Flint Knapping

[WildGoth]

iok i have seen alot about flint knapping does anyone know how to do this or have insturtions on how to do this because i want to learn how to flint knap

[FVR]

Go over to paleoplanet at

http://b16.ezboard.com/bpaleoplanet69529

they have a beginners board.

Great site with a bunch of great people. Tom started it years ago and he is just a good guy. We did an arrow exchange years ago with gents from all over the US.

[Tony uk]

Thanks for that link FVR :D

[Go_army2]

ive read about it and i want to het into it but its like hard from my understnading of the book but thier useing biug words and all...idk :)

[kid]

ALLWAYS WEAR GLOVES AND SAFETY GLASSES
EITHER DO THIS PROJECT OVER A TARP SITTING FO THE FRONT 2 LEGS GO ON THE TARP THEN (IF USING THE TARP) POUR INTO GARBAGE CAN OR THROW TARP AWAY

I WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE IDIOTS WHO GET HURT FOR NOT TAKING ADEQUIT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

I just got back from a survival camp and in the last day they taught us how to make arrow heads out of broken bottels the same basic principles are true for stome work

when you flake a stone or glass it brakes in a perfect cone of 100 or 105 degrees

what you need is
- a decent sized rock i.e hammer stone
- and this thing called a pressure flaker

(i made a pressure flaker by going to the hardware
store and buying a hose clamp and some solid brass
wire thats like 3/16 to 1/4 of an inch thick, then got
a piece of wood that was a convinient handle shape
and drilled a hole in it just barly big enough for like
2 or 3 in of wire inside then cut an x in the side with
the hole that were an inch deep then stick 2/3 in of
wire inside then tightened the hose clamop on it, and
finaly file the wire to a fair point, but not super pointy)

this was $2.52 s opposed to buying one form $10 to $20
online

after you do this break a bottle so you have the bottem
and some shards attatched to it
(wear gloves and safty glasses)

when flaking flip it over after each flake if you are working in the same area on the bottle



-then break of the shards carefully off holding the bottem
in your hand so that only the piece you are chipping at
with the rock is out of your hand with hammer stone
-after the extra glass on the sides is off you should have
a circle shape of glassleft
-then chip gently on the bottem side (the side that was
in the actual bottle itself) until the rim is gone all the way
around using the hammer stone
-then you should start to shape it into a triangle shape for
the arrow/ shear head still using the hammer stone

when chipping (flaking is what its really called) there should be pieces that fall off that loook like little fan blades this is good these are what make the sides sharp
after a flake falls off thismakes a ledge then you flip the glass piece over and do the same on the ledge created
you go around the glass piece until there is basicaly only ledges left then work them into a triangle shape with the hammer stone

after you have your triangle you may use your pressure flaker

-using the same ledge flake theory go aroung and fine tune the
arrow/sprear head

remember the indians didnt spend forever making a perfect arrow head so
dont make it perfect just make it useable

-after you should have a more defined triangle of glass for the arrow head

- when you think you are done with the shape of your arrow hwad it is time for notches for tieing the arrow/spear head to whatever, carefully in 2 of the corners start to notc them in the desired way with the pressure flaker fliping it over after each flake until it reaches the desired spot


if you have done it right then you should have an arrow/shear head in your hands if not its way easyer to learn if you see some one do it(like i did)

hints: if pressure flaker hard to use then sharpen it,

when starting off bottems of jars and wine bottles are easyer to use since they are bigger and thicker so if you screw up your not as screwed,

if your bottle breaks with a vertical side you can use the pressure flaker to fix this, but it is easier to just break another bottle

[Gray Wolf]

Worth a bump for those wanting to get into Knapping. For those that don't know Kid, he's a very talented knife maker +.

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

This is a Gaters foot Rope knife The design was taught to me by the cherokeehttp://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=16&pictureid=108

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

This is an Axe headhttp://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=16&pictureid=110

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

This is a few arrow headshttp://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=16&pictureid=109

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

This is an "Oyster" shucking knifehttp://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=16&pictureid=107

[Gray Wolf]

Which Wilderness School based on the Cherokee Indians did you go to, Canada? Georgia?

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

Just to show you a few native american designs that i have learned to duplicate. Knapping is fun and functional. larger stuff is difficult because of the pressure it takes to break the stones, and also the methods used to get the piece

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

Which Wilderness School based on the Cherokee Indians did you go to, Canada? Georgia?
Georgia(eastern Band of Cherokee)

[Gray Wolf]

But which school, the name? If you don't mind.

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

Tuscaloosa

[FVR]

Erun............

Here ya go, finished these about two weeks back. The biggy, is my 4th Caveman Kabar. I made this one to keep, but then just gave it away to a good friend. Gonna have to make another.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/FrankV/MVC-030S.jpg


The small one I'm keeping for the auction here. It is rainbow obsidian blade, the handle is from my first bow killed deer, and it's wrapped up with elk leg sinew. The picture does not do the obsidian any favors.

[Gray Wolf]

FVR, as usual, NICE WORK!

[Rick]

Frank, you are a very talented man!!

[crashdive123]

Great work Frank.

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

Thanks thoes are nice, the rainbow obsidion stone is cool I have a couple small pieces of that, but there nothing like yours. Thanks FVR

[snakeman]

FVR, those are really good. Do you get your rocks from the creek or land (boulders).
All the rocks I get either crumble apart or cant chip anything off.

[nell67]

Nice work erunkiswldrnssurvival and FVR!

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

Thanks Nell, I'm inspired to try making a knife like FVR's large hunter knife

[crashdive123]

Here are a few that one of my customers made that are pretty nice.

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

Nice stuff, wow im impressed, thanks for thoes pics,

[crashdive123]

Here are a few more.

[Gray Wolf]

crash, what is the white handle made of?

[crashdive123]

I'm not sure. I'll ask the next time I'm at his house.

[Gray Wolf]

Did he make the holders and bases?

[crashdive123]

I'm pretty sure he did, but I'll ask. His collection is truely amazing. He has several hundred of the little framed cases. When I took the pics he was busy teaching a knapping class, but talked to his wife about some of them. (she does some pretty nice work as well) Many of the points and blades in his collection he found in Missouri. Some of the pieces are about 18,000 years old (I believe). I'll be back there soon and get some more details.

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

Id like to see some more of that stuff

[crashdive123]

These are the last two that I have. I'll take some more when I'm there again.

[Gray Wolf]

Some really nice spear heads on the last pic!

[FVR]

Snake.........

I trade for my rocks most times. My jokes that I trade road kill for rocks and sticks.LOL.

There is no source for obsidian around where I live, now I have found some flint river chert and have made some arrowheads. Problem was with that rock, mother nature heat treated it way to much and it had too many fractures and crumbled.

I have found some nice quartz and made a few arrowheads, but that is super hard to work with. I stated in another post that I did give those away.



Erun.......

Here is the first Caveman Kabar, yeh, I gave this one away to.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/FrankV/flintknife.jpg



Crash.. I wished I could knap like that gent. He makes some nice stuff.

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

Ive seen a couple "Crows Beaks" that were simular to that kabar. I found a good amount of flint in the Boston area.