Flint Knapping Frequency

[M. De Land]

A nail notch does the same thing. It hooks over the edge so you can press off a flake.
A copper dents in on the flint edge and creates it's own notch.
Done correctly the flakes will be so small they don't look like flakes at all, just tiny little chips.

 

[M. De Land]

For match shooting spark consistency is an important consideration in my opinion as I want the gun to ignite the same way each time.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I use whatever is handy that will whack small flakes off the flint. Usually a small brass hammer I keep in my range box. Otherwise, back of a knife do, rock, anything. This is not brain surgery.

 

[hanshi]

I knapp in the cock using a small copper hammer given to me by Taylor Sapergia.

 

[Pete G]

The only time I do anything with a flint is when it does not spark twice in a row. Generally a small repositioning in the jaws will fix this. Using this method can often get somewhere around 100 shots from a flint.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

Gentlemen, I am most appreciative of your input. I will try out your suggestions. And M.D., I don’t know why I didn’t even think of pressure flaking the edge. Currently when the flint is dull I just use the edge of the frizzen to knap a new edge. I am well versed in pressure flaking I use to make my own arrow heads for hunting and getting the final keen edge always involves flaking tiny bits to get it. Why I didn’t make the connection is beyond me.

 

[Twisted_1in66]

The only time I do anything with a flint is when it does not spark twice in a row. Generally a small repositioning in the jaws will fix this. Using this method can often get somewhere around 100 shots from a flint.

I also almost NEVER have to knap my flint. The angle of the strike onto the frizzen that Paul Vandingham harped on for so many years (and I've harped on ever since he passed) assures a self-knapping flint with extreme flint life. Trick is to get the flint to strike the frizzen at a 55° to 60° angle when you are firing your rifle.

On the rare occasions where I do knap the flint, I do so by "hammering" it on the frizzen. To do this:

Ӣ pull the cock into full cock and pull the trigger while holding onto the cock.

Ӣ Lower it down slowly and push the frizzen back (opening the pan a little bit) until the the flint meets the bottom edge (NOT the face) of the frizzen.

Ӣ Hold the frizzen in place by pushing your thumb against the side behind the face.

Ӣ Pull the cock back to the full cock position

Ӣ Remove your hand from the cock and pull the trigger.

This forces the tip of the flint to strike the bottom edge of the frizzen at precisely the correct angle and with exactly the right amount of force to knap the entire edge of the flint at one time.

Warning!!!!! If your thumb sneaks up in front of the face of the frizzen when you pull the trigger, you will slice your thumb open. So....don't do that.

By the way, it takes much less time to do this than it does to read about it!

I used to do a lot of reenactments, but my health is not so good anymore. I would typically fire about 70-80 rounds of blanks in two days. At that rate, I might have to knap the flint by hammering the frizzen once every 3 events or so.

Hope this helps,
Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup:

 

[Stumpkiller]

Sounds like Paul misunderstoof the process of "hammering the frizzen."

Pull the unloaded arm to full cock.

Tip the frizzen forward.

Hold the cock with your firing hand thumb while pulling the trigger guide it slowly to drop towards the pan.

With your off hand tip the frizzen back.

When you have just a 1/16" or less of the edge of the flint under the heel of the frizzen press down hard.

This takes spalls off the underside of the flint nonviolently.

Kit Ravenshear showed me how to do this. He was an armorer at the Tower of London museum before coming to the US.

Much less stess on the components and chance of flint shrapnel than what you describe.

 

[thecapgunkid]

Clubs tend to forbid that because some klunk probably blew down the barrel after starting to pour a partial charge and lost his eyebrows. Then the insurance dudes got scared. So now we have another rule. I blow down the barrel when nobody is looking ans once in a while hear the soft pop of something going out the touch hole.

The other guy I always fancied is the dude who once poured from the horn into the barrel. I think he accidentally shot down a small plane.

