Flint Knapping

Treezybreez

Been here much more than a while
Location
Lancaster, SC
I have just started learning to knapp and wondered if there was any of you who share an interest in one of the most ancient arts? Most of the points I have made are from the bottoms of old beer bottles but I have started branching out into varies kinds of stone as well. The point in my avatar is banded Obsidian from Oregon.
 

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Have a lot of empty beer bottles hanging around Caleb? :) If not, let me know.

Cool hobby BTW. And nice work. Never even knew it was still done. Great, now I have something else to piss my wife off.
 
That's one of those skills everyone should learn
Funny thing is, most people probably did know how to knapp at one point in time.

The pinnacle for me personally is to make a Fluted Clovis style point. Clovis style points are some of the oldest in our country yet they are very difficult to make since they are fluted on both sides.
 
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What a beautiful multi colored stone arrowhead you have made. How long did it take would you say on that one arrowhead?
 
Nice! Next, I'd like to see your lashing techniques.
I haven't experimented with lashing yet, but I have read about it and seen it done on videos. From what I have gathered the points were fastened to a forshaft if the mainshaft was made of a soft or hollow material such as river cane or rose. That prevented the arrow head from splitting the shaft upon impact. Pine pitch mixed with ashes was used to hold the point to the grooved forshaft and then a small strand of animal sinew was moistened and wrapped around the point and forshaft. When the sinew drys it shrinks and holds the point firmly.
 
What a beautiful multi colored stone arrowhead you have made. How long did it take would you say on that one arrowhead?
I started with a small slab pictured. It probably took a couple of hours two different days. With the glass I can sometimes make one in one hour to thirty minutes.
 

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Not as impressive as Treebreezy but here are a few I've made.

If these upload in the right order the first small black point in a piece of dacite. Formed in the same ways obsidian is, same areas found, it just isn't translucent like obsidian.

The next is my first point ever. It's like trying to do a 45" white oak removal over a power line, for your first climb, with this particular type of rock and tools that were used. This is a rock native to my state (NC) and is one of two rock types here used for points. It's called rhyolite. It's volcanic ash from the ancient archipelago of volcanos in central NC known as the Uhwarrie Mountains. Both types (the other being quartz) of rock suck to knap, and both actually require stone and antler tools, even large dogwood billets as well, as copper won't work on either of the two. Most points found in Southern VA, NC, and upper SC, if they aren't quartz, they're rhyolite probably. A green/slate gray colored material freshly broken, but has a tan patina after weathered over hundreds/thousands of years.

Next is a small Dalton style point out of root beer chert commonly found in TX. Was supposed to be a touch larger but chit happens. You get what the rock gives ya.

Next is a contractors chert point. Commonly known as a broken window. Easy material, free to get. Makes nice points like Breezy has shown.

Last is some sort of point I got out of a nice piece of TX pedernales chert. A dream to work. Not as thin as I'd like it but I was happy with it. Wanted to run those notches a little deeper but quit while I was ahead.

Have broken any rock in years. Kind of miss doing it but it does make a mess lol.
 

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Not as impressive as Treebreezy but here are a few I've made.

If these upload in the right order the first small black point in a piece of dacite. Formed in the same ways obsidian is, same areas found, it just isn't translucent like obsidian.

The next is my first point ever. It's like trying to do a 45" white oak removal over a power line, for your first climb, with this particular type of rock and tools that were used. This is a rock native to my state (NC) and is one of two rock types here used for points. It's called rhyolite. It's volcanic ash from the ancient archipelago of volcanos in central NC known as the Uhwarrie Mountains. Both types (the other being quartz) of rock suck to knap, and both actually require stone and antler tools, even large dogwood billets as well, as copper won't work on either of the two. Most points found in Southern VA, NC, and upper SC, if they aren't quartz, they're rhyolite probably. A green/slate gray colored material freshly broken, but has a tan patina after weathered over hundreds/thousands of years.

Next is a small Dalton style point out of root beer chert commonly found in TX. Was supposed to be a touch larger but chit happens. You get what the rock gives ya.

Next is a contractors chert point. Commonly known as a broken window. Easy material, free to get. Makes nice points like Breezy has shown.

Last is some sort of point I got out of a nice piece of TX pedernales chert. A dream to work. Not as thin as I'd like it but I was happy with it. Wanted to run those notches a little deeper but quit while I was ahead.

Have broken any rock in years. Kind of miss doing it but it does make a mess lol.
Those look stellar! Thanks for posting. They all look great, but that last one is a killer.
 

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