pyrite

[Leonredbeard]

Tinker2
I wish to confirm Teleoceras' statement. In my experience, the sharper the circumferential ridges the better to ignite bits of pyrite. The crosscuts act to knock thos ignited bits off the crystal and into the powder. My first lock did not have sharp ridges on the wheel and ignition was spotty at best. It improved greatly when I softened the wheel again, filed the ridges sharp and put crosscuts in and rehardened.
If you are striking steel sparks off your frizzen, then you have some very hard pyrite. It must be the kind that looks like a sculpture.
volatpluvia

 

[Tinker2]

I bought a decent “wet” diamond powered tile saw, it works super, what a unusual delight when a plan works. Cuts pyrites like a dream.

I don’t have a shop now, so I cut this outside and it has been raining for weeks now, so I am not too sure how I got so wet cutting the pyrites. Then it is a “wet” tile saw.

So I know how to cut it easy. I think I know what type of pyrites works well. At least in my flintlock and Teleoceras’s “Sparky” Wheellock. I am learning, I think.

Teleoceras
From your picture of “Sparky”, I can see the grooves but not the cross grooves. How deep are the cross grooves?

Tinker2
If you are striking steel sparks off your frizzen, then you have some very hard pyrite. It must be the kind that looks like a sculpture.
volatpluvia

“looks like a sculpture.” ??


I do so much, appreciate all the time that you have all spent attempting to educate me.


Thanks
Tinker2

 

[Leonredbeard]

Tinker2,
By sculpture I mean it looks like a group of large trapezoids I believe the shape is called. I could really be wrong about the name. I bought one in rock shop and it was meant for display. It looked like gemstone. It was real shiny and it would not spark in my wheellock.
volatpluvia

 

[Tinker2]

Tinker2,
By sculpture I mean it looks like a group of large trapezoids I believe the shape is called.

Volatpluvia

OK, I understand now.
I found a guy that has some cubed pyrites that he will sell me and I am going to try to cut that on my new saw, we will see how they work.

You still have your wheellock?


Tinker2

 

[Leonredbeard]

No I sold it to Grzrob. He is having good results with chert. I have an unfinished lock in storage back in PA. But I don't think it will ever workd. I have a basically finished lock there as well but it is kind of ugly. Don't know it I will ever get it used on anything.
volatpluvia

 

[Tinker2]

No I sold it to Grzrob. He is having good results with chert. I have an unfinished lock in storage back in PA. But I don't think it will ever workd. I have a basically finished lock there as well but it is kind of ugly. Don't know it I will ever get it used on anything.
volatpluvia

What is kind of ugly? You have a picture of this ugly wheellock?
Got a picture of what is in storage?

You make them from kits or from scratch?

Maybe we can do some trading?

Tinker2

 

[Leonredbeard]

Tinker,
These are prototypes and I don't think they will ever work well enough to put on a gun. Even if they ever did, I would have a hard time taking money for them.
volatpluvia

 

[Tinker2]

Tinker,
These are prototypes and I don't think they will ever work well enough to put on a gun. Even if they ever did, I would have a hard time taking money for them.
volatpluvia

I understand prototypes, it’s what you can hold in your hand and look at so you can make what you want right?

For me it might be a place to start. I have gotten a few books that show some internals on wheellocks but a prototype could be good.

In my case it is just in the planing stage, a home workshop needs to be created to do to much. Right now I am using my computer desk. The workshop will be this summers project but this winter may see some things made in the shop.


Tinker2

 

[Rifleman1776]

According to the Mohs scale at Wiki, iron pyrite is a flouride and rates a 6 to 7 on the scale. That would make it (usually) a bit softer than flint. So, for our purposes, I'm concluding it would be an iffy thing as far as reliable sparking is concerned.

 

[Tinker2]

I'm concluding it would be an iffy thing as far as reliable sparking is concerned.

One of my flintlocks only gets pyrite, not because it’s better, cheaper, and easier, it is, and I think you will understand this,
it is because I can.

You do need good pyrites to do it and yes I do prefer good flint in all the rest of my flintlocks.


William Alexander

 

[M. De Land]

I'm a glazier by trade and have a Makita diamond glass saw for cutting glass. It has a dripper attached and I'm sure I could rig it to cut flint or chert if I had some to try it on.
It's been cutting glass for me for over 30 years and still using the same diamond blade it came with. The wheel is only 4 inches in diameter and it is battery powdered. MD

 

[ChrisPer]

According to the Mohs scale at Wiki, iron pyrite is a [strike]flouride[/strike] and rates a 6 to 7 on the scale. That would make it (usually) a bit softer than flint. So, for our purposes, I'm concluding it would be an iffy thing as far as reliable sparking is concerned.

Sorry but NO.

Pyrite is a SULFIDE FeS2. Its Mohs hardness is 6-6.5 and that is very, very different to 7. That table in Wikipedia lists minerals whose hardness fall in the range 6-7.

The reason this is so important is that the hardness of steel falls at the bottom of that 6-6.5 range, even below 6 but its measured using a different technique so its arguable. Flint is lots harder than steel at 7, and is actually microcrystalline quartz with the grain boundaries thoroughly re-cemented which makes it relatively tough to stand up to repeated shots.

Pyrite is not so tough, so it doesn't abrade the wheel near so badly as flint.

 

[Canute Rex]

You might consider using a so-called "dop stick" for cutting pyrite. People who cut and polish gems first glue the stone to a dop stick with water soluble glue. The dop stick is literally anything that has a glue-friendly surface of the right size on the end and a long enough handle to make it convenient. Often it is just a hardwood dowel. Some amateur gem polishers use simple Elmers white glue or the equivalent.

It works best if you can establish one flat surface on the stone as a gluing face. I guess that first surface is the tough part.