Flints stored in water

[Pukka Bundook]

Somehow I can't imagine Tom Fuller pilling about baking his flint before making gun -flints!
Never heard of such (to me) tripe.
I used to pick up Late Paleolithic flint chards on the farm in Yorkshire, and use the larger bits for gun-flints.  They all worked and better than any sawn/ground flint ever born.  Sometimes I'd find a flint core, that had had slivers struck off for making scrapers and arrow heads, and usually kept these.  Found plenty of arrow-heads and scrapers as well, and hung on to these.
The only thing I found that improved a flint was colour!  Black transparent being best, and a brown toffee colour close behind.

I think some new makers must like to add mystery to this very simple business.
Maybe those flints from the '70's were supposed to be kept in a Leather-covered glass water-bottle..............like Everyone  (!) had to have one time.  LOLO!

[T*O*F]

I think you all are confused by this water thing.  All us old timers know that you should store your flints submerged in coal oil.  They don't dry out and throw really hot sparks.

[Osprey]

I can't say if water helps flints, but I know salt water doesn't hurt them. A buddy picked up a coffee can full of french amber flints from the dredge spoils when they dredged St. Michaels harbor many years ago, guessed they were dumped ballast from colonial days.  They shot very well with lots of spark! 

[Pukka Bundook]

We used to get gunflints from I think it was "The Royal George" from when she foundered.

Flint is impervious, and whether it's been in water or not it all works the same.

[OldMtnMan]

I use CCI musket caps. Spark every time.


Ok ok don't hit me. I'm old.

[Pukka Bundook]

Pete, them there musket caps only work once though!  LOL!!

Merry Christmas!

[SR James]

As a professional archaeologist, I can tell you that there is an extensive archaeological literature on heat treating cherts and other tool stone. One of the desirable properties of chert/flint is that it is isotrophic, meaning that a skillful knapper can initiate and propagate fracture in almost any direction. Heating some cherts to a certain temperature increases the isotrophy making it easier to control fracturing.  What does this have to do with flintlocks?  Not a durn thing as the heat treating also makes the chert more brittle which is not a good thing. So don抰 cook your gunflints and don抰 bother storing them in water or other liquid as that does not make them less brittle as some folks used to believe.
However, if you store them in molasses your every shot will hit the sweet spot.  Or so I抳e been told.

[OldMtnMan]

Pete, them there musket caps only work once though!  LOL!!

Merry Christmas!

You should have told me that before. No wonder I can't get them to work again.

Merry Christmas to you and everybody here.

[Arcturus]

However, if you store them in molasses your every shot will hit the sweet spot.  Or so I抳e been told.

Brilliant!  Molasses it is!  ...or how about honey?
Merry Christmas!

[Pukka Bundook]

However, if you store them in molasses your every shot will hit the sweet spot.  Or so I’ve been told.

Brilliant!  Molasses it is!  ...or how about honey?
Merry Christmas!

You'll get less miss-understandings from your wife if you take molasses out, than if you tell her your going out hunting with honey!

[vtmtnman]

An interesting theory.I've seen knappers actually soak flint and other knapable stones in water to soften them before knapping.

When I worked in a slate quarry,I used to wet the slate pieces before trimming them to size because it would soften them (And more to reduce dust).Water does soften slate,I've felt/seen the difference in the slate.Whether it does for heat treated flint,no idea.

[Pukka Bundook]

Slate very porous, and yes, it splits better wet, quite agree..   Wet slate very bad to walk on as well! LOL!

[vtmtnman]

Slate very porous, and yes, it splits better wet, quite agree..   Wet slate very bad to walk on as well! LOL!

LOL I slipped on my share of that too 

[JCKelly]

how about oil?

Recall an old ad, old like 18th century Williamsburg, VA newspaper, for "oiled English gun flints"

curious, but all I could find on 'net discussed water or heat treating.

Will probably always wonder why they sold their gun flints oiled in some manner.

[Pukka Bundook]

No clue on the oiling J, other than maybe in bulk, they didn't dull each other if slick!

Make them shine nicely as well.

[120RIR]

There is actually no true "flint" found anywhere in North America...it only comes from cretaceous chalk beds like those found in England and France.  Heat treating of some cherts (or to be formal about it - "crypto-crystalline silicates" has nothing to do with water or the lack thereof but rather altering the crystalline structure.  I don't quite recall all the details and physics of it but it tends to give cherts a glassy appearance and can increase the workability.  It can also dramatically alter the color.  For example, some white cherts (like those found in Illinois and elsewhere) can turn almost un-natural hues of orange, pink, and red.  I don't doubt for one moment that prehistorically there wasn't an aesthetic reason for heat treating as well as a functional one.  As for heat treating techniques - if you put 100 flintknappers in a room, you'll get 100 different methods.

[T*O*F]

how about oil?
Recall an old ad, old like 18th century Williamsburg, VA newspaper, for "oiled English gun flints"

I posted earlier about them being stored in coal oil and that's how I had always stored mine.  This used to be the trend and I had never heard about anyone storing them in water.  They remain with a greasy feel and throw nice, sizzely sparks.

[OldMtnMan]

Isn't oil what we try to keep off the flint before firing? Why am I wiping them down with alcohol?

[T*O*F]

Coal oil isn't oil pre se...........it's more akin to kerosine.

[stikshooter]

I was told native Americans stored there flint below ground and I assume this had something to do with moisture , but they could be wrong (maybe) !

[trentOH]

Clearly, the best reason to store your flints in a jug of water is, to make them easy to find when you need a few.

[thecapgunkid]

"The XXXperts from back in those days went out of their way to make shooting muzzleloaders in general, and flintlocks in particular, as complicated as possible. That抯 were we got bullet weighing, rolling, and tumbling. Not to mention, that these guys are the source of most the crazy concoctions used to clean muzzleloaders, when cold water works just fine. Also the bullet lubes would fill a book, when tallow, and bear grease is about as good as it gets. Oh and let抯 not forget hammering the patch, and ball, down bore like a cobbler on speed, because if you don抰, it won抰 shoot straight at all. It抯 a wonder the sport survived."

  Hungry Horse

legitimate question, but...who cares?
Thanks , Horse

[NWSmoothie]

I used to do that 35 years ago because all the cool flint guys did it. I don't think it makes any difference.

Well you just lost your 'cool' card for sure, dude.

You wouldn't believe how many times I have been told I "wasn't cool" since I started raising kids. I'm glad they are all raised and have found out how 'uncool'  they're kids think they are.

[/glow]

That is sooooo funny! and So true! 

[kentucky bucky]

I've heard that if you brush your teeth before shooting with "spit patches", your groups will be better........or is it you friends will like you better.....I can't remember.

[TN Longhunter]

". Oh and let抯 not forget hammering the patch, and ball, down bore like a cobbler on speed, because if you don抰, it won抰 shoot straight at all. It抯 a wonder the sport survived."

  Hungry Horse

legitimate question, but...who cares?
Thanks , Horse

Who remembers the device that fit over the end of your ramrod that measured the amount of pressure you had on the ball?