Flints

[springfield art]

I would love to know how you do this. I’m very new to flintlocks, I was a tile/granite contractor for 24 years. I have lots of diamond tooling and half a dozen tile saws.

Interesting!

 

[smokepolehall]

International Military Antiques sell flints by the pound .I just checked and they are in stock for $30 a pound I got about 45 useable. in my last pound sometimes you get less and they are different sizes i just cut them on a wet tile saw it works great

Ok my friend give up the how to grind/cut buff & what tools to get for the job.

 

[springfield art]

This could start a whole new thing, similar to guys making Caps; many might start making their own flints, with power tools.

 

[Nav]

If you're just trimming flakes to size fit your lock a wet tile-saw is obvious, brilliant, and certain, but I hadn't thought of it. Certainly, those perfect, equilateral parallelogram, looking flints are machine made.

You can always flake off the sides with a rock or antler to trim doing it by hand. Tons of youtubes showing different methods of knapping. It's a little easier to use a copper "bopper" rather than another rock or an antler bopper to get your flakes if you're going to do it by hand, but for finer work you want to just use pressure and an antler tip or better a copper nail flaker.
This little kit has everything you need for $40 unless you want to go primitive which is free if you have some antler lying around.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079Q7SWXD?psc=1&smid=A7172W6YJNJDG&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp
Making a flint for a lock is going to be a hell of a lot easier and faster than making a point I can tell you for sure. I could make a useable point, but I never was satisfied with the finished product. It takes some time and skill to do it well, and you have to start with a good flake. I am going to be out at the cabin this week, and I'm going to walk some creek beds and pick a bucket of chirt to work on. If you have an old timey, high carbon fire striker, you can test any rock you pick up. If it makes sparks it's hard enough. Look for anything with a waxy, smooth surface, and then strike it with steel to see if it generates sparks.
After this thread I don't know why I thought it had to be flint or difficult in particular. There are tons of very hard, brittle crystalline rocks that should work. I guess they may be too brittle and not last as long in the lock as flint, which is probably why flint is/was preferred.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Flint and chert are the same. The only difference is where they a found in the earth. The best flint is from nodules in chalk beds, chert is found in and on the ground. But, admittedly chert is frequently of inferior quality to nodule flint, hence the confusion. But, as Rich pointed out, there is good chert in places.

 

[Nav]

You could also cut them perfectly on a wet saw, and then knap the cut edge to make it look like you are a true master!

 

[deerstalkert]

the thing many are not prepared for, is the 80% or more of waste when knapping.

 

[Nav]

True, but if you're picking it up by the bucket in a stream bed who cares? A couple of good flakes from a rock is par for the course. I you were paying cash money for rocks...ouch!

 

[IanH]

But, admittedly chert is frequently of inferior quality to nodule flint,

I would argue the opposite regarding someof the chert I've turned into gunflints. We tend to get myopic about flintknapping since virtually all the available information and expertise is geared toward making paleo stuff.

Raw rock is better for gunflints.

Tough, gnarly chert sparks better on some frizzens than fine English flint does.

Once you get your flakes or blades, the gunflint process diverges completely from traditional knapping. No need to pressure flake if you make your blades properly. Finish them with a stake and chipping hammer, leaving the natural sharp edge of the flake as your striking edge untouched and straight.

 

[deerstalkert]

that reminds me Ian, somewhere, sometime, in one of my cleaning sprees i buried my hammer and stake. have been just percussion knapping my flints. lots more blood spilled that way.
since it is too hot to play outside, and the wife is off to get her hair done, i think i will make another set. so i can lose them.
picked up a hand full of rusty files for nothing so have the fixin's.

 

[BackDraft]

…lots more blood spilled that way…

We hereby appoint you to command “F” Troop…

 

[deerstalkert]

We hereby appoint you to command “F” Troop…

I missed the original seasons, was too busy staying alive ,but caught up some years later. became friends with Forrest Tucker later in life. all the good ones are gone.

 

[R Ellis]

Ok my friend give up the how to grind/cut buff & what tools to get for the job.

No real secret the diamond blade running in water cuts a very smooth finish with a little practice you can make some nice usable flints .No chipping or buffing or grinding needed

 

[bldtrailer]

All flint is Chert but not all chert is flint, the high grade is called flint (but flint is found overseas in chalk, we in the USA have limestone thus chert.) the better cherts are smooth and knappable . when you first start out you will be lucky to get 5-10% return

cut proof gloves and safety glasses and a safe place to knap will help. keep kids and dogs away cut feet

start with flakes and if still interested then try making blades from blade cores(truly the hardest part is making a good blade core without step fractures)
warning it is addicting
steps to find a good gun flint rock
1 can the rock scratch glass (hardness 5, chert is 7-flint )
2 strike it with a smooth side of a file does it spark yes ?
3 can it knap into useable shapes? cleavable can you make it into a gun flint
4 test in a gun lock while wearing safety glasses to make sure it isn't to brittle (some will shatter) repeat several times

 

[bpd303]

Arkansas novaculite. It all knaps and it all makes sparks. Novaculite works better than anything I've ever tried, but river rock nodules, layered,

You have me interested as where I live in the Ozarks that is everywhere. My driveway is 3/4 mile long and every time I grade it, I see what looks like what you have pictured. My wife says our driveway is made out of arrow heads. Now that I think about it I have used some for the steel fire strikers I have forged.

 

[IanH]

Maaaan, BLDTRAILER, what are all them tools for? You must keep your debitage pile picked up on account of the landscaping, I'd have a 5-gallon bucket full of scrap to have a dozen flints some days

I have four tools that I actually use. 1.3x6" aluminum round bar, a 2# tire hammer that gets used once in a blue moon when I get something too big to spall, a quartz hammerstone for grinding that also gets used only to prep for blade work, and a tack hammer.

The sawing thing is interesting, I thought about getting a lapidary saw to save on material but there's so much river chert here free for the going and picking up that I just make them the old fashioned way. If I had time, I'd just go down to a gravel bar, dig a hole, roll up a big rock to sit on, collect some stone, and spall flakes and blades all day over the hole. Then I could just haul out the good stuff and cover up the junk so the critters don't get cut up. By the time a flood washes it out, all the sharp will be gone instantly and I won't have a mess at the house to deal with.

 

[bldtrailer]

that pile was 3 years ago much deeper now those are hard , soft hammers and Ishi sticks the steal is used to cut the blades into gun flints. the pad and antler/brass are pressure flakers to re edge the gun flints I mostly use punches and ishi sticks to cleave blades off of blade cores. then take the blades to a cold chisel mounted in a stump to cut into useable sizes

 

[IanH]

that pile was 3 years ago much deeper now those are hard , soft hammers and Ishi sticks the steal is used to cut the blades into gun flints. the pad and antler/brass are pressure flakers to re edge the gun flints I mostly use punches and ishi sticks to cleave blades off of blade cores. then take the blades to a cold chisel mounted in a stump to cut into useable sizes

I was just pulling your chain about that, your flints look great by the way.

 

[deerstalkert]

" a safe place to knap will help. keep kids and dogs away cut feet" very very important!
MOST important is to avoid tracking your wife via bloody foot prints!
tracking her can lead to hazards to your well being. give her a day or so to cool down.
don't ask how i know this important stuff.

 

[1971fx]

Harbor freight sells a table top wet saw for $60