You're saving hundreds of guys from years& years of trial& error frustrations while trying to understand flint knapping with your informative videos. Good job!
Oh wow. You just tossed in on the ground. Now I would love to dig through your scrap pile. By far better than I will ever be able to produce. Keep it up Don Jackson
Hit higher on the edge. You can also use a softer hammer like antler or even wood. The trick to spalling is finding the right "zone" where you are using the right hammer, the right amount of force, hitting the correct spot on the edge, and following through on your strikes. It's not as easy as it looks, as you have found out. :-)
I often refer back to your videos when i forget something but i must give you a huge amount of credit for what i have learned. I used to throw away smaller flakes that i didn't want or know how to mess with. Not anymore 👍
I hold the flint spall with a variable grip, like I would if I was going to throw the stone. If you plan on throwing a stone far, then you would grip quite hard. If only a short distance, then only a slightly firm grip. If I plan on removing a large flake, I hold the stone more firmly and vice versa. There is slight pressure against the antler.
I can't imagine how long it took Michaelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci to carve their masterpieces ! They must have spent years apprenticing and learning their art to get to the level of expertise they were at ! I feel some of that just knapping some flint or glass arrowheads!
+S.A. Cuthbertson If you are traveling south, the areas of Austin and San Antonio (and everywhere in between) are the best places to find flint and chert. Check all the landscape supply yards and the public river beds. Private property is where most of the flint is, though, so if you know people with land in that area, that would be your best bet.
The best flint in my area is called "Gerogetown Flint" and you can buy it online. I highly recommend it. Yes, I buy it too. It's cheaper than driving across Texas to pick it up.
The stuff your working with in this video, looks alot like the euro flint i find on my beach here. it has alot of those spots that you call concrete in it. Very hard to knap i find, and so hard to crack, i mean i have to hit it really hard two three times most times.Another great video,
I'm not sure about Ontario. You might want to email Tim Rast, who runs a site called "elfshotgallery". He knows more about Canadian sources of flint and other kanppable materials.
i collect rocks but i might have more than 1 piece of flint; i know i have one piece of flint, but i have other rocks that kinda look like flint, and might have quartz and obsidian in my collection
Heat treating makes the stone more glass-like. Something happens on at the microscopic level that makes the stone easier to fracture. There's a debate going about whether the heat weakens the bonds between the crystals or strengthens them.
There are so many reasons for crushing that a book could be written on it. But the easiest way to avoid it is to use a softer hammer. Hard hammers are merciless. But sometimes you just need to take your time and hit as perfectly as you can. Rushing the flake is the most common mistake.
+Tristen VS I live in Texas. Flint like this is found in river beds (mainly). The rounded nodules have been tumbled smooth. The blocky flint come from exposures on the surface of dry land or hillsides.
I live in Texas, so I can pick up flint for free along certain roads. I also buy chert from certain landscape supply yards. But it's not very good quality. The best flint is from "rock hounds". You can find them at knap-ins and online. In any case, it costs money: gas money (if you pick it up yourself) or actually purchasing the stone. If you want to know my personal "free" spots, I don't reveal those to the public because all the good stone will dissapear in a few weeks.
HOW HARD ARE YOU ACTUALLY HOLDING ON TO THE ?? LIKE AN EGG OR JUST HARD ENOUGH TO KEEP IT FROM FLYIN OR LIKE THE NECK OF THE GUY DATIN UR DAUGHTER LOL ALSO WHEN I SEE YOU DO THE INDIRECT METHOD ARE YOU JUST HOLDING THE MATERIAL THERE OR IS THERE ANY UPWARD PULL ANY LATERAL PRESSURE AGAINST ANTLER??? JUSTTT CURIOUS??? ID HATE TO START A NEW HOBBY YOU MAKE IT LOOK LIKE FUN
Tigers eye is a type of quartz that does not fracture in the way you would need for flintknapping. I've never knapped it but it looks to me like it has many layers with weak bonds between them. I think glass or obsidian would be your best bet of you don't have any suitable stone.
