Flintlocks are a creature all to themselves. Some locks spark best with the bevel of the flint up and others with the bevel down- a lot probably has to do with the geometry of the individual lock. That said, I have a combination screwdriver / mallet that I sometimes use to knap the edge of the flint to resharpen it. This is not a large item - the brass head is about 3/8" square by an1 1/4" long. Leaving the flint in the jaws, I gently tap the edge of the flint with the brass and it chips off pieces causing the edge to be sharp again. Somtimes you can lower the cock and gently put pressure on the edge of the flint with the bottom edge of the frizzen, gently push down on the frizzen whild pulling the cock back - this will cause the edge of the flint to chip and become sharp again. After either method, you may have to readjust the flint in the jaws of the cock to align with the face of the frizzen. I don't know what lock you are using but sometimes the problem with poor sparking is due to a soft frizzen face. If that is the problem, the face can be hardened by using such things as "Case Nite" (I believe that is what it is called) and following the directions on the container. I don't know if this helps or not - if all else fails, convert it to percussiion. Smile Smile Good luck!
