A comment from Italy: This video is great, because it proposes a simple way to create arrow-points and also other artifacts (if the glass is bigger) without using obsidian materials, that are difficult to find. I'm very interested in flintknapping and this is the first video concerning glass-flintknapping. Thank you very much and continue posting. Grazie infinite! Davvero un bel video!
Now that I have the tools, it's definitely time to start making something useful from the empty beer bottles my neighbors leave lying around. Thanks for a great how-to video...
Glad you enjoyed the video! Hope you have found it to be helpful. :-) As for safety glasses, I personally do not wear them, but if you choose to, I certainly have no problem with that!. When I knap I am careful and precise with each strike, trap each flake, and clean my lap pad off after each hit. As a result, there are no "glass fragments flying around." We always encourage our students to wear eye protection though, so by all means get yourself a good pair of safety glasses and use them!
That is cool,coolest hobby ever.Ill have to save this for when I have a chance to relax and enjoy myself.Nows not a great time but soon.Thank you so much Maam .
Wow you're good...you make it look so easy. I have been saving glass bottles and have the stuff to make my tools out of. Soon I will see if I can make something that resembles a broadhead out of glass. Thanks so much for sharing.
Great job on the video! Tip: Find a large wine bottle and cut the bottom out with a glass cutter. Then cut the bottle long wise into stips, maybe 1" wide (it's easier to cut than you might think). Throw the bottom away! You can make 15- 20 arrowheads from the glass sides AND it's much easier to get rid of the concave shape of a narrow object! Don..
Nice job and very informative video. I have been knapping for 27 years and I have to say that I really enjoyed this demonstration. I've made hundreds of those little glass arrowheads over the years but more in the beginning as I didn't have a good supply of flint. That is a very good use of recyclable material. Thanks for posting the vid, and good chipping to you! -Paleoman52-
Absolutely! Making fire is a wonderful thing and we teach all sorts of folks who are brand new to both fire making and the whole idea of practicing primitive types of skills. (In fact, we just did a Fire Making workshop yesterday with a whole group of beginners!) Hope this advice helps out!
Julie, great presentation. Your knapping skill and explanations are perfect and the nail trick to remove the bottle bottom was something new to me. Thanks for sharing....jim
You are indeed correct about the importance of abrading. Leaving this out was a conscious decision as the footage was not what I had hoped it would be. But abrade, abrade, abrade is something we always stress in our workshops! Thanks for watching and we appreciate your comments.
Absolutely ! Man has been using obsidian forever and it is volcanic glass. Learning to sharpen takes finesse and practice. Be sure to check local game laws regarding minimum width and shape requirements. NEVER hunt with any point unless it will shave hair. Be Ethical and be well.
You ROCK Julie.. I saw this tonite on Discovery channels Dual Survival show with Dave Canterbury.... Dave kniapped a bottle bottom arrowhead and took a wild turykey with it... I wanted more detail on how this is done so i watched Daves youtube channel and viewed his two part series... It was ok, but not very informative about the technique. You however, are FREAK IN AWESOME.. This video was exactly what i was looking for...Glad i found you,.. Gonna watch your other video's..5 stars
As long as the point is sharp, that's what matters. Most folks don't/can't make their points sharp enough for hunting (and you don't need to make them that sharp for just having around the house in a display case) but if you can, it doesn't matter if they are made of glass or stone. The main advantage to some stone points is that they may be more durable when they hit something like a bone. But remember, obsidian is basically naturally-occuring glass that came out of a volcano!
Oh yes, glass points can definitely be made sharp enough to use! Just remember that "sharp" and "sharp enough to hunt with" are different things. (Hunting points need to be VERY sharp!) However, you'll have to check the laws in your state to see if they are legal.
