Flints, again.

[Adam Helmer]

Today I was shooting my .54 flint Hawken on the backyard range. After a few successful firings with a cut flint, I got a dull thud with no spark. I replaced the cut flint with an English flint and continued firing successfully.

I used a whet stone to put an edge on the dull flint and reinstalled it and got lots of spark for 20 more firings. I read an article a while back about putting a new edge on flints with a whet stone and think I finally got the hang of it.

Who else recycles dull flints with a whet stone? Yes, I read about knapping a new edge, but the art escapes my limited talent in that regard.

Adam