Flints with peaks to flat

[Larry (Omaha)]

This is not the way to be historically correct, but will do in a pinch for this old man. Got some new English flints today and they were all pretty good except one was waaaaaay too thick and pointy for my large Siler.
Had a brain fart and was thinking of a way to grind off the thick peak. Wasn't even flat. A though occurred, so I tried it. This photo is a small diamond round stone cylinder grinder for trimming stained glass. It was just sitting there and had never been used. Worked like a charm. The top is a basin for water, if one chooses to do so. There was very minimal dust.

Larry

 

[Archer 756]

What is Price of unit and where to buy

 

[akroguy]

Ooh! My wife has something like that for dichroic glass shaping. I have some "humpies" in the flint box that need...de-humped. Thanks for the idea!

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

What is Price of unit and where to buy

Mine was purchased about 6 years ago. I think (??) it was about $80 then. Amazon has mine now for $132.95. They have a good assortment of glass grinders.
Larry

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

No matter what method ... just don't breathe the dust.

Rotary Wheels
FWIW rotary diamond wheel chucked up in a Dremel tool work fast too. I flatten the 'humpies' outside on a windy day. There used to be a great online source to buy ones 3/4" in diameter like the one circled in red, but they've since gone out of business.

Tile Saw Method
Option 1 - Take a pair of spare or cheap slip joint pliers and glue a leather pad to each toothed jaw. Grip the flint front and rear in the jaws and remove the hump or trim - all you need is a ~1/4" thick platform more or less parallel to the bottom surface.

Option 2 - Use hot melt glue to attach the flat part of the flint to the edge of a wide board (as a jig) and run it slowly through a tile saw.

Option 3 - Someone here once posted a picture of a jig of a neat wooden jig theymade that clamped a flint akin to above, but the pictures won't load anymore , just other picture lost in the PhotoBucket debacle.

 

[hanshi]

I've even gone as far as using the steel & epoxy mix to make the humped top flat & level.

 

[Grimord]

Harbor Freight has diamond wheels and files. I use the wheels to take off the humps, and I carry a file in my shooting bag to touch up flints that need to be sharpened. I was never any good at knapping, and ruined too many flints trying, so now I use the diamond file. Not PC, but keeps me shooting in the field.

 

[Archer 756]

Grimord thanks for info

 

[DuncNZ]

You can use lead molded around the hump , or wet soft leather to hold the flint unless it is too big to fit the jaws .

 

[Rifleman1776]

I have diamond grit drums I put in drill press for that purpose.