Hang in there and keep practicing ! Yes the point should be flat and yes you should abrade (at a 45 degree angle) . Try the strike accuracy video techniques as well and thanks for watchin
The bottles we used are from Tahitian Noni bottles. They are fairly flat and thick. If a bottle has excess curvature they cannot be made flat. Keep searching for the "perfect" bottle bottom. be well
That depends on what you do with it... Leave it in a display case and it will last as long as you don't drop the case. Put it on the end of an arrow and send it toward something, well, then it depends on what you hit. A good shot that hits flesh and you're okay. A less good shot that hits the ground, it depends on if the gods are smiling on you. A bad shot that hits a rock or a tree or a rib, you're probably going to need a new arrow point...
It would be helpful for some of us less visual folks if you established a top and bottom and displayed this information while instructing. Thanks. -Rob
Not all beer bottles are created equal, but yes, it certainly does. I will say though, that you have to "shop around" for good ones. A lot of companies are using much cheaper, much thinner glass in beer bottles these days, and not all of them are good for knapping. Not like the "old" days! Personally I prefer bottoms from glass juice bottles, or vinegar bottles, or flat-bottomed wine bottles. But you will certainly find some beer bottle bottoms that work -- just keep trying!
While I appreciate your concern, I happen to personally know a lot of those pro's you referred to & not a single one of them wears safety glasses. These are the big guys btw, who get paid 3, 4 & 5 figures for their work. Keep your lap pad CLEAN, strike DELIBERATELY & hold your piece so you trap your flake. By doing exactly that I've never gotten anything in my eye but if I did, I know how to easily & safely dislodge it myself, just like our ancestors did before safety glasses existed
Thanks for the video!!! Most of the bottles I work with are half bottoms, found behind the local bars, so I usually end up with 2 smaller heads. I never thought to use a billet on small pieces. Looks much faster than pressure flaking the whole thing.
About the 3rd time I have watched this attractive young lady explain this is a way that I should be able to understand. I can only assume my mental note function must be broken. Off to find more bottles. Great video! Not giving up just yet.
Short answer: Any place it isn't flat yet. :-) Take flakes across the center to flatten that hump, and take flakes in from both edges to flatten that cross-section. But be careful that you don't over-strike, as glass breaks easily! Check out our Popsicle Stick Drill videos to perfect your strike force and increase your strike accuracy down and you'll get much better results. And have fun!
that is the curvature of the piece. The strategy is to reduce the piece so those are eliminated. reducing the piece evenly only results in a finished piece that is curved not flat. hope that helps
abrading increases how you far the flake travels so it should help you decrease the flatness aswell. you could also try hitting it at a higher angle as well
Really enjoyed your video. Trying to make flints for my flintlock or just learning to reknap them. Did some points in obsidian which is like glass so this help. Likewise would like to see more detail on the tails. On side note, suggestion safety glasses for protection with all the glass fragments flying around.
The rectangle is how you begin to shape the point, so you'll want to go through that step even if your bottle bottom is already flat. Follow the steps as outlined in the video for taking the round bottom into the arrow point shape, even if you don't have to do anything to reduce the convexity of the glass. Draw whatever size and shape you want your point to be and go from there!
@jebus419 The length of the flake is entirely dependent on the angle at which you are holding your piece, the angle at which you are striking, the force of your strike and strength of your platform. Hold your piece flat, strike STRAIGHT DOWN using a "Popsicle Stick breaking strike" (check out our "Popsicle Stick Drill #1 to learn this) and be sure to really abrade your platforms. Most new knappers don't abrade nearly enough. Have fun!
@master3573 Remember, in order to reduce the convexity and make the bottle bottom flat your flakes have to travel AT LEAST to the half way point of the piece. If they aren't going that far then it will never get flat. Check your holding angle, and be sure you are using a "popsicle stick breaking" strike. (See our "Popsicle Stick Drill #1" video to learn this invaluable technique!) If you are striking too soft, as most new knappers do, your flakes will never travel far enough. Good luck!
@practicalprimitive - I understand the "why"... the "how" is the problem. Seems like sometimes little flakes can be removed, then by some change in technique, long slivers can be removed.
