Gluing leather to flint

[IanH]

No one hates you but I do wonder at your contentment of willful ignorance for nostalgia's sake !

Well, now YOU finally wrote something I can agree with!

 

[M. De Land]

Well, now YOU finally wrote something I can agree with!

Now there's an original thought !
Any hoo, getting back to the subject at hand I like both suggestions and will be putting them to a trial.
I have had extensive experience using Agra- glass in the bedding of cartridge guns as well as reinforcing the lock and tang areas in muzzle loading rifles and hand guns. I had never thought of using it to both adhere and reinforce the leather purchase for my flints in the cock jaws .
I'm wondering why I didn't think of it myself being so simple and practical an idea !

 

[ArmorerRoy]

When it comes to living history and experimental archaeology using superglue, epoxy, artificial sinew, and other modern solutions to solve ancient problems doesn’t make you innovative it just makes you lazy. The whole point of this hobby is trying to rediscover how ancient problems were solved with the available materials of the time.

 

[IanH]

I thought the whole point was to enjoy ourselves. If it ceases to be fun for some reason, then I'll go do something else that IS.

 

[TDM]

When it comes to living history and experimental archaeology using superglue, epoxy, artificial sinew, and other modern solutions to solve ancient problems doesn’t make you innovative it just makes you lazy. The whole point of this hobby is trying to rediscover how ancient problems were solved with the available materials of the time.

A valid point.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Would you use homemade hide glue, just asking for a friend.

 

[chorizo]

When it comes to living history and experimental archaeology using superglue, epoxy, artificial sinew, and other modern solutions to solve ancient problems doesn’t make you innovative it just makes you lazy. The whole point of this hobby is trying to rediscover how ancient problems were solved with the available materials of the time.

If that is your "thing", I heartily encourage you to skip down that road. Others are in it for the joy of shooting and take advantage of a little modern to facilitate that shooting and make things go a little more smoothly.

I don't have to be chased down by some teed off Sioux or mauled by a grizzly to enjoy being in the Rockies.

 

[IanH]

Would you use homemade hide glue, just asking for a friend.

The first thing I'd try is hot glue made from pine sap, powdered charcoal, and powdered ruminant droppings. You know, the same stuff "Injuns" used to haft flint to bone, antler, and wood.

 

[M. De Land]

When it comes to living history and experimental archaeology using superglue, epoxy, artificial sinew, and other modern solutions to solve ancient problems doesn’t make you innovative it just makes you lazy. The whole point of this hobby is trying to rediscover how ancient problems were solved with the available materials of the time.

Now that's an interesting notion, the folks who put forth the time and effort to try and improve the spark efficiency of a flint lock are lazy !
First of all I know agitation and ridge filing of cock jaws was practiced in antiquity and is not a modern notion.
Secondly there is absolutely no proof that gluing leather to flint by some means is a new idea either, frankly I doubt that it is.
Use Fred's ideas or not, they have been advanced for exploration, I'm going to and will have an informed opinion on it's merits or lack there of.

 

[M. De Land]

When it comes to living history and experimental archaeology using superglue, epoxy, artificial sinew, and other modern solutions to solve ancient problems doesn’t make you innovative it just makes you lazy. The whole point of this hobby is trying to rediscover how ancient problems were solved with the available materials of the time.

I can't follow that line of logic personally when I know good and well I can make a stronger, more accurate arm less prone to stock failure , more resistant to moisture , oil migration and is completely hidden from view.

 

[ArmorerRoy]

I can't follow that line of logic personally when I know good and well I can make a stronger, more accurate arm less prone to stock failure , more resistant to moisture and is completely hidden from view.

If there is nothing wrong with modern repairs and mods then why are you hiding it?

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

The first thing I'd try is hot glue made from pine sap, powdered charcoal, and powdered ruminant droppings. You know, the same stuff "Injuns" used to haft flint to bone, antler, and wood.

First thing I'd do is put a flint in leather, stuff it in the jaws tighten it down tight and go shoot. Just like I have been for the past 43 years. If it ain't broke, don't try and fix it.

