Knapping Agate Flints?

scout3006

scout3006

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
218   0   0
Location
Chatham, Ontario
I'm having alot of fun with my new flinter, and have even learned to knap flints from the video on the Blackpowder FAQ thread. (I've done two, and boy do they spark good!)

My question is, can you knap agate flints? (The square cut ones that Lyman sells with their muzzleloaders.) If so, do you do it the same as a regular English black flint, or do you cut or grind it?

Thanks!:pirate:
 
I knap them with a short brass drift about 3/16" diameter and 2 odr 3" long. I strike it with my short starter and the edge will flake off. I have tried grinding them but they shatter

cheers mooncoon
 
scout3006 said:
I'm having alot of fun with my new flinter, and have even learned to knap flints from the video on the Blackpowder FAQ thread. (I've done two, and boy do they spark good!)

My question is, can you knap agate flints? (The square cut ones that Lyman sells with their muzzleloaders.) If so, do you do it the same as a regular English black flint, or do you cut or grind it?

Thanks!:pirate:
Click to expand...


As soon as I read "agate flints" I got a bad flashback. Years ago I was talked into trying these...the talk was they are soooo much better then english flints. This coming from the salesman not from custom gun builders. Well, they sparked not to bad and held an edge pretty good..the bad part was it messed up the frizzen on my custom built and tuned lock and turned out to throw spark all over, no consistent direction. The agate and frizzen also had to be perfectly clean and perfectly adjusted in the jaws of the hammer. Of course all of you black powder experts are going talk about a poorly tempered frizzen...yada, yada. Not so the gun was built by a gunsmith who specialized in flintlocks...his expertise was legendary. As soon as I switched back to english flints there was noticable improvement.
My suggestion would be to drop the idea of agate flints and stick with what works...english flints.
Cheers
 
Natural flint. No agate and "churt", only if you have no other option. Churt will give a fairly reliable spark.

Trapline
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom