Bewvel up or Bevel down affects the ANGLE of IMPACT of the flint's edge to the frizzen, by moving the POI up or down on the frizzen. If the angle is too SQUARE to the frizzen face, you bash and break more flint off. So, yes, the position of the flint does affect wear.
Yes, you wedge the flint forward as it wears down.
That's why GOD made trees( twigs) and bushes( more twigs).
The flint sharpens itself( Knapp, or self knapping) ONLY if the Angle of Impact of the edge to the frizzen is at 60 degrees, and the flint strikes about 3/3 of the way UP the face of the frizzen from the bottom of the frizzen at its "HEEL". ( If you look at a frizzen from the side( Profile) it resembles the human foot. )
Even with the flint in the correct position in the jaws, with the proper angle of Impact, the flint will wear down and become duller. You can knapp the flint without removing it from the jaws, however.
With the gun empty, cradle the gun in your arm, and ( assuming you are RHed, and shooting a RH lock) use your left Thumb to lift the frizzen up using the piece of skin next to your thumb nail. Lift the frizzen up only enough ( about 1/2 -3/4") so that when you manually lower the ****, the edge rests against the thickest part of the HEEL of the frizzen. Hold the frizzen at that posiiton, making sure your thumb is forward enough on the lock so that NO Part of your thumb extends BACK behind the edge of that Heel. Now, with your right hand, **** the **** back to the full **** notch, and pull the trigger.
The flint will strike the heel at a very sharp angle, chipping off a slice of flint off the Bottom edge of the dulled flint. BINGO! Instance sharp edge, and its sharp across the width of the flint.
All you have to do is re-adjust the distance between the edge of the new sharp flint, and the face of the frizzen, when the **** is at half-****, and the frizzen is closed, tighten down the **** screw, and you are ready to go. Before loading or priming, test the flint by firing a couple of sparks. This will make sure that you have the **** screw tight enough, so that the flint doesn't move back or sideways in its new position. ( and that your wedges/twigs are working for you.)
When I wrap my flints in lead, about 5 strikes of the flint in a new position will adjust the grip of the soft lead on the slick flint. I always re tighten my **** screw after 5 strikes, and I usually get some movement of that screw when I do. Out of habit, I will do the same thing using leather wraps, but some leathers( raw hide, parfletche, thin leather that has been soaked, then squeezed dry, and clamped in a vice to force all the water out of the leather until it dries) are almost harder than soft lead, and don't need to be "squeezed" more after a couple of strikes.
