How do you take off the crown from a flint ?

[GriscomRun]

I went sorting thru my bag of many flints and sorted flat tops from those with crowns. Way too many of those. I would like to know how to make these so they have a flatter top so they fit well. I recall someone here used a diamond file to fix this. I guess they could be corrected by knapping - a skill I have never tried.
Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

[erhunter]

I read some guys on here use JB weld to flatten out the tops.

 

[OLUT]

It should be simple to flatten the top if you have a friend who is a "rock hound" and has a cutting saw with a diamond edge ... also a tile saw should work. I never personally tried it but will head down to the basement shortly to see if it really is quick & easy to do.

 

[OLUT]

Ok, I tried it . No problem in trimming the flint!

 

[Art Caputo]

As long as the opposite(bottom) side is flat I don’t bother. Never had an issue gripping the flint with leather.

 

[Whitworth]

How did you hold the flint when trimming? Thanks

 

[OLUT]

There are lots of ways to handle trimming "rocks" with a diamond saw blade. To do this "quick & dirty" trial, I had the trim side of the flint aligned to the saw blade and the other side against a hunk of flat wood. I merely guided the flint into the cutting blade with another wooden "pusher". Note that the blade is diamond embedded on a smooth surface and will not cut you like a typical saw blade. Quick, easy, and SAFE.

 

[Grimord]

I clamp the flint in a mini vise and use a diamond drum in my Dremel tool to flatten out the crowns. Be sure to wear gloves, a mask, and eye protection when doing this.

 

[Whitworth]

Thanks guys, I'll have to give it whirl with my wet saw.

 

[M. De Land]

I went sorting thru my bag of many flints and sorted flat tops from those with crowns. Way too many of those. I would like to know how to make these so they have a flatter top so they fit well. I recall someone here used a diamond file to fix this. I guess they could be corrected by knapping - a skill I have never tried.
Any ideas would be appreciated.

I put on a good dust mask and grind them flat with a 8 inch green emery wheel used for sharpening carbide. The regular grinding wheels don't work.

 

[Brokennock]

How did you hold the flint when trimming? Thanks

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/fear-no-humpy-flint.123510/

 

[qz2026_1]

A stupid question... Wouldn't a file work?

 

[Osseon]

A stupid question... Wouldn't a file work?

I tried a course metal file on one flint, and it didn't work very well. I wouldn't recommend unless you have a loooot of patience.

 

[Musketeer]

A black English gun flint is about 7 on the Mohs hardness scale. I've read that when converted from the Rockwell C scale hardened steel roughly ranges from about 7-8 on the same scale. A good steel file would be at or near the upper end of that range, so you could theoretically work down the peak on the back of a flint with one, but like Osseon said, it would take a really, really long time. Cheap diamond (10 Mohs) files are easily obtainable these days and are a better option. If you do go with a diamond file, the most important thing I've learned in using diamond plates to sharpen my knives is to use very light pressure and let the diamonds to the work; otherwise you can tear the little tiny diamond bits out of the nickel plating they are imbedded in on the surface of the plate or file.

 

[Osseon]

A black English gun flint is about 7 on the Mohs hardness scale. I've read that when converted from the Rockwell C scale hardened steel roughly ranges from about 7-8 on the same scale. A good steel file would be at or near the upper end of that range, so you could theoretically work down the peak on the back of a flint with one, but like Osseon said, it would take a really, really long time. Cheap diamond (10 Mohs) files are easily obtainable these days and are a better option. If you do go with a diamond file, the most important thing I've learned in using diamond plates to sharpen my knives is to use very light pressure and let the diamonds to the work; otherwise you can tear the little tiny diamond bits out of the nickel plating they are imbedded in on the surface of the plate or file.

Hahaha no wonder. A range officer handed me a metal file and I was just going hard at a flint trying to file away an uneven part of it. I was rubbing it on concrete in frustration and all manner of things. I thought that flint was the hardest thing I'd ever seen in my life.

 

[ord sgt]

I never considered taking the hump out of any flint. I choose to use them in the condition in which I receive them. It works for me. I never had a problem locking them into the jaws of the cock. Your flints, your choice on how to use them.

 

[Whitworth]

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/fear-no-humpy-flint.123510/

Thanks

 

[stewart.leach]

When I get a bag of flints I sort them into three groups- really good, save for match use and hunting - okay, use for training and informal shooting - and fix so they'll work.

Flints that are uneven side to side, pointy on top, or with excessive rocker on the bottom get trimmed. Diamond hand files from the hardware store can do the job, but rather slowly. Faster is with a Dremel tool and what is called a "mizzy wheel", a diamond loaded abrasive wheel, available online. Wear a dust mask if going this route- silica particles in your lungs are a bad thing. If you wear eye glasses be aware that the dust will scratch lenses, so rinse well before rubbing.

I get best results when truing up flints by using a tile cutting saw. I save up a bunch that need work then visit my brother with the saw. The water cooled saw blade trims and trues flints quickly and precisely. To avoid a second episode of cut fingers, I glued leather pads to the jaws of a pair of cheap slip-joint pliers.

Enjoy the fiddling. It's part of the fun of a quirky hobby.