 

[IanH]

First thing I'd do is put a flint in leather, stuff it in the jaws tighten it down tight and go shoot. Just like I have been for the past 43 years. If it ain't broke, don't try and fix it.

Works for me every time, too. You know I meant "if I were going to try and glue the leather to the flint to solve some problem, perceived or actual". But I'm not trying to band-aid any POS Spanish sweatshop locks like Fred was, either.

 

[M. De Land]

If there is nothing wrong with modern repairs and mods then why are you hiding it?

Not hiding anything, extolling the virtue of good fitting and reinforcement of fragile stock areas that are not seen until the gun is taken down. These lock/wrist areas are often cracked from a fall or leaning on it wrong because so much wood has to removed where lock, tang, trigger and loading rod converge.
Glass bedding the base of the tang and under the lock plate greatly strengthen and seal against oil migration often found in the not so good ole fashion method of lock, tang,trigger and loading rod mortising.
A person can always mold fit parts closer and more thoroughly than he can mortise spot fit them. Also glass bedding keeps wood from crushing under screw load. Lock plates, tangs and trigger plates stay where they were in-letted to without canting or ends pulling down from oil soaked wood fibers.
Glass bedding is the best thing that ever happened to all manor of fire arm, old or new! Tradition is great until strength en-ovation and performance leave it behind.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Oddly I have never used glass bedding as a crutch when good hand work is all that's required.

 

[M. De Land]

Now that's an interesting notion, the folks who put forth the time and effort to try and improve the spark efficiency of a flint lock are lazy !
First of all I know agitation and ridge filing of cock jaws was practiced in antiquity and is not a modern notion.
Secondly there is absolutely no proof that gluing leather to flint by some means is a new idea either, frankly I doubt that it is.
Use Fred's ideas or not, they have been advanced for exploration, I'm going to and will have an informed opinion on it's merits or lack there of.

Why tune a lock or balance a spring , harden a frizzen with Kasnit, use modern steel for barrels instead of an iron scalp seamed welded it's length , that is all tradition that you seem to worship and yet very few of you so called traditionalist who mock Freds suggestions exclusively use this outdated technology that was state of the art in antiquity.
Some folks like the notion of traditional technology but very few are actually exclusively embrasing the reality of it which is Nye on impossible for the average flint gun shooter in today's world !

Oddly I have never used glass bedding as a crutch when good hand work is all that's required.

If your satisfied with " all that's required" then stay right where you are but don't try and discourage en-ovation ideas and superior performance potential for the rest who are interested in the possibility.
I doubt any flint lock shooter in the old days would have turned down a method made available to them to get more spark and better life out of their flints!

 

[DementedMindOfJac]

This could put some of us cheap guys out of business, I use every side of a flint, bevel up, bevel down, backwards an sideways if I think I can get a spark out of it!

Only up to the point the flint resembles a miniature hand-axe that threatens to cut the frizzen in half lengthways. At that point I carefully stash the flint with all the other stuff that I'll throw away in 12 or 15 years.

 

[waksupi]

Why tune a lock or balance a spring , harden a frizzen with Kasnit, use modern steel for barrels instead of an iron scalp seamed welded it's length , that is all tradition that you seem to worship and yet very few of you so called traditionalist who mock Freds suggestions exclusively use this outdated technology that was state of the art in antiquity.
Some folks like the notion of traditional technology but very few are actually exclusively embrasing the reality of it which is Nye on impossible for the average flint gun shooter in today's world !

If your satisfied with " all that's required" then stay right where you are but don't try and discourage en-ovation ideas and superior performance potential for the rest who are interested in the possibility.
I doubt any flint lock shooter in the old days would have turned down a method made available to them to get more spark and better life out of their flints!

...and this is how we got inlines...

 

[Jimbob]

Fred has written boring articles for muzzle blasts for 30-40 years. For me those articles have been 100% useless information. Now, everybody pile on and put some good old muzzleloading forum hate on me!

I agree!

 

[Cruzatte]

Fred has written boring articles for muzzle blasts for 30-40 years. For me those articles have been 100% useless information. Now, everybody pile on and put some good old muzzleloading forum hate on me!

Well...I ain't gonna. So there!