Another try - Renewing old flints

[Bigsmoke]

Badger,
The flint should have a little bit of clearance between it and the frizzen when the lock is in half cock position.  The rock should be approximately the same width as the face of the frizzen.  A little less is OK, but certainly no more.
I have always liked the L & R locks and received good service from them.  Other peoples mileage may have varied.  I think there is new ownership of the company since I was buying locks, so I really cannot saw how it is now.  But for the time when your rifles was made, I think Bill Cox was the owner and he always did a good job, IMHO.
Captchee mentioned that he prefers to inspect the flints prior to buying them.  I agree with that.  And like him, I also prefer the flat top flints as opposed to the hump back ones.  They just hold better to me.  Call around to the different businesses that sell flint and see if they will sort out half a dozen flints for you.
I am not much of a fan of flint locks, and do not shoot them much at all.  I don't think I ever tried a French amber, so I cannot address that.  The McCoy rifle is a  good gun, you should enjoy it a lot.
John

[droptine]

you might try mizzy wheels in your dremel. they work great

[Uncle Russ]

you might try mizzy wheels in your dremel. they work great

  I have been trying for weeks now to think of that name!

Yes! A mizzy wheel will sharpen a flint WITHOUT it cracking, or splintering, as long as you keep the speed up.
I use one to flatten the tops typically, but I have used them to make an entire flint look it was factory made, or just came out of a mold.  

This was mention here on the forum years ago, so I ordered a dozen...enough to last three people their entire lifetime, because it seems they don't wear, and they are cheap.  

http://www.armstrongtoolsupply.com/abra ... heels.html

Uncle Russ...

[Woodrock]

Consensus has it that cut gun flints hold better, but few shooters actually like the performance, and try all manner of ways to sharpen them EXCEPT knapping the edge.  I have been knapping for a few years now, but have only made a couple of gun flints.  The knap the edge of a cut flint would be something one totally unlearned in the arts of knaping could do. There ate three basic ways to knap. Pressure, where the flake is driven off by applying pressure. Percussion, where the flake is driven off by striking...requires practice, and good eye had coordination. Lastly indirect percussion where the flake is driven off by striking a tool set on the platform, and then struck.  If you were to make a devise to hold you cut flint bevel down, a tool such as a copper bar wide enough to span the flint, and a wee hammer to strike it with you would be 'fixing' those cut flints, and have the best of both worlds. i.e. a flint with parallel edges to hold well, AND a knapped edge to produce good sparks.  I will make some this week end, if honey do's alllow, and post photographs.
Woody

[Captchee]

gun flints are made just that way woodrock .  IE they are not Knapped , they are snapped .
 In so many words , first a long shard is struck from the flint  stone  ,using a specific type and weight of hammer. This produces a flake  that’s much like what one would want when making an arrow head  or knife blade from obsidian ..
 That first flake , from what I have read , is then knocked off  at even spacing’s  that’s dictated by how long the finished flint should be .
 Then they come back with a different hammer  and strike between the  first strikes . This produces a  flake  that’s beveled on both edges and flat on the bottom  . IE you get a double edged shard that will make a double edged flint  or one with a steep  back , depending on the angle of the 2nd striking
  then it gets to a block  and snapped   to width . If need be the sides ate Knapped alittle . But not the striking edge .
 Now that’s in so many words  making an actual gun flint  like an English  gun flint as described  by Sydney B. J Skertchly ;The Manufacture of Gunflints
 Here is the online read of that book
http://archive.org/stream/onmanufactureofg00skerrich#page/n5/mode/2up

 The other way is to make a nodule type of  flint , which is struck directly from the core  like we would do to make a arrow head .
 Now when we put it in our locks and that striking edge gets  worn , that’s where the Knapping comes in  so as to work the edge to keep it sharp .


 There are probably other ways  that are done today . But speaking for myself , I find that a properly made flint . that’s of good grade and thickness , will not only out last as cut flint , but they are also fare easier to maintain

[Mad Irish Jack]

Captchee,
    years back I'd seen them at Rondy and started to make and vary size and shapes. I'd made strike tools like that from 3/8"brass rod and sold them for a buck or two at Rondy back in the 90's. They work great. I also made the strike tool with that filed out lip, from flat brass 2" long and 1/4" thick by 3/8" to 1 1/4" wide (for different widths of flints). With a good solid quick strike you can do a flint in 1 hit. I also made a flaker from a 2" piece of copper tubing, about 1" or more, is mounted into an antler tine. The other end is flattened and then folded ove in half one time. I use it to flake off edges that stick out making the flint edge uneven. Where the fold is makes achannel that you place the flint edge into and the quickly turn or twitch the tool to flake of the burr. You can also quickly flake off from the inner edge to the out. but doing this also wears the flint out quicker.  But if hunting and you can't spark, its a quick fix. These are just things I've done and made over the yearsI,ve

[Roaddog]

Jack do you still make those tools? I would like to buy them if ya do.

