How to Nap A Flint

[starman]

In the thread “Want to Shoot My Brown Bess,” I received a lot of very useful information. Thanks to all who replied. I’m looking forward to getting to the woods very soon. I was able to borrow a microchronometer and discovered my 0.75 cal musket is actually 0.739, so I am going to try making paper cartridges with a 0.735 and some with a 0.715, both of which I happen to have. But on to my question. As I read some of the replied, another question came up concerning flints. The flint currently in my Brown Bess is the one that came with the musket. It seems to spark well. When I need to, how do I go about napping my flint or any new flints I may purchase? Thanks for your replies.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

In the thread “Want to Shoot My Brown Bess,” I received a lot of very useful information. Thanks to all who replied. I’m looking forward to getting to the woods very soon. I was able to borrow a microchronometer and discovered my 0.75 cal musket is actually 0.739, so I am going to try making paper cartridges with a 0.735 and some with a 0.715, both of which I happen to have. But on to my question. As I read some of the replied, another question came up concerning flints. The flint currently in my Brown Bess is the one that came with the musket. It seems to spark well. When I need to, how do I go about napping my flint or any new flints I may purchase? Thanks for your replies.

Retouching the edge on a gun flint by pressure flaking is an easy task requiring only an antler tine or copper pressure flaking tool. There are an abundance of flint knapping videos on youtube and I put one here as well.
Extending flint life

 

[Semisane]

You knap them with a K. (Sorry, I just had to.)

 

[starman]

Opps!!

 

[Tom A Hawk]

Ummm... Oops.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Oh, just go ahead and order some more flints. You will need them soon enough anyway once you go out and shoot your gun.

With your 0.735 ball in that 0.739 bore, you probably won't need a patch. Use an over powder card then the ball and an over shot card to hold the ball in place.

 

[hanshi]

For some reason, though I keep trying, methods including "pressure flaking" simply don't work for me. What I do is knapp the flint on the rifle/gun. I pull the cock back and hold it it out of battery with a finger under the flint edge. Then I use this tool to freshen the edge.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

For some reason, though I keep trying, methods including "pressure flaking" simply don't work for me. What I do is knapp the flint on the rifle/gun. I pull the cock back and hold it it out of battery with a finger under the flint edge. Then I use this tool to freshen the edge.

What happens when it "doesn't work"? Can you describe the problem?

 

[Grenadier1758]

It doesn't work if you can't use the copper rod to apply pressure to the flint to drive a flake from the edge. Then you need something to direct pressure to the edge of the flint.

Iron and unhardened steel will not draw a spark. The steel has to be hardened for a spark to be created off of it.

I routinely use a 12 penny nail that has been notched to be a flint knapping awl. I have never drawn a spark.

Then I tap the head of the knapping awl to drive a flake from the leading edge of the flint.

Here’s another...turning worn out flints into sharp ones again. Lil redneck flint holding jig i set up and the tool i use to knap flakes off!

I do like @Yewbender's simple jig to hold a flit out of the lock to knap it. He notched his turnscrew to place the notch against the flint forward edge to tap off flakes.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

Percussion flaking, as indicated above, can certainly be used to sharpen a flint. However, flakes made by percussion tend to be short and therefore result in steeply beveled ( read shorter use life ) edge of the gun flint. On the other hand, pressure flaking creates a longer flake and a more narrow > shaped edge on the gun flint, which is more similar to its original condition. The difference in flake removal is because in pressure flaking the force is directed inward into the body of the flint as opposed to 90 degrees downward in percussion ( Tapping ).

Old dogs tend to resist new tricks . However pressure flaking is a skill worth learning. And a vise is not required. Only a leather pad and a flaking tool.

 

[jager43478]

For some reason, though I keep trying, methods including "pressure flaking" simply don't work for me. What I do is knapp the flint on the rifle/gun. I pull the cock back and hold it it out of battery with a finger under the flint edge. Then I use this tool to freshen the edge.

I agree that's how I do it. The other way never worked for me. You can see the flint change when you are shooting the striking end will start looking more blunt, plus you will start to notice a change in ignition timing. It's time to change the flint. Most locks are made to work, however the biggest problem are the springs are too strong, thus the flints don't last as long as they should. A well tuned lock will give you up to 60 to 80 firings, at least for me. Then there is the new flint that just doesn't work at all. I buy a dozen at a time from TOTW, they last me 6 months or more and I shoot 3 times a week 15 rounds or more.

