Like I said.. longer flakes come with more pressure. A copper tip will help a lot versus that hard nail. your tool needs to have a little "grip" to it. also, place your hands between your knees and lean over a bit, then squeeze with your whole body. a smaller point on your tip equals more pounds per square inch = longer flakes.
really looks like you're getting the hang of it. now you just need to get yourself some tools of the trade.
Nice work. Just be careful not to start forming bad habits!
for abrading, I have a piece of river cobble (not pictured) with rough texture to it. I hold the piece in my left hand, out in front of me and parallel to the ground. I rub the stone against the sharpened edge, up and down, perpendicular to the ground. This removes any weak and crumbly platforms and keeps your tool down in the meat of the piece. I have only recently been shown the benefit of abrading, and it makes quite a bit of difference. Like I said before, don't worry about making them pretty, yet. It's more important to get the techniques, posture, and angles correct. Forming good habits now will make it all seem like third nature when it comes time to make bigger and longer pieces, or where time is a factor.
If you have a bit of cash to spend on tools, you'll need a bitset. It's a T-handle tool with a chuck on the end. Most often used for running taps into bolt holes to clean out threads or tapping new ones. Cut off the T-handle, grind down the raised ring on that end, so the whole shaft is the same diameter, drill a hole in your handle the same size, pop it in, tighten it down on your copper, sharpen your tip, and have at it. Craig insisted I try a copper tipped tool like his. He gave me his old one, which I reluctantly accepted, but it makes a LOT of difference.
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some of my other tools. notice the piece of carpet I use on my lap. Came from a closet we worked on last week. saves a lot of bruises on my leg. Keep an eye open for anyone tossing out old carpet. Nothing better than free tools. And for the record, I still prefer my horns for tools, but Craig insists that I learn the easy way first.
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Oh yeah, the hawk head is made from the stone I found and posted in your other thread on finding flint.
and the rule about only striking an edge thats below the centerline is gibberish. How else are you supposed to thin out a side that is too thick? this is where angles come into play. Increasingly steeper angles will take more and more rock away from the "fat" side. Even though Craig told me the same thing about the centerline, I've watched him thin pieces the same way I do. It's all in the feel, and it sounds like you are feeling it through.
Good Job. Keep it up.
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