A one sided gun flint.
A Double side gun flint.
Bevel & shoulder down as here, will strike the hammer face higher.
Gun flints can be fitted shoulder up or down, depending on where you want the edge of the flint to strike the face of the hammer. Go for higher rather than lower.
Using the turn screw to loosen or tighten the gun flint in the jaws of the cock.
You can secure the flint in leather or in sheet lead. I have tried both but prefer leather. With the hammer forward & the cock set at half-cock position, fit the flint in loose tightening the screw with just the fingers. Close the hammer [frizzen] over the pan. Release the cock by squeezing the trigger, but hold onto the cock & release it slowly. Hold the hammer in place so the cock can’t push it forward. As the flint contacts the face of the hammer it will straighten the flint & align it with the hammer face.
If the flint is striking the hammer face at least two thirds of the way up, tighten the screw on the cock to secure the flint in that position. Try it out. If it strikes plenty of sparks fine. If not try turning the flint over & test again.
The leather tool pouch I made to go in my shot pouch.
Items in the tool pouch: Top L-R, cork sheath for the screw, the screw, turn screw, grease container,
[lower] spare leather for the flint, small pin punch, 2 spare gun flints.
I always have to think when you speak of lock parts (never a bad idea). What you call the "cock," we call the hammer, while we call your "hammer" a frizzen!
ReplyDeleteI try to stick to original period names for items. The term hammer was originally used because early steels on guns were shaped similar to a hammer, frizzen is a modern word. The hammer today of course has come from the percussion gun, where as cock I believe came from the similarity to a cockrel's neck, head & beak.
ReplyDeleteI am certainly not an expert on this period, and a mere novice when firearms are concerned, but I have always wondered how this might´ve been done in reality, ever since I was a child and had a flimsy remake of a flint lock pistol to play with. So, thanks a lot again!
ReplyDeleteMarkus