Carbide or Ceramic

[mpayne532]

A few years back an old black powder shooter was telling me that there was a shortage of flints at one time. He said that many shooters tried, with success, using broken pieces of Corning Wear cookwear. Those of you that are "pc" in your thinking have forgotten your history. Fint and more so pyrite was a controlled commodity in years gone by. Flintlock shooters have used other materials to get a spark. Jasper, chert, quartz, obsidian, and yes broken pieces of ceramic.

 

[bnail]

A few years back an old black powder shooter was telling me that there was a shortage of flints at one time. He said that many shooters tried, with success, using broken pieces of Corning Wear cookwear. Those of you that are "pc" in your thinking have forgotten your history. Fint and more so pyrite was a controlled commodity in years gone by. Flintlock shooters have used other materials to get a spark. Jasper, chert, quartz, obsidian, and yes broken pieces of ceramic.

Why don't you enlighten us on our history and the unavibility of flint. Also, don't forget to cite your sources I'd love to see where you're getting your info.

 

[rebel727]

If flint gets too hard to obtain just go find a creek with outcroppings of limestone. Where you find a lot of limestone you usually find flint.

 

[bnail]

You reminded me of something with that Rebel. I was on a dig one time up here in "Da UP," when when we kept unerathing flint shards (neolithic I believe) there just is not that much flint up here I don't believe and my assertion was that it was introduced by intertribal interactions. the Archeologists didn't even give it a thought as they were convinced it was acquired by stream deposits. kinda makes ya go "HMMMM" :hmm:

 

[paulvallandigham]

The makeup( composition) of the flint will tell geologists where the flint originated, within a fairly small geographic area. I can't believe someone would think that what you found was not evidence of inter tribal trading. We now know that artifacts from Mexico have been located all over the northern states and in Canada. I have a friend who found an amulet here in Central Illinois, that came from Mexico, as the stone is not located in the U.S. Experienced flint knappers can tell you at a glance where a flint comes from. And, there are experimental archeologists who can look at an ancient point and tell you where it was made, as there are different styles, shapes, and patterns of knapping that can be seen by a trained eye.

Much of the flint found in Limestone deposits is very soft, and must be tempered if it is to be used to make sparks.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Much of the flint found in Limestone deposits is very soft, and must be tempered if it is to be used to make sparks.


Is my understanding that flint is fire treated to enhance the knapping qualities, not the hardness.

Flint, chert, jasper, agate, petrified wood and several others are all just chalcedony by other names.

 

[Twisted_1in66]

The makeup( composition) of the flint will tell geologists where the flint originated, within a fairly small geographic area. I can't believe someone would think that what you found was not evidence of inter tribal trading. We now know that artifacts from Mexico have been located all over the northern states and in Canada. I have a friend who found an amulet here in Central Illinois, that came from Mexico, as the stone is not located in the U.S. Experienced flint knappers can tell you at a glance where a flint comes from. And, there are experimental archeologists who can look at an ancient point and tell you where it was made, as there are different styles, shapes, and patterns of knapping that can be seen by a trained eye.

Much of the flint found in Limestone deposits is very soft, and must be tempered if it is to be used to make sparks.

That's all great information except for the last bit about the flint being very soft and needing to be tempered to make sparks. It's actually the other way around. It is heated to lower it's lithic hardness and make it easier to work.

Heating lowers the lithic rating of most, but not all types of chert (flint for the vernacular). I've got the lithic ratings of a number of flintknapping materials around here somewhere if you're interested.

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Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup:

 

:thumbsup: Joe : it will spark . Honest

 

Hi Hack. lonesomebob here.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

:thumbsup: Joe : it will spark . Honest

I've never had a sharp bit of carbide to try, so I'll gladly take your word for it. :grin: