Just a passing story from my youth. Back in the mid to late 1960s when I first started shooting flintlocks, flints were in short supply. In another thread I told about using a small wood block that fit in the jaws of the hammer, drilled to hold two or so busted off Ohio Blue Tip matches as an ignition source. I also found another kind-of source of almost flints. Being a Michigander, we have always had a large tourist trade with a corresponding amount of souvenir stores throughout the state. Back then it was not uncommon to see a small basket of arrowheads by the cash register - modern made and of varying quality. They were usually priced for a quarter or so. I would pick through those looking for the ones that appeared to be flint-like; most were plainly not but sometimes there would be a few. I would bust off the tip and the base, hoping to get something that would fit in a lock's jaws. Sometimes these former souvenirs would actually work! Of course this has very little to do with this thread's subject matter but I thought I'd just throw it in. Okay, back to the main topic.
