How do you clean flints between shots?

[jweston]

I have been using my finger to wipe both sides of the flint to get rid of powder residue, but is there a better way to clean the flint (besides removing it using a stiff toothbrush).
Thanks. BBurg

 

[Desert Rat]

Between shots my thumb or the tail of my shirt (My hunters shirt is perma stained along the bottom edge from this.) When I get home I just drop the flint into my hot water bucket let it sit for a few minutes while I'm cleaning the barrel and then wipe it dry.

 

[roundball]

I have been using my finger to wipe both sides of the flint to get rid of powder residue, but is there a better way to clean the flint (besides removing it using a stiff toothbrush).
Thanks. BBurg

I keep a plastic bottle of 91% alcohol and a clean piece of washcloth in my shooting box...every so often I stop shooting and completely clean the whole exterior of the lock assembly with an alcohol soaked section of washcloth...I just leave the flint in the lock and rub the top & botton of the flint till it's clean.
(cuts down on the number of finger slices too)

 

[Trapper]

AMEM ,on no finger slices! OUCH THAT HURTS

 

I keep a dry cleaning patch in my shooting bag to wipe down both the flint edge and the frizzen between most shots.

 

[MikeFromON]

Whatever undershirt I am wearing at the time. In the winter I use a bit of patch material.

 

[Packdog]

I keep a small rag, damp with alcohol and wipe the flint, pan and frizzen every couple of shots. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It depends on the humidity.
Ken

 

[Johnny Tremain]

DOnt have any powder residue on the rock. After 5-10 shots Ill use a wipe and clean off around the pan area. The rest, I leave to end of day cleaning

 

[armymedic.2]

i use my thumb to do it, and have not been cut, but i am still learning much about bp. when i clean afterwards i use bp solvent to clean the flint with a q-tip. real fast real easy. my blue ridge ussually take a lot of shots not spark now, because it self knaps with tom's english flints. big improvement since i switched from agate

 

[paulvallandigham]

I use a cleaning patch, dampened with a little spit, to whip my flints, and the barrel around the touch hole, as well as the pan and bottom of the frizzen after each shot. If its humid out, or damp, or raining, I also dry the face of the frizzen and tha pan, just before priming, using a dry cleaning patch.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I keep a dry cleaning patch in my shooting bag to wipe down both the flint edge and the frizzen between most shots.

Me too. I keep a 1-1/2" wide x 8" long strip tucked in my pouch strap and wipe the frizzen, pan and flint as they get grunged up.

 

[OTHERN]

Clean the flint?? Guess I must be the oddball as I just put them in and shoot. Knap when needed and shoot until its wore out and then put in a clean one.

Othern

 

[J.D.]

Clean the flint?? Guess I must be the oddball as I just put them in and shoot. Knap when needed and shoot until its wore out and then put in a clean one.

I do pretty much the same, except that I wipe the frizzen with my thumb when residue is apparent.

My shooting is done in the woods, or on a primtive range where all loading and maintenance is done from the pouch. I keep the contents of the pouch to the bare minimum that will keep my firelock in action.

 

[adrian]

I use Grey Whiskers shirt, work great!! :rotf:

 

[Many Klatch]

Yeah, me too. I'll wipe my thumb on the frizzen now and then, but I figure the flint will cut whether it has crud on it or not. When I clean the gun, I drop the lock and flint into hot water, shake it off and then reoil the important stuff.

I never thought about having to clean the flint.

Many Klatch

 

[Halftail]

Les Hiltz told me that he wets his middle finger and just gives it a swipe under the front of the flint.He's like God around here. :grin:

 

[Will Bison]

Service the lock between shots. I never get in a rush with the flint guns. I check the flint for a good edge, wipe it down, wipe the frizzen, clean the pan and vent. I always check that the flint is solid in the jaws and aligned with the frizzen.

I probably spend 7/8 of my loading time just on lock service. This ain't a race. Take some time to service your lock, pan and vent.

Getting the next round down the bore is the last thing to worry about.

 

[Bill Bryan]

I keep a couple of cleaning patches wet with Balistol at the shooting line. Right after each shot I wipe the frizzen and pan.

 

When it needs it I wipe flint with a bit of rag. My pan needs help more often here in humid Lousyanna. I usually need to clean the pan after every other shot, sometimes after every shot. A spit damp rag is all that is needed--of course I generally shoot flintlocks "in period" outfit, where such things as squirt bottles of alcohol are verbotten. Our ancestors survived quite well with their flintlocks without alcohol wipes, peroxide, murphy's oil soap and all the other modern stuff some folks use. BP is water soluble, as Bugs Bunny said: that's all folks!

 

[juancho]

I had a few problems in the past with ignition that I asume were caused by a dull flint . So this is what I do now.
A shot starts by taking a patch from the patch box, followed by a messure of powder, pull a ball out of my bag , ram it all home, prime , fire , pull a cleaning patch ,spit ,clean the bore,brush pan and flint with a wet tooth brush that hangs from my bag,dry with rag that hangs from same bag.THE END.
Doing this I managed to shoot over 30 rounds as easy as the first one,and all this without touching the flint :winking: