picking the correct size flint

cdnrokon

cdnrokon

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Hi all i am new to flintlocks and picked up a nice 58 cal Dale Friesen full wood Hawken style. I want to get some spares for this rifle and go play out at the range.

How does one pick the right size flint , any online source for reading about keeping the flint sharp and things working as they should, I am no stranger to the muzzleloader world but flintlocks are something I always wanted to get into.
 
A lot of it will come down to the geometry of your lock mechanism. I've found for most of my flintlocks they function best when there is about 1/8" of space between the frozen (when closed) and flint when the hammer us at half ####. Unfortunately you will need to play around and see what works best in your gun though. If the flint strikes too high the sparks fly everywhere and not necessarily in the pan. If it strikes the frizzen too low the frizzen might not open properly.
 
If you have a good flint now....Measure it!!!
TOW has good real flints, I never had much luck with those cut ones. A tiny brass / copper hammer, about a 1/4" size head , 3" long handle, is good for taping the leading edge to re sharpen it. A copper wire in a handle also works good to knap the edge back on.
I find a leather wrap is best for holding the flint in the jaws, when I tried lead I got a lot of shattered flints. I also set the flint to almost contact the frizzen,, just a piece of paper thickness gap at half ####, this works best for me in my guns.
 
Keep in mind that if the flint is striking too high up on the frizzen, putting it bevel up will bring the point of impact down. As the flint gets knapped shorter, you can put it bevel down to raise the point of impact of the shorter flint

cheers mooncoon
 
They only seem to come in different widths. I measure my frizzen and buy the size that is as big as I can get without being wider. A little narrow is fine. But they are not precision sized and you don't want to use one that is wider or you'll find it trying to strike sparks off the side of the barrel. So if your frizzen is an honst 3/4" or a hair wider get 3/4. If it's a little under then go for the 5/8" size.

Length wise they seem to be sized to conform to the width. Then it's up to you to use a leather grip with or without a center hole at the fold or even using a grip made from a flattened lead ball.

The hole cut in the rear lets the flint sit back a little compared to the leather without the hole. And a short bit of scrap leather lace can be used to scooch the flint a little forward in an extreme case. Or you can use a lead ball flattened out and folded around the flint.

Once you find a good size buy a bunch. I didn't know this going into my first flintlock so I thought I had the world by the tail with 4 flints to my name. Turns out that from use and re-sharpening them by knapping the edge that they only last for somewhere between 15 to 30 shots. Then they are too short and blunt to be used any longer.
 
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