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13 October 1812

The Battle of Queenston Heights was the first major battle of the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States. It was fought near Queenston in present-day Ontario and ended in a British victory. Supported by militia and Mohawk warriors, the... Read more ...

13 October 1812

The Battle of Queenston Heights
The Battle of Queenston Heights was the first major battle of the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States. It was fought near Queenston in present-day Ontario and ended in a British victory. Supported by militia and Mohawk warriors, the British inflicted heavy losses on the Americans, who suffered about 100 killed, 170 wounded and 835 captured. British losses were much lower.


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    Reindeer hunter Jo Gjende and his rifles

  • Reindeer hunter Jo Gjende and his rifles

    Norwegian mountain man Jo Tjøstolsson Kleppe (1794–1884), also known as Jo Gjende, was a legendary reindeer hunter. A hermit for the better part of his life, he lived a lonely life in his cabin at Gjendeosen in Jotunheimen (The Home of the Giants) – a mountainous area in southern Norway. He spent his time hunting and reading books by the Age of Enlightenment\'s great philosophers, such as Voltaire and Volney. Known as a character and a crack rifle shot, Jo Gjende supposedly killed between 500 and 600 reindeer.

Sharpening Dull Flints

Category: Muzzle-loading
Published: 18 September 2008 by Øyvind Flatnes.
Views: 22869
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Sharpening a flint.

The illustration shows
how to sharpen a flint.

Flints that have become dull and doesn’t produce sparks does not have to be thrown away. Here is a simple way to sharpen a dull flint. There are several methods of sharpening flints. You really don't have to use any special tools, but the first method I will describe requires that you modify a steel nail: Cut off the tip, and file a notch in the end of the nail, about 1 cm in length across half the nail. The tool is now ready. To sharpen a flint, place the nail against the edge of the flint in about a 30 degree angle (see the picture). The notch should be 90 degrees. Lightly tap the nail's head with a small hammer or similar. A small flake of the flint falls off and the 'wound' where the piece fell off will be sharp. Repeat this operation along the entire edge of the flint and it will be restored to normal again. Make sure that you use safety glasses because the flying pieces of flints are razor sharp.

Find out more!
You can learn more on how to make the most of your flintlock in the brand new book From Musket to Metallic Cartridge: A Practical History of Black Powder Firearms.

A more simple method is to use a small brass hammer or the spine of a knife to sharpen the flint. This is my preferred method for sharpening flints. Tap the knife spine lightly on the top of the flint edge when the flint is secured in the jaws of the cock. Flakes will fall off and sharpen the flint.

Flints cannot be sharpened forever, and you eventually will have to replace it, but sharpening it by using the methods described above increases the service life of your flints.