flint question

[cmyoung]

Newbie question. Just got a Pedersoli .50 flint Penn long rifle. says it takes a 5/8" flint but all I can find are 3/4" CVA or TC flints. How do I make them short enough to fit? I know I can order the real thing, but I want to shoot now :wink:

 

[FPDoc]

Sometimes notching the leather or lead wrap is enough. Can Knap/chip it or grind or notch the back until length is usable. Track Of The Wolf and Rich Pierce both ship in very timely fashion if you are ordering any flints. I'm sure the experts here will chime in with the real deal answers in a minute, this is just my 2cents worth.

Oh btw does anyone know where to get French yellow flints (For use in Rev war era rifles. Weren't most flints used in American rifles French supplied and different color than english)?

 

[cmyoung]

Notching the leather did not give enough clearance, still need to get it about 1/4' shorter. It doesn't sem to knap like I imaged, as in I can't get any stone to leave, but maybe I just am not doing it right. Would be the first time.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Clamp the flint in a vice. Good edge down and longer flat towards you. Lay a cold chisel against the end of the flat sticking up and about 3/16" from the end and rap it good and sharp with a hammer. If you're lucky it will spall off evenly and leave you with a shorter flint.

 

[bwhoffman]

I'm sorta new to the rock side of things myself, but isnt the designation for the width?
My trade gun takes 3/4. the rocks are all 3/4 wide and 7/8 to 1 inch in length. frizzen width plays a part.

 

[FPDoc]

You can get either square or elongated shape and dang you guys are fast.. I'm writing one little post and come back and there are 4-5 other answers.. excellent work!! Oh are the flints you're working on smooth/cut? They may not knap the same as "natural"

 

[longfowler]

just go to this website:http://www.trackofthewolf.com and order the corect size!it won't get you shooting this weekend, but their service is fast enough to get you the right stuff for next saterday!

 

[cmyoung]

The ones I have are the smooth/cut type. I'll try to hit it harder tommorow, too cold/late to go back outside tonight. They are 5/8" wide and 3/4" long, double beveled in the 3'4" direction.

 

[FPDoc]

You are gonna have so much fun with that flintlock.. hope you get that rock trimmed tomorrow. I's supposed to snow tonight/tomorrow in the Nebraska panhandle. I'm going to see how well mine does in the snow.

 

[Rebel]

You may have problems getting those sawn flints to spark well. If so, don't loose hope or give up on the gun. Get you some good Black English flints from Track Of The Wolf or order some of Rich Pearce's flints. He is a member here. They work good too.

 

[Many Klatch]

You can "sand" it down to the correct size if you use a diamond hone. I have one of those cheap plastic diamond covered squares that they sell at the hardware stores. I have used it to sharpen a used flint, so it should work for you. Use gloves in case it splits, flint shards are sharp.

Many Klatch

 

[410-er]

Here you go FPDoc.
[url] http://www.horstguns.com/page8flints.html[/url]

 

[roundball]

Sawed flints don't really knapp in the normal sense of knapping...they sharpen best with a diamond file, etc, but at best are usually problematic (a.k.a. a PITA :grin: )

The best "flints" are real gun flints, ie: Tom Fuller black english flints...not those flat agate sawed flints...BEFs truly knapp so they're very reliable and have an extended life...

 

[FPDoc]

Thanks for that link. I never would have found it.

 

[Twisted_1in66]

Newbie question. Just got a Pedersoli .50 flint Penn long rifle. says it takes a 5/8" flint but all I can find are 3/4" CVA or TC flints. How do I make them short enough to fit? I know I can order the real thing, but I want to shoot now :wink:

Go to Track of the Wolf to get the 5/8" square (item Flint-Eng-5S) "Tom Fuller English Black Flints". They will fit your flintlock as is. Another option to get you by right now is to cut a circular hole in the middle of the leather wrap that goes around the flint, and center that hole over the back edge of the flint. That will allow you to slide the flint back farther up against the jaw-screw and may give you the clearance you need.

To keep your flint working and not failing after just a few shots, you need to adjust the angle that your flint hits your frizzen. You can do this by sliding the flint up or back, or flipping it over so the bezel is opposite the way you have it now if necessary to get the correct angle. The magic angle you're looking for the flint to strike the frizzen is °55 to °60. That angle slices particles off the frizzen and keeps your flint working for a long time.

This flint adjustment is a real good example of the "goldilocks effect". If the flint travels too little before it hits the frizzen, the edge will hit it too abruptly (straight on or close to it), which will crush the edge of the flint and stop your lock from sparking. If it travels to far, it will impact the top of the flint instead of the edge and chip off a big piece of it. Then your flint will be too short and will also stop sparking. But if you get it "just right", it will work great and keep a sharp, sparking edge for a long time.

Hope this helps,
Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup: