Knapping Rifle Flints

[Greebe]

Thanks, guys. I do not know if I can find flint here in West Virginia or not. I could take my steel striker and go test some rocks I suppose. I have no idea what a flint rock would even look like if it was not broken.

 

Thanks, guys. I do not know if I can find flint here in West Virginia or not. I could take my steel striker and go test some rocks I suppose. I have no idea what a flint rock would even look like if it was not broken.

The learning curve seems pretty steep.

If your time is worth anything... just go buy some flints for your gun and go shooting.

 

[pargent]

:thumbsup: :applause: I have said this before , my flints come to me through a dealer who imports only flints from Brandon and I have no complaints about their quality or sparking .

 

[S.Kenton]

But Jack, in a sport such as this, I'm not sure anyone keeps track of their time. I mean, I made a knife a while back, the handle was made from a piece of the "Logan Elm", it took me MANY hours to complete...the knife isn't worth 100$...but I made it and it's made from an historic tree. Flint knapping is just another skill/facet of this sport, whatever you want to call it. To learn it does take time, is it worth it? Financially... probably not, however, I'm not much for relying on anyone but myself. So I will learn to knap if it takes me 1000 hours.
Just my 2 cents, take it for what it's worth... :wink:

 

[dikman]

To me, it's just the challenge of being able to do it.

 

[Greebe]

But Jack, in a sport such as this, I'm not sure anyone keeps track of their time. I mean, I made a knife a while back, the handle was made from a piece of the "Logan Elm", it took me MANY hours to complete...the knife isn't worth 100$...but I made it and it's made from an historic tree. Flint knapping is just another skill/facet of this sport, whatever you want to call it. To learn it does take time, is it worth it? Financially... probably not, however, I'm not much for relying on anyone but myself. So I will learn to knap if it takes me 1000 hours.
Just my 2 cents, take it for what it's worth... :wink:

I am with you on this one. Part of the fun of this type of muzzleloading is making your own gear. This is the case for me anyways and it is why I built my first rifle and have another set of parts on the way to build another.

Some people do not care about this aspect and just buy what they need and that is fine as well. Just because I can buy something already made for cheap, does not keep me from making my own stuff.

I take more pride and enjoyment out of making my own things for this sport. My time is valuable, but making my own things is part of the fun of being in this hobby for me.

 

[BrownBear]

Along these lines, the world is divided between doers and buyers. I happen to be a doer, too.

Kinda like the divide between shooters and typists when you get right down to it. There are folks who try to keep pace with the doers by buying rather than building.

Both the buyers and typists will try to trip you up by tossing questions in your path. But they won't understand your answer till they use their fingertips for more than keyboards and credit cards. :idunno:

 

[M. De Land]

Actually I feel it has more to do with gifting than desire.
God gave me the ability to make about anything with my hands and is usually very easy for me but put in a situation for instance, where I need a higher math equation to solve a problem and what is child's play for a person so gifted is impossible for me.
Doesn't mean I don't want and desperately need what the equation will do for me it is just that I can't solve the problem at hand.
It is no different for a person less gifted with there hands. They get around the problem by using what God gave them, the money to buy what they need.
That person may well, and probably does, enjoy muzzle loaders just as much as I do. Mike D.

 

[Greebe]

Actually I feel it has more to do with gifting than desire.
God gave me the ability to make about anything with my hands and is usually very easy for me but put in a situation for instance, where I need a higher math equation to solve a problem and what is child's play for a person so gifted is impossible for me.
Doesn't mean I don't want and desperately need what the equation will do for me it is just that I can't solve the problem at hand.
It is no different for a person less gifted with there hands. They get around the problem by using what God gave them, the money to buy what they need.
That person may well, and probably does, enjoy muzzle loaders just as much as I do. Mike D.

Yes I think that is a very correct statement. I have always been able to make pretty much anything with more ease then most. My wife always comments at her amazement of this. However I can't seem to remember house chores. Hehe

 

[Brokennock]

I agree about gifts and talents. Sometimes it isn't just ones ability to build something, it may be their circumstances. I could probably do the work once I acquired the right tools. But, in my current living situation, I have no place to do it. I haven't even built a new self bow of any type or style in a couple years. And as I alluded to, I'm not sure (seriously doubt) I have all the right tools so add tools to the cost of the kit or pile of parts. It would be great if there were someone in the area who really knows what they are doing who would do a "build along," type class.

 

[S.Kenton]

Actually I feel it has more to do with gifting than desire.

I am GREAT at receiving gifts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...Quite possibly my greatest talent I've found thus far... :wink:

 

[Woodyrock]

The most difficult part of knapping gun flints is halving a nodule so you can drive blades off. An easy way to do this is to have someone with a rock saw cut your flint nodules in half for you, then you have two blade cores. One you have a nodule with one flat surface it is still a learning process to drive the blades. Making up gun flints from the blades is actually quite easy. Just watch some of the videos.
Woody

 

[dikman]

Breaking the nodule isn't hard, it's getting those blasted flakes/blades to come off in a useable form that's the problem!

 

[THOM]

Those vids were made by a guy named Ken Wallace..
He is a true gentleman; showed us how he does knapping out in a parking lot.. those are file parts.. ( hammer & anvil )...
Indiana hornstone is very hard on the lithic scale..
Another great guy is Eric Morris; he makes & sells flints for our rifles..
I've tried knapping; but just could not stay with it.. a lot of debitage ( small waste pieces )...
Like this group; when you get with flintknappers- yer with some pretty great people...
weather well .... thom

 

[coloradoclyde]

I haven’t bought a flint in years, I make mine out of chert . I am anything but an expert when it comes to flint knapping. I can make one usable flint in about 10 attempts. (on a good day)
The best advice I can give is to not focus on making it look like a commercial flint, but rather focus on it having a sharp edge and fitting the lock. That’s all that really matters.