i am asking for any help on this subject. I dont know any thing about it but I want to learn how to do it. also I have always set the flint in the gun with the top edge hitting the frizzen first as to scrape the steel as long as possible but does it hurt to turn it around bottom side up. does this mess up my lock time or angle any help would be appreciated thanks. nysb.

nysbowhunter - the person you want to ask is Roundball. I am not new to muzzleloading or flintlocks for that matter. I've owned and shot them for years. My problem was the art of Knapping a flint. It eluded me every time I tried.

Roundball explained it very well to me. Another poster, Russell sent me pictures of his knapping tools which I reproduced in my shop, and I can honestly say, I finally knapped a flint. After doing it, I wondered why it took me so long to learn.

As I understand it. I leave the rifle in half cock with the flint in the jaws. I then take the nail tool and lay the upside down L part of the end just barely on the edge of the flint. The object is not to knock off large chunks but just to chip the very edge sharp again, as Roundball explained.

I then work the edge end to end, and am amazed at how very sharp the flint is again. So far I am about six for six with knapping flints now. I've shot the flintlocks two days in a row and all the time have been able to put a new edge on the flint.

Many people do turn the flint upside down about every ten shots and let the flint and frizzen kind of re-knapp itself.

I am sure roundball will see this post and offer some much better advise then I can. After all I just learned how a couple days ago. Now I get to go back and try and re-knapp all those old flints I have been saving. Good luck to you.

Thanks Cayugad for the response I have found alot of info on this subject by looking through all the posts i could find. I am a very experienced percussion shooter but flintlocks are a new deal for me. I want to drop a deer with a flintlock It's my last big challenge for myself. I used to walk behind my grandfather in pennsy when I was little but he's all gone now and that was 25 years ago. the reason for learning to knap is I want every chance that the guns goin off when I need it to and it would be helpful in the woods. Thanks for the picture. Will that tool work on store bought flints (cut) as well? I have some black english flints but I have so many cut ones too. nysb.

On the cut agate if that is what your refering too, I do not think that tool will work. When they finally get dull I think you'd have to sharpen them with a mizzy wheel, if they could be sharpened at all. It will work on the black English flints as that is what I use...