Flint Location

[Zonie]

I hold the flint in the cock using 1/16 inch thick leather wrapped around the back and this works alright for me.
It could be just my luck but whatever, I sometimes get short flints. By that I mean the width is good for the frizzen but when I put the cock on half cock and adjust the flint so that it is just touching the frizzen and square with it, the back of the flint is too far foward to have any support. This occures bevel up or bevel down and this happens in my Sylar and my L&R locks.
I have been placing wooden match-sticks in the leather pocket at the back of the flint so the screw will act as a stop and keep the flint from moving back into the cock when firing.
I'm sure I'm not alone with this problem so what do you do to keep the flint from moving?

 

[musketman]

I use flint, a small broken chunck from an old gun flint to act as my spacer during these shorter times. (trying to squeeze out a few more shots from the old Bess.)

Lead strips will work well too, you can get them from making homemade round balls when you pour the lead into the molds.

Some of the excess lead from spure of your round ball mold (once cooled) can be made into a flint stop by hammering and folding the metal.

More often than not, I will just replace it with a new flint.

 

[Rancocas]

I've occassionally used a small stick. In fact, just yesterday I was doing some practice work with a flintlock and having trouble with the flint working loose. A tiny stick behind the flint took care of the problem. I guess its the same principle as using a toothpick.
I once tried hammering out a thin piece of lead and using that instead of leather to hold the flint. I had read somewhere that some of the old timers did that, and thought the lead gripped the flint better than leather.
However, I found that I prefer using leather. I think the leather holds better than the lead.
Have any of you tried that?

 

[Birddog6]

I have not had this problem before. All of the flints I get are English flints from October Country & it is amazing how consistant they are in size. Also sometimes they have specials on bags of 100 & give great discounts & they cost about .66 per flint for a 1/2" or 3/4".

I have shot up some 1/2" flints in a rifle that norrmally uses 3/4" flints buy putting a lil wooden wedge behind the flint to keep it pushed forward. I had about 50 of them to use up & couldn't see tossing them, so this worked OK. Also
on most of my rifles I shoot bevel up til I can get no more from it & then turn the flint over & can usually get another 20-25 shots from it.

I think I would separate the flints & then I would know which ones need to be moved forward & cut a lil maple wedge to keep the short one pushed up, then when I depleted that bunch but some that are all the same size. Another option is to superglue a small piece of wood or thicker leather to the rear of the short flints to keep them forward.

 

[2172]

have used the flattened ball to hold my flints for the past 2 or 3 years. Works well, but I don't think it is all that much better than a piece of leather.
I appreciated the idea of using bevel up until worn, and then reversing it for a few more shots...I've knapped a lot, but never tried that trick...Hank

 

[roundball]

Same experience as Cody...I've only been shooting flintlocks a couple years but average shooting 3 out of 4 weekends a month until hunting season starts, 30-40 shots per range trip, etc.

Early on I had read somewhere to use very thick leather so it will compress down around the odd edges & angles found on most flints and hold it firmly...so far I haven't had a problem with flints moving backwards...in fact, when I first started I used a couple dozen agate flints with their flat / smooth surfaces and didn't have that problem.

And as an aside, I also learned that agate flints are not as reliable & consistent as high quality knapped flints, and since then all I use are 3/4" black english flints from October Country...as BirdDog6 said, they're outstanding

 

[weasel]

I too have found good quality flint to work better and have found different thickneses of leather helpfull thin for a new flint slightly thicker as you knap them I get incredible economy this way. Three of my rifle guns take 5/8" flints one 1/2" so they are recycled down to a nub. lead sheets work ok for a few shots but I have found they generally loosen up after a few shots leather works better for me and if it ain't broke don't fix it.
Weasel
Flintlocks if I have to explain you wouldn't understand

 

Interesting discussion. I've been shooting flints for years and for the last 4-5 years have been useing cut agates rather than knapped flints. By the time I've used both ends and I'm compelled to change my rock, it is perhaps 1/4" long mabye 3/8" max. I have never used a spacer of any kind when the flint gets short and have had no problem with it moving. Perhaps the increased bearing surfaces of the cut agates, being that they are smooth rather than irregular, makes the differance in the jaws ability to hold. I don't know, never gave it any thought until now???

Cody

 

[Zonie]

Thanks for the info. Those who use leather: how thick is the leather you use. I'm using some real soft leather which is about 1/16 thick. If I recall it came from a possibles bag shoulder strap and it's rough on both sides.

Am I using the correct method of positioning my flint? I place the Cock on half-cock, close the frizzen and then move the flint forward until it touches the frizzen. Is that how you do it?

 

[roundball]

All that I'm about to say is what works for me in
the redesigned TC Hawken Flintlocks that I use:

I use a dense 1/8" thick leather with some body to it...bought it at a shoe shop.
I had been using 1/16" but it was a soft flimsy piece and I think the more dense, firmer piece compresses and grips my flints much more strongly so that's what I've settled on.

One thing about the thick leather is that the curved backside can take up a lot of room and if I have an unusually long flint, the leather might not be able to slide back far enough because it'll hit the jaw screw.

So I took my thick leathers, folded them over, and touched the folded backsides against the sharp edge of my bench grinder to put a notch
hole in the leather at the middle of the bend, so it can slide back farther against the jaw screw if it needs to.

With most english flints bevel up, I usually just
snug the flint up against the frizzen face to get it square, then back it off ever so slightly.

When using some english flints bevel down, the thickness and/or shape of a particular flint might align the edge very high up on the frizzen face, so I'll pull it's edge back 1/16" away from the frizzen so it'll strike just a bit lower in it's downward arc to get a better 'shaving' angle.

Anyhow, that's how I do it and I enjoy good, fast, reliable ignition in all my TC locks

 

[Zonie]

Wal, jus ta keep ya up to speed, a couple o' days after postin this h'ar question my belt went under.
So I'm a lookin at it an' say, I thin I gota use fer some o y'r hide. This thin is 'bout 1/8 thick 'n tough as owl stuf.
I re mounted ma flint whats in my .54 "southern" an' took her out fer a shoot yeterday. She poked holes out thar in the paper 'bout 20 shots worth 'n tha flint stayed just whar it was 'spost ta. So what awm a thinin is I been a usin too thin a leather ta hold that rock jus lik som o ya thout.
I would a fired more but ah wanted ta move up bout 100 yars n shoot ma .45-70.
Thanks agin

 

[Darkhorse]

Zonie,
I set my flints different from what you described. I buy all my flints and flint leather from October Country. Using tin snips I cut a small rectangler shaped square in the center of the leather. I want the screw to contact the back of my flint when set.
With an unloaded gun, I place the flint and leather in the jaws, close the frizzen and let the hammer down until the flint touches, then squeezing the hammer and frizzen together where the flint is pressed against and square with the frizzen, I securely tighten the screw.
Now I put the rifle on half cock and check to see if the flint touches the frizzen. If it does I will knapp it back to where it just misses it. When hunting I check my prime often, on half cock. If the flint touches steel you have a chance of a spark when you close the frizzen, that means the rifle may go off unintentionally. The flint is never moved away from contact with the screw, and is never allowed to touch the frizzen on half cock.