Knapping flints for a rocklock

[Mad Professor]

Another new to me question.

Been thinking about a flinter for a long time.

I have a couple of english flint nodules I brought from Mr. Ackerman. He is an old sage and has since moved so far away as I cannot pester him for clues.

Anyway, a softball sized nodules of english flint, me an amateur.

Try to work them? I need flintn steel pieces too.

Well I need to learn so what do I have to loose?

 

[omarick1948]

Do a Google search for FLINT KNAPPING. __ You'll find alot of information there!

Rick

 

[Rifleman1776]

I need to learn so what do I have to loose?

Answer: Your nice English flint nodules. Practice on something else first.
I have tried it and found flint knapping impossible for me. Lots of chips and cut fingers.

 

[Mad Professor]

Thanks both.

I do not want to waste good material with bad worksmanship. :wink:

 

[Robert Egler]

I do occasionally knap my own flints. A softball-sized flint nodule will yield somewhere around 1 usable flint for me. :haha:

 

[Rev_William]

Just a general heads up I purchased an ebook from amazon called "gun-flints and how to make them" by GJ kelly. I'm allowed to loan it out to e mail address's for 2 weeks at a time. If anyone is interested pm me your email address and I'll loan it out. I've found the best browser to use to read it on a pc is google chrome or if you have a kindle I can email it to that address as well.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I do occasionally knap my own flints. A softball-sized flint nodule will yield somewhere around 1 usable flint for me. :haha:

:rotf:

 

[ohio ramrod]

You will need an almanac to get the phases of the moon right. It is my firm belief that the phase of the moon is critical for knaping. Also you must learn the proper chants . But then I myself am knapping impared! :idunno: :idunno:

 

[omarick1948]

I have a couple friends who really are good at knapping flint. One even knapped me a green glass arrowhead out of an old broken 7UP pop bottle chard, but all of my own knapped gun flints look horrible and resemble a cat turd!

That's the reason I buy mine!

Rick

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Squirrel Tail,

Are you going into high gear for mass production of that flint? :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

 

[SgtSchutzen]

I`ve been thinking about this same thing for a long time.

I don`t know where the railroad around here gets the stone they use for their trackbed, but where ever it comes from it`s full of what looks to me like black flint. I use it all the time with my firesteel and it sparks like crazy. If I could just figure out a way to chip these railroad grade size rocks into a shape that would work in a gun lock I`d never ever have to buy a gun flint.

 

[hobowonkanobe]

this is both in answer to the orig question and a question of my own; this is what I got on the topic for similar reasons, I have a flinter, and after having a disastrous experience at the range involving flints I wanted to look into my own as well. Here's the link, any thoughts?

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/312/1/BOOK-AOF

 

[M. De Land]

Thanks, I've been looking for some information on flint knapping and want to try my hand at it. Just called TOTW and the knapping book is on the way. MD

 

[hobowonkanobe]

if'n you can afford it, the dvd companion does ALLOT to fill in the gaps that you'll possibly ( I did, anyway :redface: ) run into. Like for instance, that flints are apparently best taken from flakes and nicking them with an antler then popping them with either yer hammer stone or a hammer.
The kinda thing that wld have never even crossed my mind as an option if I hadn't seen it done.

 

[paulab]

Prof....go on youtube and look at "Brandon flint knappers 1920's-1940's. I knapp my own "flints" out of Michigan chert. I gather quite a bit at once, and I am proud to say that I can turn a 15 pound knodule into a perfectly workable flint! cheers Paul

 

[THOM]

Was lucky enough to watch Ken Wallace knap gunflints.. He's got a neat little rig with a file as an anvil; and another piece of file made in to a hammer.Made it look soooooooooooo easy... :bow: :bow:
Thom

 

[50cal.cliff]

I watched a native Creek Indian here in my home town in Florida, at a founders day of sorts we have here every year!

The Creek tribe is no longer recognized by the State of Florida, you know the trails of tears thing, that no one talks about anymore!


My wife is part Creek Indian and her heritage has been pretty much lost forever. When the state of Florida decided in its infinite wisdom that the Seminoles was the only tribe they would recognize as part of Florida's history, back in the 70's or 80's!
I will say this they are the only tribe (Seminoles) not to sign a treaty with the US government. So maybe they were a lot smarter than the others!


I had walked by about an hour earlier and he was knapping a piece. Fascinated with that kind of thing I came back by about 45 minutes later, and he still working on the piece.I stopped and talked with him while he worked. By now it is beginning to take a shape.

I see you are knapping a tomahawk head. Yep, he said if everything goes right I am. I stood and talked for about another 30-40 minutes, while he was knapping away, when all of the sudden with one stroke the tomahawk head broke completely the wrong way.

He sit there a second and looked up at me and smiled. I am now making an arrow head! Unless it breaks again and then we will call it a flint!:rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :shake:

 

[trent/OH]

Also you must learn the proper chants . But then I myself am knapping impared!

I'd be happy to help anyone who really wants to know, how to do the proper knapping chants. It's fairly easy to learn: most of the words are four letters long, although a few are longer or shorter. Like "band-aid", or "911".