really weird (sorta) flints

[Rifleman1776]

The two (sorta) flints shown were sent to me years ago by a fellow in Pennsylvania. He wanted me to test and write product reviews on them for Muzzle Blasts and other magazines. Unfortunately, before I got to the project he shut down operations. The one on the right in the pic was designed something like a Zippo lighter. A piece of leather was glued to the frizzen face and this gizzmo-flint was put in the jaws of the hammer. On 'striking' the wheel would turn and produce sparks. The white 'flint' on the left is really manufactured ceramic. I really intend to try it one day. I believe it may actually be a good sparker. Mainly I keep them as curiosities and will stay with regular flints, sawn and knapped.
BTW, the reason he quit operations was that he could not get state game and fish commissions to approve his 'zippo' flint for hunting. And, of course, it would be prohibited under NMLRA rules. So it has little to no practical application.

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[Stumpkiller]

Those belong in the Museum of False M/L Starts along with the depleted Uranium frizzen soles that were available in the past ('s true).

 

[snubshooter]

They look very interesting. I was wondering if anyone had made a flint made out of a swedish Firesteel. Seems to me to be a great sparker and would last many shots. I would like to see how the ceramic "flint" works.

 

[Tumblernotch]

They look very interesting. I was wondering if anyone had made a flint made out of a swedish Firesteel. Seems to me to be a great sparker and would last many shots. I would like to see how the ceramic "flint" works.

I have a feeling a ceramic flint would eat a frizzen up pretty fast.

 

[Rifleman1776]

They look very interesting. I was wondering if anyone had made a flint made out of a swedish Firesteel. Seems to me to be a great sparker and would last many shots. I would like to see how the ceramic "flint" works.

I have a feeling a ceramic flint would eat a frizzen up pretty fast.

According to the Mohs hardness scale, it is almost identical to flint.

 

[nkbj]

Has anyone tried zirconium on a frizzen?

 

[Zonie]

Has anyone tried zirconium on a frizzen?

No but I did try using Kryptonite once.

This dude in blue tights was shooting next to me and he started looking very pale and dropped his gun more than once.
He asked the rangemaster to tell me to quit using it and to take my Kryptonite back to the car.

Just as well. It didn't make sparks worth a damn.


:rotf: :rotf:

 

[Larry Pletcher]

Rifleman1776,
During the 2009 spring nationals we video taped one of these zippos. At 5000 fps it looked impressive, but we could see that the pan powder didn't appear to light any faster than with conventional sparks. It does product intense sparks, but pan ignition was about this same. The is a visual impression; I did not count frames to determine this accurately.

Regards,
Pletch

 

[Tumblernotch]

I was just wondering. They make tool bits and cutters for lathes and milling machines out of ceramics nowadays and it does a grand job of cutting steel.

 

[bowkill]

you owe me a keyboard! just spit pepsi in mine.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Rifleman1776,
During the 2009 spring nationals we video taped one of these zippos. At 5000 fps it looked impressive, but we could see that the pan powder didn't appear to light any faster than with conventional sparks. It does product intense sparks, but pan ignition was about this same. The is a visual impression; I did not count frames to determine this accurately.

Regards,
Pletch

Interesting. Thanks.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I was just wondering. They make tool bits and cutters for lathes and milling machines out of ceramics nowadays and it does a grand job of cutting steel.

I know nothing about machining. But Google tells me a steel file is 6.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. Ceramic and flint are 7.0. Most steels that would be worked in a shop would be softer than a file so yer old flints would work as cutters.

 

[jethro224]

One of the guys who shoots with the local ML club I am a member of has a CVA with one of them Zippo "flints" in it. I shot it once. It goes off every time. He never has to knap it either.
The rest of his guns are caplocks. Even tho he says it's a curiosity thing, I think maybe the reason he uses the Zippo flint thingy is because he never learned to fiddle a flint right.

 

[ebiggs1]

So it has little to no practical application.

On this statement, we can agree. :thumbsup:
Ceramic or "zippo"! :wink: or agate! :grin:

 

[Rifleman1776]

So it has little to no practical application.

On this statement, we can agree. :thumbsup:
Ceramic or "zippo"! :wink: or agate! :grin:

Zippo. Ceramic I'll pass on for now. BTW, agate is a great material for a gunflint.

 

[tg]

It seems there has been a never ending trail of things tried to make the ML's better,faster,more efficient that the originals, I am lost to the reasonimg of stepping back to an earler technology then trying to tweak it to match or approach that of the modern centerfires this goes for sights and bullets as well these are the two that have got the biggest attention in reguards to "improvement" over what was available in the past and often go way past the origina concept on which they were supposedly based and most manufacturesclaim to connection to their products and the period types it is the users that connect the dots there, to each theeir own but do give some thought before classifying such things into the world of traditional or historical, it does not hurt to be real about them.

 

[Rifleman1776]

There is just too much in your post to reply to in brevity. But, please not the title of topic, it includes words like "weird" and "sorta". It was posted as a matter of general interest, no endorsement. As far as agate is concerned. It may be a form of flint, I don't know. I have a hunk given to me by a famous knapper that I use for firestarting. We have already gone over the sawn gunflints. They are period correct for times long behind us.

 

[tg]

" We have already gone over the sawn gunflints. They are period correct for times long behind us."

yes for a very limited when and where, and that is an important issue when we toss around these terms..

Get thee behind me hoards of the Wannabe Dark Army. ( ya kinda gotta invision me on a mount holding a pair of crossed hickory ramrods with no brass tips, with a legion of angels behind me bathed in a blinding light from above and casting thunder bolts down to smote all those who degrade or cause to suffer the traditonal historical world of MLing and leaving a swath of destroyed Maxi balls, Buffaloe bal-lets, microclick peep sights,flints cut with modern equipment,and an array of highly modernized items which were in a simple primitive state when in their original time period, and of course the empty shells of those of the Dark Army who exchanged their souls to seek advantage and increased performance over the "old ways" and tried to call it "historical",in the face of HE who knows the truth and then a long silence fell upon the Earth, and it was good,as from the ashes arose a small round ball of lead here and a strip of linen patching over there, then another and yet another, and the world would be right once again.

 

[Macon Due]

HaHaHa..TG, you ain't right!!!
Macon :grin:

 

[David W.]

:rotf: :rotf: .....and I agree with Macon!