OneGuyFromBarlick

Sorry, no, not magnetite.

A sample of black flint without any of the normal flecks of silica impurities.

Now there's a man who knows flint when he sees it! Plaques has solved the first part of the puzzle. Now for the second part. It isn't just a bit of old flint picked up of the beach - what's special about it?

No offers?

I know next to nothing about flint other than it can give a very sharp edge of around 1 atom thick. Makes a big spark when rubbed on iron. Probably first owned by Big Grunt the caveman. Also maybe American origin.

plaques wrote: ↑24 Jan 2022, 10:58 Makes a big spark when rubbed on iron.

Now you're getting warm, Plaques!

Starting to guess now. Does black flint contain more carbon making it slightly harder therefore shaving off thinner shards of iron which will spontaneously ignite when exposed to oxygen. ie bigger sparks. My chemistry stopped at GCE.

No, you're over-thinking this. What has flint been used for - you've already mentioned making sparks but what for?

Is it for a flintlock gun?

Big Kev wrote: ↑24 Jan 2022, 17:11 Is it for a flintlock gun?

I'll go along with that but I thought it was a bit too obvious to be 'special'. I could say lighting fires, cigarette lighters etc.
You will note I said etc because I couldn't think of anything else.

That sounds plausible Kev..... (He lurks and then pops in at the last minute.... )

Kev's right, it's for a flintlock gun but there's still more to discover. When do you think the flint was cut and where? Who would have used it? You're not getting off this easily!

The flint from the gun that shot Abraham Lincoln

An interesting idea, but no, it's a lot more recent than that. In fact surprisingly recent and not for killing people!

Steeplejerk wrote: ↑25 Jan 2022, 15:46 The flint from the gun that shot Abraham Lincoln

That particular weapon was a percussion cap 0.44 calibre single shot Derringer.

From government stocks at the Tower for the Brown Bess musket.

Stanley has got close with the word musket but the gunflint shown in my photo was not from government stocks at the Tower and not for the Brown Bess musket. It has been knapped into a wedge-shape to fit in the jaws of a flintlock, and was made in the early 1950s using top quality flint from one of the best known locations in Britain and for use in a specific type of gun. Anyone want to suggest what type of gun, it's use and where?

Holkem musket

I had to look that one up! But no, not a Holkem musket. I'll give you a clue - the flints were still being made in Britain in the early 1950s for export to South Africa.

Diamond mining

Steeplejerk wrote: ↑26 Jan 2022, 19:00 Diamond mining

I’m with you

A big gun for shooting elephants?

Elephant gun came to my mind.
But big flints were also used in flintlocks for large cannon. Is there a large cannon in S Africa used for signal purposes that needs a flint?

A Blunderbuss for shot-gun weddings

No, I didn’t think so.

But I like the idea Cathy!