Proper way to secure a flint.

[MuskratMike]

If Jim Chambers advises not to use lead that's good enough for me. Besides being a great guy he has probably forgot more about flintlocks than most of us will ever know! I use leather cut from worn out leather work gloves, almost never do I have a flint come loose even on a long trail walk. Still it is best to check after every 5 shots or so. Make darn sure your turn screw fits the slot correctly or you will bugger the slot!

[OldMtnMan]

I remember reading this article many years ago and it showed no difference in performance between lead and leather. I tried lead because I didn't have a piece of leather handy. I had plenty of round balls, so using lead for holding the flint was easy enough. I used lead for 2 years and nothing broke but it wasn't a Chambers lock. I felt lead held the flint better than leather.

https://www.blackpowdermag.com/lead-vs-leather-flint-attachment-study/

[OldMtnMan]

Not everybody agrees that leather is better.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/flintlocks-lead-or-leather.4521/

[Daryl]

Unlike this guy, Mike's post:

 "Additionally, you can simply wash the lead off when you clean the gun. With a piece of leather, you have to remove it from the gun or the powder residue that gets impregnated into the leather can cause the cock jaws to rust like crazy. Mike Irwin, Jan 18, 2003"

I've never had any rusting of the cock's jaws. Don't know why, as I scrub the lock, cock, jaws, fling and leather or lead with a water soaked 'old' toothbrush.

THEN I wipe and blow off the lock with compressed air (usually), then spray copiously (FLUSHING) with WD40. Perhaps THAT is the secret for not rusting, perhaps the WD40 'chases' the water out of the leather, replacing it with the oil? Who knows, but I do not get "rust like crazy" with either lead or leather.
 

[Darkhorse]

I've never got any rusting either and I clean my locks basically just like Daryl described. My leather is always wet when I get through cleaning. Been doing this a long time and that wet leather has given me zero problems.
I ground the tips on a couple of good screwdrivers to fit the slots on the jaw screws on my Siler locks, I can really get a good tightening with a fitted screwdriver tip. I want my flint tight because even though someone might have never had a flint come loose just keep shooting and you will eventually.

[Turtle]

 On all my guns and I drill a 1/8" hole through the cock screw and use a short rod through it to tighten the flint-much more leverage. I have also done this to many friends guns.

[Jim Chambers]

Lead was used commonly in the 18th century around the flint but primarily on military flintlocks with much heavier/beefier cocks.  Sporting type locks have cocks with much smaller, more delicate throats.  Using lead on this type of cock transfers too much shock from the flint striking the frizzen back to the weakest part of the cock and can cause it to break.  That is why we recommend using leather rather than lead. 
Personally, I usually super glue the leather to the flint.  That makes it hold in the jaws much better, and it is easier to remove the leather and flint when cleaning the lock after shooting.

[Wingshot]

Lead was used commonly in the 18th century around the flint but primarily on military flintlocks with much heavier/beefier cocks.  Sporting type locks have cocks with much smaller, more delicate throats.  Using lead on this type of cock transfers too much shock from the flint striking the frizzen back to the weakest part of the cock and can cause it to break.  That is why we recommend using leather rather than lead. 
Personally, I usually super glue the leather to the flint.  That makes it hold in the jaws much better, and it is easier to remove the leather and flint when cleaning the lock after shooting.

The super glue trick is genius if for no other reason than for the ease of reinstalling the flint after lock cleaning.

[fishdfly]

"The super glue trick is genius if for no other reason than for the ease of reinstalling the flint after lock cleaning."

I read this somewhere else, it was recommended to super glue leather on flints for woods walks.   It made changing flints much easier when needed. 

Might work well for limited timed fire pistol matches when changing a flints when needed. I use to keep a spare flint handy for them, now I keep one with the leather glued to it.

[Daryl]

Interesting, but I use the same leather for years.
If it was glued to the flint, how do you get it off without tearing it,
or having to soak the leather on the junk flint for a long period of time in acetone?

[fishdfly]

I have a large garbage bag of mule deer and elk hides that my father had.  I will never run out of leather so I consider the leathers as disposable.

[Mike from OK]

I guess technically I use both...

My gun is a production gun and came with the flint wrapped in lead. When I changed flints I reused the lead.

One day I was looking at the geometry of my lock and studied the face of the frizzen. The point where my flints were starting to strike the fizzen face were about 5/8 to 3/4 up the face of the frizzen. So I poked a little piece of leather under the lead and raised my flint up a little... Now the flint makes contact with the frizzen much closer to the top as it travels down the face.

Did it make a world of difference? Probably not. Did it hurt to possibly glean a few more sparks? Not at all.

I'm not an expert in lock geometry, and there was no life-changing improvement. But if it adds a little more spark to the charge in the pan and didn't interfere in the lock operation what's the harm?

I'm not advocating anyone ignore manufacturer recommendations or get crazy or abuse their equipment... But experiment a little with your gear and see if you can tweak it some

Mike

[fishdfly]

In marine stores they sell stick on anti-slip pads to put on boats so folks do not slip while boarding or getting off.  It comes in different grades and thickness.

Something that might be used on cocks to prevent the leather from slipping, just use the adhesive to attach it.

Some use it on pistols so their hands do not slip.

If you did not like it, just take it off.

[Turtle]

 If you drill a hole through the screw and use a little rod through it, you can get the screw way tighter then with a screw driver. Some people use their nipple pick or small end of a jag.
 Done it for years and modified scads of locks that way.