good sparks for about five tries and then go to a new flint. ( I am knapping impared ). Since I weakened the frizen springs the guns spark well and doesn't break the flints. Also try Rich Pierce for flints you might have to wait but they throw a good spark and are very reasonably priced. He is a member here so you can send him a P.M about ordering some.I am well satisisfied with his flints and recomend them to anyone looking for good quality at a fair price.

 

[Marc Adamchek]

Is the flint wrapped in either leather or lead to hold it snugly in the cock?

 

[jethro224]

At half-cock the flint should be about 1/8" from the frizzen.

I have found that's not always true.

I have a Pedersoli lock that has the flint MUCH farther than 1/8" at half-cock and a Chambers that also holds quite a bit farther out at half-cock. I've never measured either, but it is very obvious when looking at them.
It's more about the angle of the flint-to-frizzen strike. So long as the flint does not touch the frizzen at half-cock you're good to go.

 

[Zonie]

IMO, the closer the edge of the flint is to the face of the frizzen at half-cock the better UNLESS the flint will hit the bottom of the pan when the cock is in the fired position OR the flint is not far enough into the jaws for the jaws to maintain a good grip on it.
A lot of this depends on the locks geometry.
I have one American made lock which needs the flint to clear the face of the frizzen by about 3/16 of an inch at half cock. If it is closer than this, the cock will jam the flints edge into the bottom of the pan.

I've also seen cases where the jaws can't get a tight enough grip on the flint/leather to keep the flint from moving back towards the jaw screw each time the gun is fired.
To fix this, I've been known to add a small piece of wood between the rear of the flint and the jaw screws threaded area under the top-jaw.

By supporting the rear of the flint this way, the full impact of the falling cock/flint will help to shave off some sparks into the pan.

 

[DTCoffin]

this may not be needed but before I wipe the frizzen I wipe the flint also.

 

[Birddog6]

Have never owned a Pedersoli, so cannot say from actual experience of them, and in this situation it appears you may need someone with some experience on Pedersoli's & their locks. Hopefully someone will chime in. :wink:

That being said.......

1: Look in the manual that came with the rifle & possibly it says where to set the flint. You cannot go by the old way of 1/16" off the frizzen face any more, locks are all over the dang place now. Even a new Siler wno't work with the old 1/16" setting, as they have changed the tumblers. :idunno: Try the flint bevel up, bevel down, in, out, try every way to see if it sparks better one way or another. NOTE: DO NOT fire the lock without the frizzen closed. Failure to close the frizzen on each firing could cause the tumbler shaft to break.

2: Use Black English Flints or French Amber flints. I prefer the black English ones myself. If the guy gave/sold you perfectly cut flints those are sawn/cut flints & IMHO real close to useless. If I had to use those all the time I would shoot percussion rifles.

3: Some will say never let oil get on the frizzen. IMHO this is a baseless statement & don't hold water. I have sprayed gun oil of various types on my locks when I put them away & have never to this day had an issue with oil on a frizzen & I have owned well over a hundred flintlocks. In fact, after I clean my rifle, I totally saturate the lock with Ballistol aerosol, pat it dry with a paper towel & put it away. When I get it out, I just wiper the frizzen & pan off with a paper towel, load & shoot it. If it is a good lock & good flint, it will fire. If you have to pamper that lock with alcohol & etc every time you use it, IMHO, you need a new lock. :idunno:

4: You need to find someone that knows flintlocks to go shooting with ya a few times. This person could save you LOTS of time, trouble & aggravation.. If you find someone that knows them, he can show you more in 2-3 outings than you will learn in 6 mo on here, because you are actually hearing & seeing & doing it......... For most, that works.. :thumbsup:

5: Check for local BP clubs & contact them for help. Or contact a local gun club & go there & ask if there are some BP shooters. Ask on here for a local club. Or go to the gun shop you got the rifle from & ask for some assistance or if they know of someone that can assist you.

Note: Whatever ya do........ DO NOT work on the lock. It is obvious you are not familiar with it functions, you don't know if it has a issue or if it is you, so don't work on it. YOu can screw one up faster than the shrug of yer shoulders... :idunno: leave it alone til you are familiar with the lock & it's mechanics & knowledgeable of the rifle.

Also you may want to state wheat city you are in & just maybe someone from on here is close to you & can help you out. LOTS of helpful guys on this site.

Good luck :thumbsup:

Keith Lisle

 

[ROB BARLOW]

Thanks for the reply! I will not work on the lock!(didn't even know you could)
We do have a source in our club, just wasn't available when we went shooting. We will be sure to ask for and listen to all sides, then find what works best.