 

[Bob McBride]

Since virtually 100% of the time I knap, I knap on the gun, I’ve used any number of things including hammers, knives, and turnscrews. I currently am using a rod and tapping it with my knife handle. Works great. If using steel with the gun loaded make sure it’s mild steel or plug the touch hole with a toothpick or whatnot. Hardened could spark, and discharge your firearm, though I’ve never heard of it happening. Also hammer knapping in the field puts some stress on your halfcock notch so I will often set down and slightly pull back the hammer to relieve the stress. Rods don’t apply much pressure so I don’t worry about it using a rod.

 

[Tumbledown]

In the thread “Want to Shoot My Brown Bess,” I received a lot of very useful information. Thanks to all who replied. I’m looking forward to getting to the woods very soon. I was able to borrow a microchronometer and discovered my 0.75 cal musket is actually 0.739, so I am going to try making paper cartridges with a 0.735 and some with a 0.715, both of which I happen to have.

I would try smaller balls. You need to allow for fouling and paper thickness. My Bess measures about the same as yours, I jammed a 0.715 ball in the fouling on my 3rd shot.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Oh, just about how’d you’d “nap” any kid...

A half a shot of Jack Daniels and a tucked in wool blanket!

 

[Howard Pippin]

For some reason, though I keep trying, methods including "pressure flaking" simply don't work for me. What I do is knapp the flint on the rifle/gun. I pull the cock back and hold it it out of battery with a finger under the flint edge. Then I use this tool to freshen the edge.



I tried several times to do this same thing hanshi, but my attempt at pressure flaking was not good, so I made me a small brass hammer about an inch and a half long and an inch in diameter, silver soldered an old screwdriver handle in a hole and I just take and strike along the edge with the hammer at full cock, chipping part of the edge away, and I can generally get 2 to 5 more shots out of the same flint. My problem is after a few times it gets too blunt on the end and I have to change flints. I'm sure my lock is not of the great is quality, but it seems cheaper to just buy a few flints and fight with it once in a while. I do have to put the bevel down to make it work the best. I took the frizzen spring plum off and the darn thing work pretty good without one, but knowing that I couldn't hunt that way because there was no reason to keep it shut, I weakened the spring considerably and put it back on. It didn't seem to make the flints last any longer and it seems I weakened in enough that it took a permanent set so I installed a new spring. I think it's an inherent problem of my lock that I've learned to make work fairly good anyway.

 

[Griz44Mag]

In the thread “Want to Shoot My Brown Bess,” I received a lot of very useful information. Thanks to all who replied. I’m looking forward to getting to the woods very soon. I was able to borrow a microchronometer and discovered my 0.75 cal musket is actually 0.739, so I am going to try making paper cartridges with a 0.735 and some with a 0.715, both of which I happen to have. But on to my question. As I read some of the replied, another question came up concerning flints. The flint currently in my Brown Bess is the one that came with the musket. It seems to spark well. When I need to, how do I go about napping my flint or any new flints I may purchase? Thanks for your replies.

After making a pretty good sized pile of broken rocks that cut your feet when barefoot, I just order a card of flints from Heritage Products.
I really like the French Amber flints. I have had some success with flaking with a brass wedge removal tool with a notch filed into it but when I don't have success doing that I wind up little chunks of rock all over the place that don't play nicely with bare feet. (When I am home I almost never wear shoes.) Flints are expendable and easily replaced using other guys highly developed skill sets. I don't do my own eye exams either, I leave the things that require specialized skills to those who are specialized..... That saves me a lot of time and even more frustration.

 

[Many Klatch]

If you are going to shoot your Bess much you might as well order a bunch of flints. I usually buy 100 at a time. The price for flints is always going up, so I look at it as an investment. With my Bess I get anywhere from 2 shots to 40 shots per flint. To knap my flints I simply tap the flint with the back side of my patch knife.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Keep in mind back during the period most gun flints were in fact knapped by professional knapsters. Sadly, some of them died from inhaling flint dust over many years.

If anyone gets inspired and wants to become a “dedicated master knapster”, best be wise to wear a dust mask, lest one expire from “period correct” silicosis of the lung.

 

[Carbon 6]

Often when in the field, I just use my frizzen to get it back to sparking. Not the best method but it's fast and requires no tools.

 

[toot]

using your frizzen to nap the flint is about as historically correct as you can get!!