Flints

[Gil Martin]

Fred,
Now you know why I replaced all the flints in my flintlocks, I am getting prepared for that French frigate encounter (LOL). I saw the movie and like it very much.

My preference is for high quality flints that do a job. Usually the flints tend to wear down to a point that the frizzen is not tripped with enough impact energy to spring forward. At that point, I replace them. No idea how many shots I get per flint, but I know that they often last for over a year of use.

Occasionally, I polish frizzens with fine emery paper and cold blue them. In my experience, a small amount of frizzen peening by the flints have not impacted reliable ignition. Polishing and rebluing just make everything look nice. All the best...
Gil