Report on Fench Amber Flint

[Leonredbeard]

To all who are interested.
This flint has been in the jaws of my jeager for a year now. I would say that it has at least one hundred shots on it. I did not even so much as knap it before a smoothbore shoot the first Saturday here in June. During that shoot half of the edge crumbled away. The part that was left was quite thick, so I tapped it until it broke away to straight across. But it is quite thick now the whole way across. The only thing I had done with it before was to cock it a bit in the jaws of the cock when it misfired on rare occasion. The edge I was using the whole time is now done sparking. I could turn it around and use the other end for a few tens of shots, but it is quite short now. The lock is Chamber's early Germanic. It is possible that it is easy on flints, as almost all the flints I have used in it since I finshed building it in 1996 gave me long life with very little knapping. It is a boringly reliable lock. It is the lock that drove me to wheellocks for a new challenge! Hee Hee!
God bless.
volatpluvia

Ah.....I shall have to post the pics on the next post. I haven't put them on photobucket yet! And I don't feel like writing this all out again.

 

[Leonredbeard]

Bevel down

Bevel Up

 

[roundball]

I bought a couple dozen French amber flints a year or so ago and I too had some crumble as if they were somewhat soft...overall, the ones I had were no better than...and quite a few of them not as good as...my typical Tom Fuller black English flints...plus the FAFs cost almost twice as much...so, I was glad I did it for the hands on experience, but don't plan on buying any more.

 

[Old Charlie]

This was my expearance with them as well Round Ball.
Old Charlie

 

[Russianblood]

I have a French amber flint in both my trade gun's L&R Queen Ann lock and my MVTC blunderbuss lock and both are going strong.

 

[mark fish]

My first FAF has about 35 rounds shot with no sign of slowing down.
Used on a small siler I built from a kit.
20 rounds was the most I got using store bought english flint on this lock.
French Amber Flints are the only thing french I like. :thumbsup:

 

[shmrck1]

I have a couple of FAF but just never got
around to using them. I guess I will have to try them out. I'm not sure but I think I got them
from Dixie GW. I know they were not cheap. Like
5 or 6 bucks apiece
snake-eyes :hmm:

 

[Slowpoke]

I shoot flintlock 95% of the time and I've found that flints are just like diamonds. They differ from one batch to the next. I've had English and French flints that split and crumb after a few shots and well some that go on forever. Also, the larger the lock the less flint life I tend to expect. I have a Virginia and a Queen Anna lock that if I get 50 shot out of a flint, I'm happy. Large and small Siler I get anywhere from 75-100.

If anyone would like to try French Amber Flints, I'll send you out a couple to try for free. Just send me a Private Message.

 

[MikeChapin]

I picked up some amber flints from Horst & McCann about a year ago and have been pleased with them. They came out to be about $1.50 each. This is a little more than the $.95 to $1.05 I had been paying for english black but they have lasted longer so came out a little better per shot. I'll pick up some more when this bunch wears out.

The only other time I used french amber was the ones that used to come with L&R locks. I would use those until they were worn to nubs. Before H&M started selling them at a decent price I have seen them in the $3.00 to $6.00 range. I like the amber flints but not that well.

 

There is an interesting article comparing flints in the last MuzzleBlast mag. Basically they found that flint life was probably more related to lock geometry & the like rather than type of flint. They also found that flint life/function varied within "types" as one might expect, as all naturally occurring substances have some variation, some small defects, etc.... Actually as I have pointed out several times (in vain) in the past, the main difference between English black flint and French amber flints is that English are blackish and French are yellowish. That is they are just color differences in the SAME mineral (chert).

 

[Slowpoke]

Actually as I have pointed out several times (in vain) in the past, the main difference between English black flint and French amber flints is that English are blackish and French are yellowish. That is they are just color differences in the SAME mineral (chert).

Mike,
Please don't confuse us with facts, they tend to get in the way of our speculations. :rotf:

 

[robinghewitt]

the main difference between English black flint and French amber flints is that English are blackish and French are yellowish.

I think they come from the same flint bed which extends up from France into England.

Not all English flint is black. I've noticed that Sussex flint is black while Surrey flint is amber, color depends on minerals in solution when the flint is deposited.

Col Peter Hawker expressed an opinion that black flint from Lord Cadogan's Estate was best.

Possible a better test for a good flint is, does the light shine though it without showing up lots of imperfections?

 

For what it's worth I believe Mike Roberts, Slowpoke and Squire Robin have it nailed the best. I've had both black and amber flints that seemed to go on forever. I've also had black and amber flints that weren't worth spit. I'm also convinced good lock geometry can turn a mediocre flint into a good one and that bad lock geometry can make a mediocre flint a POS. I belive a good flint is good no matter the lock geometry.....except that there's the questions of frizzen hardness, main and frizzen spring strength and the wear on the face of the frizzen. It ain't cut and dried as we'd all like it to be. My belief is to shoot what's works best for you....(and me!).

 

[Henry]

The black flint is found in chalk clifs
like the ones around Dover , amber flint is found ... almost anywhere , I remember a trip to France where I found them mostly in my bicycle tires .

The cutting of the flint is also of importance , before the Napoleonic war , the technique used by english craftmen was not as good as the one used by the french.

Today , the very best flint comes fron the workshop of M. Dutrieux , but it may not be for long since he has problems with some local authority about the safety standards of his shop , he is not allowed to hire a helper .

Does it sound familiar ?