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Flint leather

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I had always bought my flint leather from Dixie Gunworks. Theirs is tanned buckskin. Not too thick. Recently I ordered some flint leather from TOTW only because I was ordering a number of other things. I recieved the order today. The flint leather was way too thick. I had to open the jaws of my new rifle almost all the way out (small siler) and could not get the flint back far enough for proper placement. Drat! So, I need now to order flint leather from DGW. Food for thought.
I found that out as well. I have lots of leather left over from Moscow Hide and Fur in Idaho. Deer and Elk work just fine.
 
Take a lead ball, beat it out flat to the thickness you need and trim it to fit the jaws

Once when melting some old water pipe lead in my cast iron frying pan, I took a small amount of molten lead out to my welding table and just scattered it. it was about 1/8 thick, so I just cut it with scissors the right width and it really worked well for mounting flints.
Squint
 
I had always bought my flint leather from Dixie Gunworks. Theirs is tanned buckskin. Not too thick. Recently I ordered some flint leather from TOTW only because I was ordering a number of other things. I recieved the order today. The flint leather was way too thick. I had to open the jaws of my new rifle almost all the way out (small siler) and could not get the flint back far enough for proper placement. Drat! So, I need now to order flint leather from DGW. Food for thought.
I didn't even know there was such a thing as commercial flint leather. I pretty much use any scrap I have around the shop that works perfectly. It does seem to be a bit more versatile to cut a hole in the middle of the leather that help nest the back of the flint in and give you a bit more length adjustment. Also flat flints made without a hump give more purchase area for the **** jaws to grip.
 
use lead!
Lead works OK for large military musket locks that have robust flintcocks but it can cause the thinner, more graceful cocks found on civilian locks to break. In addition to gripping the flint, a leather wrap cushions the flint **** from the impact of striking the frizzen.
 
"I didn't even know there was such a thing as commercial flint leather"

If you advertise and promote, it the unknowing will come and spend their money.
 
Dixie offers the lead flint pad
ML0802 Lead Jaw Pad (dixiegunworks.com)
No warning that some lock makers will void their lock warranty if a lead pad is used. Yes, a pad can be made from hammering a ball flat to use as a wrap.


And they offer a couple of pieces of soft leather to cut the appropriately sized pad to wrap your flint in the jaws.

ML0206 Flint Leather (dixiegunworks.com)
If they did the labor to cut the pad, the cost for one pad would likely be close to $5.

I'll continue to rummage through my collection of scrap leather to make the pads to hold my flint in the jaws of my locks.
 
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