Flint knapping?

[M. De Land]

just know there is a very low return at first, you're doing well if you get 20% a lot of rock smashingView attachment 319136View attachment 319139

The trick I use is to not even start on one that does not already have some the qualities present in the shape and thickness one wants. I buy heat treated stone by the box already slabbed so I don't have to break down the boulders and the debitage from point making is used for the gun flints so very little is wasted.
Also I don't make gun flint from cores which yield blades that always present a hump back flint but rather flakes from debitage (left over) chert that is flat in general profile.

 

[Medicine Bow]

There are a number of gun flint knapping videos on YouTube, the old Brandon England knappers are interesting, one guy has a couple of modern videos with a lot of how-to information.

Brandon knapper;



Modern guy;

Thanks for the links. I actually lived in Brandon for 3 years and just remade the connection to flint. There was a pub up the street named flint knappers. Would love to get some flints from there.

 

[JDBraddy]

just know there is a very low return at first, you're doing well if you get 20% a lot of rock smashingView attachment 319136View attachment 319139

Slowly getting better with practice.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I mentioned using old broken arrowheads for gun flints. I went up in the attic to see what I could find in a cookie tin I had full of them, the tin weighs at least 25#.

I picked out a few from the surface of the tin, not the best stuff, too thick but I will give it a try.

I made 3 usable flints out of the lot, again not the best but they will work, I will try them in my flintlock later today to see how they spark. I have found that some of this chert sparks really well and some of it doesn't.

 

[Eterry]

I mentioned using old broken arrowheads for gun flints. I went up in the attic to see what I could find in a cookie tin I had full of them, the tin weighs at least 25#.

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I picked out a few from the surface of the tin, not the best stuff, too thick but I will give it a try.

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I made 3 usable flints out of the lot, again not the best but they will work, I will try them in my flintlock later today to see how they spark. I have found that some of this chert sparks really well and some of it doesn't.

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Eric, do you think the color of the chert has any bearing on sparking ability?
I've heard some refuse to use a light color flint, some hate the dark flints.

 

[bldtrailer]

all flint/chert is silica (glass, sand) it's the surrounding minerals that makes the color

 

[JDBraddy]

Eric, do you think the color of the chert has any bearing on sparking ability?
I've heard some refuse to use a light color flint, some hate the dark flints.

I don't know, but doubt color makes as much difference as texture, I notice that chert is usually encased and interlaced with limestone, and have noticed some of the stone has a gritty texture, like limestone or sandstone, instead of a slick shiney or glassy texture, and the gritty texture stone, still sparks well, but doesn't flake cleanly, and crumbles or fractures more quickly.I have started discarding stones that I fracture and find they have a gritty texture inside.

 

[Eterry]

I don't know, but doubt color makes as much difference as texture, I notice that chert is usually encased and interlaced with limestone, and have noticed some of the stone has a gritty texture, like limestone or sandstone, instead of a slick shiney or glassy texture, and the gritty texture stone, still sparks well, but doesn't flake cleanly, and crumbles or fractures more quickly.I have started discarding stones that I fracture and find they have a gritty texture inside.

It was a limestone quarry on my farm, a small one but nonetheless. I'm hoping the huge boulders pushed out of it are chert encased limestone. I'm going to try to get down there this weekend.

 

[JDBraddy]

Some rocks do flake better than others, got all this from one baseball sized rock.

 

[Eterry]

On a tangent several years ago I found online a rotted canvas bag of what supposed to be sunken musket flints. I don't recall the ship, or details, but was a reasonable price, so i jumped on it. It came in a heavy plastic bag, with pieces of rotted canvas in it. About 75 LARGE flints or so, a few way too big for gun locks, maybe fire starters.
I stumbled across them last weekend. In the shop. Never thought to take pics.

 

[Gtrubicon]

I’d love to get my hands on some of these rocks to try my hand at flint knapping, if had some small success with a few river rocks I broke open. We have tons of quartz here but it’s very brittle. I own a granite countertop business and have every tool under the sun to cut, shape and polish any stone. I’ve been doing it for 31 years. I just need the right rocks to give it a go.

 

[JDBraddy]

I’d love to get my hands on some of these rocks to try my hand at flint knapping, if had some small success with a few river rocks I broke open. We have tons of quartz here but it’s very brittle. I own a granite countertop business and have every tool under the sun to cut, shape and polish any stone. I’ve been doing it for 31 years. I just need the right rocks to give it a go.

I originally bought a flintlock because I couldn't find caps, found buying English flints just as expensive if not as hard to find, and wanted to learn to do it myself, like our ancestors, quickly becoming a lost art, and am blessed to live in an area where just about every rock I pick-up is Chert. Have probably made a five year supply of gun flints, just trying to learn how to work the stone. Only tool I have is a non-sparking brass hammer I bought for this purpose. I know taking pictures of them is silly, but don't care, am kind of proud of what I've learned so farr. If you want stone, and will pay the shipping cost, will send you a bucket or two.

Not really equipped to handle the big stuff you're probably used to.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Congrats to all who do it yerself.

 

[Banjoman]

Found this rock behind the barn this morning.

Using a hammer stone, I knocked out a couple flints in less time than it took to make this post.

 

[Banjoman]

Here’s the flint on the left inthe previous picture. 27 shots and no misfires in a Chambers .62 caliber flintlock. It’s still sharp and good for more.

 

[sportster73hp]

I originally bought a flintlock because I couldn't find caps, found buying English flints just as expensive if not as hard to find, and wanted to learn to do it myself, like our ancestors, quickly becoming a lost art, and am blessed to live in an area where just about every rock I pick-up is Chert. Have probably made a five year supply of gun flints, just trying to learn how to work the stone. Only tool I have is a non-sparking brass hammer I bought for this purpose. I know taking pictures of them is silly, but don't care, am kind of proud of what I've learned so farr. If you want stone, and will pay the shipping cost, will send you a bucket or two.
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Not really equipped to handle the big stuff you're probably used to.
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Cool!
Is that last picture flint or just limestone?

 

[JDBraddy]

Cool!
Is that last picture flint or just limestone?

Never know till you Crack it open, an my isn't that big!