[Captchee]

some of the local folks that doo flint knapping  make  them to . most i have seen havea copper head .

[Mad Irish Jack]

Jack do you still make those tools? I would like to buy them if ya do.

I've recently moved; but due to several surgeries (Open heart quad bipass, rotator cuff and a total right knee replacement) I haven't had a chance to get in the basement to unload my boxes of shooting, hunting, fishing, tools etc. stuff. So I'm not sure what I have and where it is. They are easy to make and lots of guys just look them over to remember them so they could make their own. So, I stopped making them as I had a good supply in my rondy trade blanket supplies. I also had made touch hole picks. They were made of turkey and pheasant feet  & shaped to the ultimate universal answer (Middle finger up). I have made items for myself that I've posted about and guys want photos. I haven't gotten to the STUFF yet so I can't accomidate them. I do hope to get at that stuff soon. Here's a picture of three I have in my pouch. I store a vent pic in the copper one. The flat one is 1" wide. I use a 1.25" for smoothy. The brass I was lucky enough to get years ago at my plant from the discard bin  by asking for it. The black areas are the profile of the strike edge formed by filing.

[Auldgoat]

Warning! If you chose to grind instead of knapp your flints, PLEASE wear respiratory protection. And use something better than those paper painters masks. Silicosis is no laughing matter and doesn't take long to do it's damage. It is irreversible. Silica dust is extremely fine  and lacerates the lung tissues. The scar tissue it leaves behind does not assimilate oxygen. Flint knappers were not noted for living a long life.

[Ron T.]

 


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

[Stormrider51]

I've found it is quite easy and very effective to simply use a smallish, diamond-impregnated hand-file to sharpen the leading edge of my flints while they are held securely in the cock's jaws.

A few strokes with the file and the job is done.

You can get a set of 8 or 10 such smallish files at Harbor Freight for less than $10... and you've probably got a life-time supply of the files.    


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

I'm going to have to give that a try!

Storm

[twisted_1in66]

Mizzy wheels are great for taking down the hump on the top of flints too.

One thing I might mention about dressing flints is that I don't do that anymore because I don't find it necessary.  Any easy way to knap your flint that I learned years ago from Paul V (please don't ask me to spell his last name) on the other forum was called "hammering" the flint.  You do that easing the frizzen up and lowering the cock until your flint just hits the bottom edge of the frizzen.  Not above the bottom but right at it.  Then, holding your frizzen in place with your thumb, cock and fire the lock.  The flint hits the bottom edge of the frizzen and your flint is knapped evenly all the way across.

Another thing you can do to avoid the need of knapping the flint is adjust the angle that the flint initially strikes the frizzen to make sure it hits at a 55° to 60° angle.  At that angle the flint will make a slicing motion against the frizzen.  Flip bevel up or bevel down, move the flint forward or back as needed until you get that angle and you will rarely need to hammer the flint.   If your flint strikes the frizzen at too abrupt an angle (~45° or less) it crushes the edge of the flint into the frizzen instead of slicing, doesn't spark well, and results in round flints, which I believe was the reason for this thread on renewing flints.  Conversely, if you make the angle too steep on the flint it will hit the top of the flint instead of the edge and will break off huge chunks of flint.  But get that 55° to 60° angle and the only thing you'll need to worry about with your flints is wiping the fouling off of the underside of the flint from time to time.

I also learned that from Paul and it made a huge difference in the reliability and performance of my flintlock.  I really do not spend any time dressing my flints anymore.

Hope that helps,
   Twisted_1in66  

[Ron T.]

Yes, Paul was a wonderful friend and very knowledge about just about everything "muzzleloaders".  Paul and I corresponded regularly in just pleasant conversations and question & answers via email... and I "saved" many of his emails in my WORD File.  

I "just missed" an opportunity to see Paul in person and talk to him at length at the early summer fest at Friendship in June of 2010.  We had made the meeting arrangements, but at the last minute, Paul sent me an email saying that he didn't think he could "get away", but would try.  I went down to Friendship as usual and was at our appointed meeting place (in front of the repair building at 1:00 PM), but alas, Paul didn't make it that year.

Sadly, Paul suddenly passed away on Sunday, September 30, 2012.  Such a SHAME to lose such a fine gentleman so young (age 65).  May he rest-in-peace...  

Here is a net site on Google.  Click on it (the blue "Google" at the end of this sentence) to learn more about Paul Vallandigham and his contributions to our knowledge of black powder shooting:  Google


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.