What's up with Flints?...

[Bushfire]

I get 40+ shots out of some and 10 or less shots out of others before they look like a boxing glove.

Yes.

 

[User_Dan]

Dont forget IMA flints by the pound

 

[Walkaheap]

We may not prefer to admit it, but dealing with the fussyness of the flintlock is part of their appeal. Like other commenters above, I've found flints last as long as they last. When I get a clatch, I try and sharpen. When that fails, I, change out flints. Overall, I've used TOW as my supplier for years and found them to be pretty decent. This

 

[ike]

I have been making my flints from noviculite (spelling). There are always pieces that would be flakes to through away. If you take an old screwdriver and file a edge to create a L shape in the end you can put your old flints in a vice lay the filed edge on the dull edge tap the end of the screwdriver to chip a small chip clean up the edge and get more shots with it. Have fun

 

[Surfinator58]

In order to feed my Flintlock I find it easiest to buy a couple of pounds of Flint from Ima sort through them take the ones I want generally large English black Flint or the pretty French Amber then I put the rest on eBay in batches of 5 or 10 and make all my money back selling them

 

[smo]

Another vote for Heritage Products.,
I bought a dozen black French and was real pleased with what I got..
They ship a baker’s dozen..13 flints for the price of 12!

 

[Cruzatte]

One expedient I've practiced over the years is this one. When spark becomes inconsistent, I remove the flint and replace it upside down. The natural striking motion will knap off small flakes and return the flint to some semblance of usable condition. Usually two or three shots is all it takes in my experience before repositioning the flint in its original upright position. It's an expedient, not a long term solution.

 

[JBrandon]

Depending on what part of the world you live in you can also find your own. But that might be a little too involved for some. Mid to West Coast America you can find some rather nice obsidian flint nodules (black flint). East Coasters are rather out of luck. I read a story from a guy from the west coast who hunted flint nodules in creek beds. One day he found an odd greenish type of stone. Made part of it up into flints and said they sparked nicely so he made the rest of the larger stone up into flints. He showed one off to a geologist friend of his and he freaked...said he had made gun flints from Jade!

C>

Obsidian is NOT flint, it is volcanic glass, and too fragile to make good gunflints, though it knaps well for arrowheads.

 

[Chingachgook777]

You are correct sir. I should have said "chert". ; )

S>

 

[sturmkatze]

Depending on what part of the world you live in you can also find your own. But that might be a little too involved for some. Mid to West Coast America you can find some rather nice obsidian flint nodules (black flint). East Coasters are rather out of luck. I read a story from a guy from the west coast who hunted flint nodules in creek beds. One day he found an odd greenish type of stone. Made part of it up into flints and said they sparked nicely so he made the rest of the larger stone up into flints. He showed one off to a geologist friend of his and he freaked...said he had made gun flints from Jade!

C>

Famous story in Foxfire V

 

[sturmkatze]

From what I’ve read, there’s a flint shortage. Said that they haven’t been knapping them in England, as the quarries were closed. I dunno, but ‘Tis what I was told.

 

[springfield art]

Yeah TOW is what I use as well. Seems to be one of the few places to easily acquire them.

There's a company that advertises in Muzzleloader and Muzzle Blasts but I can't think of the name offhand; has flints. I'd try to look up some other vendors to try, their sources might vary a bit.

 

[beardedhorse]

I highly recommend against using obsidian. Shatters like the glass it is. Obisidan is definitely not flint. The black, gray and brown "flint" from Texas is really a chert. Georgetown, Edwards Plateau, Root Beer, Knife River, Fort Hood area all make good gun flints. With a diamond saw you can make serviceable gunflints from agates, tiger chert (untreated) and novaculite. True flint from England like Brandon and Grimes Graves were knapped by professionals. Making your owns gun flints, casting your own round balls and making your own patches, lube and powder will mean you aren't at the mercy of suppliers and their prices. I collect dulled beyond knappable flints to put in packages for teaching what fur trade forts ordered and sold. Takes a few to make a thousand.

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

I get 40+ shots out of some and 10 or less shots out of others before they look like a boxing glove. Amber or black ones, doesn't seem to matter. Doesn't help that I suck at putting an edge on them. Maybe I don't set them consistent either.

Oh well, shoot & be happy.

IMHO, Location of the source can determine somewhat in the durability. Nothing in geologic formation is "pure". There will be some difference as to the composition of the flint that will determine service life. With a little "refreshing" of the edge, I have gotten as much as 60 shots from them and have gotten as little as 10. I've seen guns that "eat" flints like a teenager going through the fridge. The lock setup can have a lot to do with it.

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

I highly recommend against using obsidian. Shatters like the glass it is. Obisidan is definitely not flint.

Seem to me that when I was a kid, some joker tried to use a chunk of glass and it blinded him in his right eye. Is this an urban myth kind of thing?

 

[Daveboone]

Having seen some of the historic bulk flints that are available, it sure doesnt look like our current times have a lock on flint workmanship...Lots of those bulk flints look suitable for wall hangars. I have ordered quite a few from Track. Some batches are outstanding, some less stellar. I am sure knapping is not a job that I would want, probably tough in this day and age to keep moral up on those poor rock pounders.

 

[NorthFork]

Probably a tad off the mark of the topic, but what do you do with the flints that have shrank past usage?

If you have a smaller lock, you can knap the larger flints down to fit the smaller lock.

 

[waksupi]

The question that hasn't been asked, is what kind of lock is it? It is likely more responsible for eating your rocks, than the flints their selves. If they have bad geometry, they will not be kind to flints.

 

[user 54092]

I find it a chore to knap a flint in a gun just reloaded. Which is the time I find they've become dull, when else?
I've been thinking of buying the chunk of (node) flint with the knapping tool that Dixie offers.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I think a lot of guys exaggerate their claims on number of shots from a flint. That said, I've had a couple where I got a couple dozen shots out of them before they wore out. Normally about 20 max and it becomes part of the landscape again. I don't even attempt to knap them. To me it's like trying to reuse a napkin..