Rescuing "humpie" flints.

[doverdog]

I made this post on another board but will repeat it here for those of you who may not have seen it. It is a worth while tip that came from the Dread Wechlo of the Great Rainy Northwest, Oregon, that is. We all receive humpy flints in a large order and find them to be less than optimum for use in our flintlocks. Don't dispair, as help has arrived. There is a little grinding wheel called a Mizzy wheel, that will solve your problems. It is some type of composition wheel that will grind the hump off a flint with little effort. I have done as many as 30 flints with one wheel. They are the size that can be used with a Dremel tool and standard 1/8" arbor. I am attaching before and after pictures of a flint done with this method. I bought a pack of 10 from a jewelry supply place called, not surprisingly www.jewelrysupply.com for $5. The postage was $8 bringing the cost for each to $1.30. Sell a few of the spares at an obscene profit and the ones you keep will essentially be free. Be sure and wear a breathing filter when grinding the flints. A friend tried to de-hump some flints using some diamond wheels he had and they developed so much heat the flint popped and cracked in half. There is very little heat developed with the Mizzy wheel.

 

[musketman]

Mizzy Heatless Wheels- Hard, square edged wheels used for deburring, finishing and texturing. Loose, coarse construction makes the grinding process cool and suitable for materials such as plastic and metal. Can be used to produce a matte finish.

Good tip, beats throwing them away...

 

[2thdoc]

Used also by dentists. Next time you go to the dentist ask him if he's got a few he can spare. I had not thought of using them to remove the hump, but have used them to sharpen the edge.

 

COOL! I wonder if they'd put a package of them in a blister envelope and mail them to me up here in the bush.

 

[bob1961]

if the dentist uses them and on what....and if they take down a flint like that....ouch my tooth hurts now just thinking of that..................bob

 

[2thdoc]

Yea boy, you can really make a tooth smoke with these babies! :: Actually, we use them to grind on metal partial denture frames, little metal posts used to build up decayed teeth, metal crowns, etc. They aren't used in the patient's mouth (at least not by me) Plus, they come in handy for lots of other non-dental related grinding jobs, as Superflint has discovered.

 

[riarcher]

Wondering,,,,
Why not just hammer out a lead ball thin enough to replace the leather used top/bottom? (thinking,,, experienced folks know the lead don't work?)
Be patient,, I'm learning.

 

Lead used to be issued to the French for patching the flint, I don't know about the English. I expect the lead would be les resiliant than leather, since the vibration and impact would compress it and then it might become loose.
; I saw in another post, some guys hot glue leather pads to the humped flints and that is said to work just fine, although somewhat out of 'period'? Grinding them might be a vry good way of salvage. I've yet been able to hold them jsut fine, but the really high ones might give trouble. I tried re-knapping, with mixed results. The mixed ones turned into fragments.
Daryl

 

[roundball]

I saw in another post, some guys hot glue leather pads to the humped flints and that is said to work just fine, although somewhat out of 'period'?

:: However, they fit right in with all my "out of period" TC Hawkens :: ::

 

The "Out of period" remark was made tongue in cheek. No offence intended if taken. Sometimes it is difficult to see the way someone's stick floats with this internet medium. I should have put a winker on the end of that, I guess.;-).
Daryl

 

[roundball]

No offense taken...my reply was the same...I'm just a weekend shooter / deer hunter and for my budget, I've bought and refinished used TC Hawkens for several years now...know they're not a true period specific representation but they're a nice rifle for the money , I shoot them year round and have been lucky to have taken some good deer with them over the years...so life is good. :: ::

 

[newt]

Make sure you protect your lungs when grinding flints.

 

:redface: I was told tonight by my charming & to the point, wife, that I've been taking things negatively & in error for a while now - I've just quit smoking after 40 years of it steady and might possibly while remotely possiblely be a bit jumpy - please bear with me. I feel as if I'm going ::

 

[Rebel]

quiting. :applause: :applause: I know what you are going through, but you can do it. I quit 15 years ago after a lot of years of smoking. Not easy, but you can do it.

 

[Rocky Johnson]

You quit smoking!! ATTA BOY Daryl. Been 25 years with out them for me. Rocky /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[roundball]

That's fantastic gettin' off the weeds...I managed to put them down 17 years ago...it's tough the first few days/weeks but stay stong !

Keep it in your head that YOU want to quit for YOUR sake. You can't quit because somebody else thinks you should, or due to other peoples concerns about 2nd hand smoke, or to save money, etc, etc...but once you get it in your head that YOU don't want to put any more poison in your body, you'll be able to walk away from them and never look back...congratulations!!

However...you are allowed to inhale blackpowder smoke!! ::

 

Rebel, Rocky and Roundball - thankyou very much for the support. It is about time I stopped - having a DR. for a cousin and another is one of my best friends, along with the kids and everyone else involved - I'm glad I've finally decided to quit. 1st thing in the morning is the hardest to get over. That's the smoke I REALLY enjoyed, every day. I've heard that stopping drinking coffee is also good- NO WAY HOSE/!!! Gotta have that vice or I'd simply DIEEEEEeeeeeeee.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I gave up smokin, but I won't give up coffee until they pry my cold, dead fingers off the mug.

It may take years off the end of my life - but they weren't going to be the best ones anyhow.

 

[Xtramad]

I gave up smokin, but I won't give up coffee until they pry my cold, dead fingers off the mug.

It may take years off the end of my life - but they weren't going to be the best ones anyhow.

How are you supposed to get enough fluids into your body if you don't drink coffee or beer? I hear the English drink tea and some people even drink water, but they are all mad. Water is for sailing in, and tea is just fancy water.
Don't worry about coffee, it tans your liver and makes you more resistant to alcohol. It actually prolongs your life.
I've also stopped smoking, I now use only chewing tabaco as I think a man ought to at least have one disqusting habit.

 

[roundball]

The "Mizzy Wheel" gentlemen speaketh with straight tongues!

I decided to try some mizzy wheels, they arrived today, and in just minutes put flat spots on top of a handful of ridgetop flints...fast, simple, and extremely effective!
Thanks guys