oil flints

[George]

I’m going to have another run at finding the answer to a question I’ve been looking for for about 20 years. It has to do with advertisements in 18th-century newspapers, and over the time period of 1751 to 1774 in my collection. It’s for ”˜oil flints’. A few examples:


best Dutch oil flints
firkins of English gun flints , also best oil flints
French oil flints
black and oil flints
best white French oil flints; common English ditto
double OIL FLINTS
best oil flints by the cask or less quantity
purple and white wampum, best oil flints at 5l the thousand
choice Oil Flints
French oyl flints

I’ve asked this question on various forums over the years and have never found anyone with the answer...what are oil flints?

Any takers here?

Spence

 

[ZUG]

You got me -- I heard of putting flints in water to keep -- don't know why that was stated either :idunno: .

 

[BrownBear]

Wanna have some fun, google "oil flint."

Clearly their algorithm's have a bit of corporate underpinning! :bull:

 

[George]

A familiar problem, BB, Can't tell you how many times I've searched for an old term and come up with no hits except for some band.

Spence

 

[BrownBear]

...no hits except for some band.

If you're anything like me, you're using that term pretty loosely, too! :rotf:

 

[George]

Careful, you are showing your age. Our age. :haha:

Spence

 

[coloradoclyde]

Wanna have some fun, google "oil flint."

Clearly their algorithm's have a bit of corporate underpinning! :bull:

Comes right up if you type "oil gun flints"
Gotta be smarter than Google... :grin:

 

[BrownBear]

Nah. Just need more time on my hands. Busy time of year up here.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Busy time of year up here.

Here too...... :wink:

 

[tenngun]

French amber flints almost feel greasy when held, and are yellow as opposed to dark grey English. Could this be the 'oil' the feel or the color? :idunno: I noted one of the lines was best black and oil flints

 

[MSW]

perhaps they were shipped in oil? clever marketing/packaging?

help! is there an historian in the house?

 

[Patocazador]

This what I got when I googled it:

"Gun Flints and Powder" - Oil on canvas
http://dyn2.heritagestatic.com/lf?...izedata[612x500]&call=url[file:product.chain]

 

[BrownBear]

Without looking into it, I always assumed it fell into the same category as soaking ramrods in kerosene. I can't see the benefits of either, but that doesn't stop folks from swearing it's the only way to fly a Studebaker.

 

[ZUG]

My first car was a 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk -- it was factory supercharged!

 

[coloradoclyde]

I’ve asked this question on various forums over the years and have never found anyone with the answer...what are oil flints?

Any takers here?

Spence

Have you tried the UK knapping forum?

 

[George]

No, don't know about that one.

Thanks.

Spence

 

[coloradoclyde]

Near as I can figure, "oil" flint or chert is the really deep rich dark colored stuff that glistens and has a glossy appearance as if it were coated with oil..... :idunno:

 

[MSW]

clyde, that's just weird enough to be plausible

 

[coloradoclyde]

You know the stuff that has that "wet" look.....If they had named it "wet" flints, Who would have bought it?.... :haha:

 

[Coot]

And "dry flints" are those that don't make sparks. :grin: