Old wives tale?
- Thread starter Plumb Center
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Long ago..back in the late 50's Dragnet TV series (in black & white), they said they would touch a little to their tongue to test the purity of it. Said they used to cut it with quinine (SP?) which is really bitter. If it wasn't bitter it was very pure. Of course the cops were immune to any of the effects from tasting it.
I purchased a few flints from Dixie Gunworks a few years back that had been recovered from a America bound ship that sunk in the Thames river in 1803. They were recovered in the early 90's I believe. I found they fit my tradegun perfectly so I installed one and after almost 200 years under water it fired fine.
I vote for putting them in oil as bunk.
I confer with the idea that oil might not be good for flints. It would only threaten reliabilty as it might lubricate the flint/frizzen contact and squelch sparking? I'm not sure if oil would penetrate the areas between the molecules of the flint. Oils are bigger and might not ooze into the rock like water?
Water might be useful, though, when finished knapping into shape, as it definitely changes the nature of the flint. If I remember correctly, and I seldom do anymore, I have heard of knappers, perhaps, burying their flint cores? I was told flint "dries out" and becomes more brittle.
I never was of the notion that I needed to do anything to flints to get satisfactory service. If it will break with that tell-tale conchoidal fracture, it will probably fire in a good lock. I believe that big word means, loosely, it breaks like glass?
I've never tried glass, but have some nice leaf shaped points made from thick glass. Hmmmmmmmm. I wonder.... :yakyak:
Water might be useful, though, when finished knapping into shape, as it definitely changes the nature of the flint. If I remember correctly, and I seldom do anymore, I have heard of knappers, perhaps, burying their flint cores? I was told flint "dries out" and becomes more brittle.
I never was of the notion that I needed to do anything to flints to get satisfactory service. If it will break with that tell-tale conchoidal fracture, it will probably fire in a good lock. I believe that big word means, loosely, it breaks like glass?
I've never tried glass, but have some nice leaf shaped points made from thick glass. Hmmmmmmmm. I wonder.... :yakyak:
If you bury them in the flower pot, you will run the risk of getting flint-worms, :what: :crackup: also when your wife cuts her finger half off this spring, you'll wished that you remembered to tell her that they are in there...
