Determining what size flint you need
by Rich Pierce
Sometimes the "bevel up or bevel down" question or "what size
flint do I need" question comes up when somebody gets a new gun. Even with
common production locks there is some variability in lock timing, etc and so
it's worthwhile to figure it out. A half hour of your time tinkering with your
flintlock is never wasted time.
Here's my recommendation. Make a fake flint of hardwood. First measure the
frizzen at it's widest point. Get or cut a piece of 1/4" thick hardwood
slat and cut it to that width. If your lock is tiny, use thinner stock. Make
a chisel edge at one end of the hardwood slat. Not a knife edge, a chisel edge
like on a gunflint, so there's a "bevel up/bevel down" side to the "fake
flint". Now cut the piece off at a length 1/4" longer than the width
measurement.
Mount this in your lock with a folded leather piece just as you would a gunflint,
bevel up. Now test it.
Now you have the correct maximum width and the minimum and maximum length
of flints that will work in your flintlock. Use this when ordering or better
yet when picking out flints at a shop or vendor.
Let me add one more thing. Length is what really matters. If a flint is too
short you will have to mount it forward. It won't be secure and if it gets sideways,
will shatter. If it is too long then it will touch the frizzen at half cock.
But a flint wider than the frizzen can always be mounted so some of it sticks
out from to the side of the jaws of the cock. I am always a little surprised
when someone says they used a too-wide flint and it dinged up their barrel. I
guess the mounted it centered up and never thought about doing otherwise.
A flint narrower than the frizzen is not ideal but will spark just fine. Might
wear a little fast, but really, a couple of narrow flints won't really wear a
groove down the center of the frizzen. So when "size matters" we're
really talking about LENGTH. I am guessing this is why Chambers recommends the
LENGTH of flint needed for his locks. Most folks tend to think in terms of width.
by Rich Pierce
Sometimes the "bevel up or bevel down" question or "what size
flint do I need" question comes up when somebody gets a new gun. Even with
common production locks there is some variability in lock timing, etc and so
it's worthwhile to figure it out. A half hour of your time tinkering with your
flintlock is never wasted time.
Here's my recommendation. Make a fake flint of hardwood. First measure the
frizzen at it's widest point. Get or cut a piece of 1/4" thick hardwood
slat and cut it to that width. If your lock is tiny, use thinner stock. Make
a chisel edge at one end of the hardwood slat. Not a knife edge, a chisel edge
like on a gunflint, so there's a "bevel up/bevel down" side to the "fake
flint". Now cut the piece off at a length 1/4" longer than the width
measurement.
Mount this in your lock with a folded leather piece just as you would a gunflint,
bevel up. Now test it.
- Does the flint clear
the frizzen at half-cock by more than a smidgeon? If not, take some off the back
until you have at least 1/16" clearance.
- Take it to full cock
and fire it. Hopefully, no matter how hard the wood, you won't get sparks. :rotf:
But did the frizzen fly open easily?
- Go ahead and turn the
flint so the bevel is down (flat surface on top). Now it should strike higher
on the frizzen. How's your clearance to the frizzen? How did the frizzen fly
open? Keep trimming the backside of the fake flint until you have a measurement
that works, then trace around the fake flint on a piece of cardboard. This is
you "max size template". Make 3 copies and write
which rifle they belong to. Stick one in the patchbox now.
- Now keep shortening
the back of the "fake flint" until it starts
to fail to flip the frizzen open and note whether it fails first in the bevel
up or bevel down position. Note when the flint is so short that the top jaw hits
first (been there!).
Now you have the correct maximum width and the minimum and maximum length
of flints that will work in your flintlock. Use this when ordering or better
yet when picking out flints at a shop or vendor.
Let me add one more thing. Length is what really matters. If a flint is too
short you will have to mount it forward. It won't be secure and if it gets sideways,
will shatter. If it is too long then it will touch the frizzen at half cock.
But a flint wider than the frizzen can always be mounted so some of it sticks
out from to the side of the jaws of the cock. I am always a little surprised
when someone says they used a too-wide flint and it dinged up their barrel. I
guess the mounted it centered up and never thought about doing otherwise.
A flint narrower than the frizzen is not ideal but will spark just fine. Might
wear a little fast, but really, a couple of narrow flints won't really wear a
groove down the center of the frizzen. So when "size matters" we're
really talking about LENGTH. I am guessing this is why Chambers recommends the
LENGTH of flint needed for his locks. Most folks tend to think in terms of width.
