Proper way to secure a flint.

[Woodsrunner79]

Hi, all. I just got my first flintlock, a Jim Chambers York in .40, and am having trouble securing the flint in the cockjaw. Would a piece of sheet lead or strip of leather help in this? Also, how tight should I be screwing it down  ( don't want to break/hurt the lock)

Cheers,  Jordan

[mark esterly]

use leather. do not use lead.

[Eric Krewson]

Tight is good, I tighten my jaw screw with a bit of hand force and a proper fitting screwdriver. If you don't you will shoot a few times and the flint will work loose.

Wrap your flint like I did mine in the picture;

[MuskratMike]

Now that you know the way to install a flint. Go and buy the book "Flintlocks a Practical Guide for Their Use and Appreciation", by Eric Bye. Everyone who is starting out in flintlocks needs this book no matter how much experience you have in black powder, or how many willing teachers you have around you.

[Wingshot]

I too have had this problem in the past and being a persistent type I experimented with sheet lead (large Siler lock) and various types and thicknesses of leather. Leather is the only material I will use and having a large supply of flints on hand is also helpful. I second the advise to use a proper fitting screw driver to snugthings up unless you like looking at buggered metal.

[MuskratMike]

Along with what wingshot said if a new flint protrudes too far forward, cut a small notch in the back fold of the leather. This will allow you to slide the flint back until it touches the threads.

[recurve]

Gold age chambers lock
Chambers locks should use Leather(other wise might void warranty)
old leather wallets and belts are a good source for leather 

[Turtle]

 Elk hide works best for me.

[hanshi]

Ditto all the above.  I use only leather for the flint.  Experimented with sheet lead once and it didn't work.

[Hungry Horse]

 I also recommend leather, instead of lead. I also cut a small hole in the center of my leather wrap, and with a knapping pin cleave a notch in the heal of the flint, so, the flint doesn’t slip sideways, or loosen up while carrying my while hunting. I found an old flint with a notch in the heal, and tried it, and have been doing it ever since.

  Hungry Horse

[Woodsrunner79]

Thank you,  everyone, for the replies. I've got a bit of leather laying around from various projects.

I saw a copy of Mr. Bye's wonderful book while acquiring my rifle. Unfortunately,  I just didn't have the scratch needed to get both.

Cheers, Jordan

[Marcruger]

Yes, make sure it is all the way back against the screw.  Use leather.  I make the leather go to the end of the flint on the top to prevent flint damage from a rebounding frizzen.  God Bless,   Marc

[Turtle]

 deerskin or better elk works better than cow leather. flints have more tendency to spit out of cow leather-deer and elk grip them better.

[Scota4570]

A shooting buddy was having all kinds of trouble with flints coming out of the laws.  Cow leather, yes.  I cut rasp like teeth in both jaws for him.  They came out smaller than I would have liked.  The steel was very hard and refused to anneal so I did the best I could. 

Next shoot the flints still worked out.

I just had a though to treat the leather with rosin.  Dissolve rosin in alcohol.  Dredge the flint leathers in it..  Let dry.  Should hold good?  I use it for barrel vice work and it stops slipping between maple and steel.  Why not for this?

[JamesT]

Sometimes if the leather is on the thick side and a bit soft I will hammer it out to compress it some before installing it. Seems to help. Lead was used it appears on some large musket locks and such but you should not use it in modern locks. Most are cast metal and the added mass can damage the lock or at the least void the warranty as someone has said. Nuff said. I didn't need to see my lock break first hand so I stick with leather.

[Craig Wilcox]

As noted above, be sure to use a graver or small punch to raise a series of "teeth" on both bottom and top jaws.  Works a charm.

[Daryl]

I am pretty sure a lead wrap on the flint does add momentum to the cock but didn't loosen on me. The military,
 at least in the US, issued lead sheet for holding the flint, so it must have worked. I suspect due to the increased
 momentum, it might be harder on the frizzen, perhaps increasing the likelihood of a rebound. I use leather as a
 rule, but do have a few pieces of sheet lead in my possibles with the spare flints. I use the thin sheet from X-Ray
room walls. I have also used this sheet, cut narrow, for steelhead flies I want to run deep.

[Turtle]

 In my experience, the flint more often slips out of the leather than the leather out of the cock.

[OldMtnMan]

I've used lead and it worked fine for me. I took a round ball and smashed it flat with a hammer.

[smylee grouch]

Some flints have the hump on their backs and those are problematic for me so I take those and use a grind stone on the hump to take JUST a little of the hump off working slow so as not to heat up the rock too much. It helps a lot. I use brain tan deer or elk for the leathers-never had any luck with the thicker cow hide. Pig skin splits works ok on some locks too.

[Woodsrunner79]

The leather did the trick nicely. I was able to shoot 5 ball through her before more modern tribulations manifested themselves. ( the misses had to remind me that the outlets in the bathroom weren't going to rewire themselves)  many thanks for everyone's input.

Cheers, Jordan

[Daryl]

The leather did the trick nicely. I was able to shoot 5 ball through her before more modern tribulations manifested themselves. ( the misses had to remind me that the outlets in the bathroom weren't going to rewire themselves)  many thanks for everyone's input.

Cheers, Jordan

5 shots? Leather works, lead works.
We shoot the whole course of fire - 30 to 60 shots and often do not have to re-tighten the top-jaw screw.
 Odd times, it loosens - happens with some flints, not with others that look the same - IT happens.

[nemovir]

NO LEAD SHEET.  Lead sheet will void the warranty on the Jim Chambers lock. Please use leather.

[OldMtnMan]

NO LEAD SHEET.  Lead sheet will void the warranty on the Jim Chambers lock. Please use leather.

How come? Lead pounded thin doesn't weigh that much.

[nemovir]

i don't know. i read on multiple threads that Jim Chambers will not accept for warranty if lead wrap. i check his website afterward and, of course, I couldn't find it.  here is a quote from Acer Saccharum


Once upon a time, I had made a die for cutting out lead  for flint jaws. Jim Chambers admonished me that the extra inertia from the laed caused a number of cock necks to shear from the strain.

I use leather.

here is the thread
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=31201.0

Chamber's website said they will not accept if abused.