 

[Swede50]

I tried blowing down the barrel burnt black powder does not taste good yuck. :nono:

 

[M. De Land]

No but as with anything mechanical, using the right tool always makes a more uniform, consistent and harmonious out come.
I've tried all the methods described and the pressure flaker works the best by a wide margin in my opinion.
I'm sure it's a prejudice opinion because I also knapp arrow points for a hobby and use percuss-or and flake techniques regularly.
Percussors are for large work (spawling and large flaking) and pressure flaking is for fine and accurate finish work.

 

[StewartLeach]

Several observations:

As preparation for hunting, and because I just plain like to shoot, I enter quite a few competitions, from local fun matches to NMLRA territorials. I always start the hunting or match day with a fresh flint in the gun, tested with one or two strikes.

If on the line at a match and things go klatch, I first use the draw the flint back out from under the firmly drawn back frizzen technique. If that doesn't get the desired result I go to a nibbler applied much as M.D. has described. And if that doesn't work I dig out the little pouch containing a fresh flint and turnscrew.

Down in the bottom of the shooting bag lives a combination vent pick and nibbler tool. Vent pick made from tapered steel wire is mounted in one end of a 2-3 inch section of antler, with a stepped nibbler made of bronze rod in the other. Just to safe, I wanted a non-sparking nibbler.

When I receive a shipment of flints I sort them into three grades- hunting/match, practice, and try to repair. Only the best go hunting or into competition. The low grade flints are variously modified by truing up the edges, gluing on bits of leather to level out the clamping surfaces, or cutting/grinding the most uneven tops with a tile saw. Caution: when using the tile saw, hold the flints in a pair of cheap slip joint pliers with leather pads glued inside the jaws. I learned this the hard way; there was blood involved.

White Fox, in the Peoples Republic of Boulder

 

[M. De Land]

There is a method to be learned when pressure flaking and edge.
Keep the flakes small and make the edge as square to the frizzen face as possible and each new flake is made from the opposing side for best result.
This sets up a saw tooth edge or ridges instead of a more smoothed off one if only pressing off flakes from one side. It also tends to keep the edge centered to the flint body.
If you keep knapping only one side it will raise the edge each time you do it.

 

[Nessmuck56]

Some good info to try ...thanks !!

 

[Billnpatti]

Paul didn't misunderstand the process of "hammering the frizzen". Paul's method works quite well. I have used that method ever since he showed me how to do it several years ago. I guess it is just proof that there is just more than one way to skin a cat. I skin mine one way and you skin yours another way. Both work.

 

[Twisted_1in66]

Hi Stumpkiller,

The way I described has worked fine for me for years. But, next time I need to knap it, I'll try using your "non-violent" method of hammering the frizzen.

Thanks,
Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup:

 

[StewartLeach]

M.D., today I tried what I believe is the nibbling technique you described. With the cock at half mast, the nibbler was applied to the top surface, skipping a width between bites. Then went back and applied the tool to the skipped areas from the underside. Liked the result. Thanks.

White Fox

 

[garra]

MD,

I took your description and made myself a flaking tool. Went into the basement and cut off the extra tail of a copper ground wire, made a handle.

 

[roundball]

I used to follow a 10-15 shot knapping regimen years ago but realized weekly 40-50 shot range sessions had no big national prize associated with them and it wasn't worth the planned interruptions. So instead I just started shooting my range sessions until/if I had a kerlatch...4-5 quick light pecks on the top of the edge with a little brass rod to knock flakes off the bottom side of the edge and finish the session.

However, hunting is a different matter, I lightly knapp a flint before leaving the house for any / every hunt I go on...hard as it is to get a good 8-10 pointer or longbeard in the sights I sure won't take a chance on a flint...they have to fire first time / every time when hunting and knock on wood, have never had a flash in the pan hunting.

Others mileage may vary

 

[hanshi]

Being [strike]cheap[/strike] frugal, I use a flint all the way down to its toenails. This, of course, is at the range where I can chip, chip, chip my way to sharpness.

Hunting is different for me as well. I put a brand new flint in the cock before the season opens and may spark it once to make sure it isn't a "dead" flint. After the season's over and if the flint has been fired, I then put it out to stud (range practice). If it hasn't been fired I usually take it out and replace it with a worn (stud) flint.