Flint won't spark

[Macman]

Guys,

New at flint locks. Got a flint from TOW:

(French amber gun flint, 7/8 x 1" for Fowler, Jaeger, Tulle, Twigg, Hatfield, Chambers locks)

I put it in and It won't spark. Just scratches the frizzed. What did I do wrong?

Phil

 

[Kansas Jake]

If it is scratching the frizzen with no sparks, the frizzen is likely too soft and needs to be hardened.

 

[Macman]

How do I harden the frizzed?

 

[deerstalkert]

things to try.
take your leather and fold it in half. at the fold notch a hole in the center to allow the leather to surround your **** screw.
close the frizzen, and set the flint to about 1/16 away from the face of the frizzen.
clean both surfaces , the face of the frizzen and the edge of the flint well with alcohol, blend of your choice!
pictures of the frizzen face will help.

 

[hawkeye2]

How many flints did you buy, more than one I hope. Is the gun a reconversion to flint? If it's all original the frizzen should be OK; if it's a reproduction frizzen it may well need hardening. Try a file on the frizzen and if it cuts easily it is too soft.

 

[rich pierce]

How do I harden the frizzed?

If you’re new to flintlocks you should find an experienced shooter to go over your gun and setup and learn the ropes. Lots of folks think they need to harden their frizzen when that’s not the problem. Then many offer hardening advice that is widely accepted but doesn’t work.

1) Establish what the real problem is. One flint not sparking when used by a newbie does not establish that the frizzen is soft.
2) Get the problem solved by a flintlock gunsmith who tunes locks.
3) Shoot happily for decades.

 

[Steve Martin]

What Rich Pierce just said.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Guys,

New at flint locks. Got a flint from TOW:

(French amber gun flint, 7/8 x 1" for Fowler, Jaeger, Tulle, Twigg, Hatfield, Chambers locks)

I put it in and It won't spark. Just scratches the frizzed. What did I do wrong?

Phil

You have already received some good advice, mostly the one from Rich to find direction from an experience flintlock shooter or riflesmith. My guess is that your frizzen is OK, but then again that needs to be varified.
I personally think the HF geometry is lacking proper flint striking angle. To me it is too right angle. Prep your leather per deerstalkert, and then wedge up the back of the flint with another 1/8" wide strip of leather stacked on the leather holding the flint. You want the back of the flint to raise so the sharp edge goes down. This will give the flint a better glancing strike. A good flint will make a angle blow scraping off metal which turn incandescent.
Good luck!
Larry

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Think mine might be hitting too square on too. Thanks for the tips.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Who is the manufacturer of your Harper's Ferry musket? According to @Macman's avatar, this may be an original lock. Harper's Ferry locks (originals and reproduction) were notorious for being flint bashers.

Listen to what @rich pierce offered as advice. Do look for an experienced flint lock shooter to help you determine the problem. Do verify if your steel (frizzen) is properly hardened. If properly hardened, does a file just glide across the surface of the frizzen or does the file try to cut into the surface of the frizzen? The wedge of leather or a matchstick under the rear of the flint will improve the striking angle as @Larry (Omaha) suggests.

 

[hawkeye2]

deleted

 

[Macman]

Thanks for all the advice, guys. I have a couple flintlock shooters at the range. I'll ask their advice on Thursday.

 

[ronaldrothb49]

Guys,

New at flint locks. Got a flint from TOW:

(French amber gun flint, 7/8 x 1" for Fowler, Jaeger, Tulle, Twigg, Hatfield, Chambers locks)

I put it in and It won't spark. Just scratches the frizzed. What did I do wrong?

Phil

Sometimes it can be as simple as just flipping the flint over.

 

[OhioHawkeye]

Sometimes it can be as simple as just flipping the flint over.

and making sure it doesn't move in the jaw. I've got one really picky about that, but find I have to tighten the screw about every 5th shot. I really do need to address that at the bench.

 

[45man]

and making sure it doesn't move in the jaw. I've got one really picky about that, but find I have to tighten the screw about every 5th shot. I really do need to address that at the bench.

My friends have trouble with the leather moving so I looked them over. There are no stickers on the jaws. I took a graver and small hammer to raise stickers and it solved the problem. He was breaking flints because they would turn. My neighbor is building and he showed me how his lock was working. He told me it is good but I only seen two sparks drop to the floor. I turned the flint over to get a huge shower and he was amazed. I told him to stipple the jaws but guess who will have to do it? He has the dimmest light of anyone I ever met. His mower runs like junk so I told him to buy a gasket and adjust the valves. Never going to happen! If the grass is 4 inches tall the engine bogs. He might have burned the valves by now so why he turned to flintlocks I don't know. The barrel inletting was done by a group of beavers so he filled it with bedding compound.

 

[KIt]

I am new to the flint lock scene as well. Can anyone list some good flint lock gunsmiths that can do heat treating etc?

 

[colimr]

Message Phil Coffins on this sight .He did magic with my frizzen and lock. It doesn't hurt to ask

 

[david w]

Guys,

New at flint locks. Got a flint from TOW:

(French amber gun flint, 7/8 x 1" for Fowler, Jaeger, Tulle, Twigg, Hatfield, Chambers locks)

I put it in and It won't spark. Just scratches the frizzed. What did I do wrong?

Phil

If your frizzen is not opening all the way like illustrated in pic #3, your frizzen spring may be too stiff. There are other factors. Have you tried a different flint? Are you sure the flint is square with the frizzen? What are you using to pad the flint from the jaws?

 

[morehops52]

I am new to the flint lock scene as well. Can anyone list some good flint lock gunsmiths that can do heat treating etc?

I don't do heat treating but have read about it enough to know that you don't need a gunsmith. Do a search here on heat treating frizzens or do a internet search. If you have a propane torch you should be able to do it yourself.

 

[OhioHawkeye]

My friends have trouble with the leather moving so I looked them over. There are no stickers on the jaws. I took a graver and small hammer to raise stickers and it solved the problem. He was breaking flints because they would turn. My neighbor is building and he showed me how his lock was working. He told me it is good but I only seen two sparks drop to the floor. I turned the flint over to get a huge shower and he was amazed. I told him to stipple the jaws but guess who will have to do it? He has the dimmest light of anyone I ever met. His mower runs like junk so I told him to buy a gasket and adjust the valves. Never going to happen! If the grass is 4 inches tall the engine bogs. He might have burned the valves by now so why he turned to flintlocks I don't know. The barrel inletting was done by a group of beavers so he filled it with bedding compound.

Funny. Thanks I needed a chuckle today with this heat...and worse coming this week. ....... I think the lack of textrue to grab the leather that in turn grabs the flint is the issue with that one, so Yes, I need to check the 'stickers on the jaws'. The geometery is correct and everything else. ....good frizzen for strike, but will reharden.