Leather Or Lead

[Stumpkiller]

I use leather because Jim Chambers told me that lead is not recommended for his locks. I asked.

 

[Twowithone]

Ive only used leather.Lead came around a bit later but I was sold on leather.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I think people would learn a lot more if they tried things like this themselves, especially when it's so easy to do.

Quite right. I, for example, use BOTH.

On my military muskets, I use lead, not simply because it was what was recommended in the manuals of the day, but because they work better, for more shots when I use lead. The locks are big and clunky, and the flints are very wide so there is a much larger smooth portion above and below on the musket flint, and tough for leather to grip, but "wrapped with lead" and no worries. Also, the lock speed is slow by comparison to rifle locks, so the lead helps on impact.

Now on my rifles and smooth bores, only leather. The locks are smaller, there is no advantage to using the lead, and as mentioned it would only batter the locks.

I took a week long lock building class from Jim Chambers a few years back and one of the little things he was adamant about was using leather and not lead to hold your flint

I have a good friend who builds for Chambers, and lead in a Chambers' lock I can confirm is a real no-no !
:nono:

LD

 

[stinkyfeet]

I vote leather.

 

[JeffG]

:stir: Quiet Christmas?? Lol.

 

[White Oak]

No intentions of stirring the pot here guys. Being new to flintlocks I simply read the article here. Much of what was said about lead made sense to me. Seeing almost all of the flinters using leather made it seem like a valid question. No apology offered on this one. Why would I not simply try it and make my own comparisons? I may have. I was also asking how. Now after hearing about a quality lock builder saying it is a definite no-no I will stay with leather.
I know that no matter what you are discussing you will sometimes find as many different ways of doing something as the number of people you ask. And they all accomplish the same thing. I appreciate the input and explanations given by folks that have been at this for a long time.
By the responses above and reasons given leather seems like the obvious choice for this gun. I really doubt that my T/C lock is any stronger than a Chambers lock.
Happy New Year to all.
Ed

 

[CG6018]

Over the years, I've used both lead and leather to wrap flints for my long guns. For the past several years, I've settled on flattened round balls as my preferred flint grabbers. I try to have a half dozen or so lead-wrapped flints in my flint wallet at all times.

I hammer the round balls flat on my vise, trim them to size including a half circle cut-out for the jaw screw, and fit them around black English or French amber flints. And, as a final step, lightly peen the lead into the hills and hollows of each uniquely shaped flint.

These seem to maintain their grip on the flint, but as a final check, I tighten the jaw screw after each half dozen or 10 shots. It works for me, and if I keep a sharp knapped flint, I am rewarded with a fine shower of sparks. :thumbsup:

 

[hobowonkanobe]

I just took my axe w me to the range, (made one guy a,lil nervous) and hammered one of my RBs flat and then cut it in 1/2 as it was way wider than the jaw.this gave me 2. Never needed it as I ran into conflicting advice here and else where, as well as my own experiments w both... seems to be darn near even.

 

[Heelerau]

Mate I use leather cut from the palm of riggers gloves, for both my flintlocks, and that seems to work fine for me, Guess the flints are well shaped and pretty regular. I get no shattering of my flints either as a general rule. If I did not have leather I would use lead, just my preference I suppose.

Cheers

heelerau

 

[tom deinek]

Saw a guy who had just taken a deer with his flint wrapped in wasp nest. Lost his flint; had a spare flint but no way to secure it. Worked for that one, important, shot.