U.S. Flint

[Walks with fire]

Is there any flint found in the United States that could be knapped to fire a flintlock gun. I would like to learn flint knapping and was just wondering whether I could find raw flint in the US. Are there other types of stone or rock that would fire a flintlock.

 

http://www.geocities.com/knappersanonymous/?200515
Try this site, it should answer all your questions
Bill

 

[Legionair]

There's supposed to be some good flint exposed at the great lakes shorlines.

Exposed when them big ice cubes rolled south 10,000 years ago...

Legion

 

[halfstock]

Supposed to be a large long ridge of flint at a place in either ohio or illinois ( I forget which) that is said to be better than french amber but not quite as good as english black. Check it out and let us know of your findings.

Halfstock

 

[paco97]

My first trip would be to Flint, Michigan maybe you could find some up there.

 

[Walks with fire]

Been there!!!!!!!!! Flint Ridge Ohio is a hit.

 

[boar]

Mossie There is a flint ridge in Ohio,close to Newcumberstown,O The indians got alot of flint there. I have flint at my house that I use but it is sometimes hard to get a good peice from them ,they call them leaverites. Leave them right where you found them. You can tell by looking at them if you can get a gun flint or arrowhead out of them,look for the cracks.We have 150ft of gravel beneath us here,the flint is in the gravel.Said it come down from Canada in Ice Age. Dilly

 

[Walks with fire]

I didn't think it would work for a flintlock because the flint that they used in the past was all imported. Works good for cutting tools and arrowheads but not flintlocks.

 

I sometimes attend knap-ins just to get diferent shades of chert and flint to knap into flints for my rifles. They work as well as flint knapped by someone else and paid for with hard earned money.

In the old days the pioneers often used arrowheads they picked up as rifle flints. The Reverand Joseph Dodridge reports this activity in his biography (One of the guidebooks on how to be a pioneer).

Native flint works fine for flint and steel firemaking, why would you not expect it to work against a frizzen?

:hatsoff:

 

[J.D.]

Nearly any chert will work ok, but some are much better than others. Generally speaking dark flint makes better gunflints than lighter colored flint/chert.

I had to make a gunflint at an event from a red chert that is very good. I kept a coupla pieces and use them for hunting.

There is a southern blue flint that is VERY good.
Texas has a gray flint that is good too.

White chert, found here in the Ozarks, throws a surprising pile of sparks, but is pretty brittle and only lasts a few shots.

Run a search on flintknapping to find articles on knapping arrowheads. If you visit a knap in, don't tell them you want to make gunflints. For some reason, point knappers look down on anyone who wants to make gunflints and won't teach you anything.

J.D.

 

[Walks with fire]

I want to make arrowheads to use for hunting as well by using native flint. Might as well do some gunflints as well. I do alot of travel in my job so when I am in good areas for flint I will be looking to find some. Any links or location advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[dlemaster]

Ohio flint works fine. Most flint in Ohio comes from Flint Ridge, East of Columbus, over by Buckeye Lake. That would be Southwest of Newcomerstown.
I've used broken arrow heads and chips from Flint Ridge flint for years per Dodderidge's Notes, but prefer Black English Flints because they are already knapped to the correct shape and do seem to last longer.

Regards, Dave

 

[rkthomas]

Mossie:
Search e-bay for "flint". I recently bought 20 lbs. of Comanche County, Texas Gray Flint. It was inexpensive. I am using it with steel strikers for fire starting. It works just fine. I hear it is O.K. to knap into many other items. Wear Safety Glasses!
Rich Thomas

 

:thumbsup: Flint ridge flint works just fine thank you.