Be Brave! If you're having difficulty & just turning big rocks into little rocks you need to work on your strike force & accuracy. Watch our Popsicle Stick Drill exercises & practice those. They'll make a WORLD of difference! Also, for an EASY to follow reduction sequence that will have you turning out nicely shaped & thinned points in no time, get our "9 Step Knapping: Flintknapping Made Easy" DVD off our Practical Primitive website, or off of Amazon.com. Have fun!
@aj863 You certainly can use them for arrows, provided there is a legal stone points season in your area. You MUST make them sharp enough though. If your point won't cut a taut rubber band with just one pass it is not sharp enough to hunt with.
How long it takes depends on how long you've been flintknapping and how good your strike force and accuracy are. If you are new to knapping I'd recommend checking out our Popsicle Stick Drill videos & working on those for a while. The difference it will make in your knapping proficiency is exponential! Then when you're starting to work seriously on bottle bottoms, the first ones take longer. You may only get through one in 7 hours. The more you do, the faster you get. Keep practicing!
D'oh! Make sure you ALWAYS keep your leg pad clean! Most slivers get you from your leg pad, not off the rock/glass. Every time you take a strike flip your pad up to remove all the bits. You may also get a pair of well-fitting leather gloves (not too big!) to wear. I don't wear them because they reduce how well I can feel the point & I don't like that. (Plus they make me lazy about keeping my leg pad clean.) If you do get a sliver, a pair of tweezers and a jewelers lupe are your best friend. :-)
Most likely you are experiencing "over-strike" -- hitting too far in to your piece. You must use only the VERY TIP of your billet to hit the VERY EDGE of your piece. Striking is the art of attempting to almost miss your piece & failing. Check out our Popsicle Stick Drill videos for help there. Could also be "end-snap". If you don't hold your piece all the way around, the energy wave from the strike gets bigger as it travels through the piece & the whole end will snap right off. Keep Practicing!
If you choose to wear safety glasses I have no problem with that. More power to you & I encourage you to do whatever makes you feel comfortable & gets you out there knapping! But don't try make me seem like an irresponsible newbie to the art. I know the dangers & I know how to be safe. I don't judge you for choosing to wear glasses & ask that you do not judge me for choosing not to. Lastly, I do teach this for a living. I think that makes me one of those "pro's"...
I don't get tiny pieces of glass, because I keep my lap pad clean, and I am precise with each and every strike. I've been knapping for many years now, and Eddie has been knapping for many, many, MANY years, and neither of us has ever had a problem. Because we are careful, precise, and safe. If you choose to wear safety glasses and/or gloves I heartily endorse that! But I, personally, do not, so it would be disingenuous of me to wear them in the videos.
That depends entirely on what kind and size of antler you have and if it is properly shaped & prepped for knapping. You didn't use any punctuation in your question so I am forced to guess that you meant you have a whole antler shed that you are planning to cut down to use as a billet. Just remember that the curvature of your tool is important. If it does not have the correct radius you will have more difficulty. Practice the exercises in our Popsicle Stick drill videos first and that will help.
That depends entirely on what you hit! If you hit a bone or a tree or a rock then the point is probably going to break -- at least the tip. But if you hit flesh or something soft then it could very well be used for many many shots. The key, when using a stone or glass point for hunting, is to make it sharp enough. It must be VERY sharp!
Hey Julie! I hope you and Eddie are doing well. I stumbled across your videos while looking into how to flintknap. I didn't know you posted videos & someone in Arizona mentioned your technique in his video so I found your site. This was very informative. Should I start learning on stone or glass first?
We have a video out called "9 Step Knapping, Flintknapping made easy" available through either Amazon or the Practical Primitive web site that goes into much more detail if you want to check it out. Many of the exercises are here for free though. Be well
thanks I will look them up, I seen that it is in Antrim or some county like that but its far from were I live lol especially in a survival situation , but I might practice with glass first before I even attempt to order flint to try it with thanks for the reply.
really like your video. i do mine a little different. what i see you doing is pretty much making a preform. then turning that into a arrow head.i do the same. but different.you made a beautiful side notched point. thats one of my favorites. how thick is your base? i seen you flake the sides so that they are thin at the edges getting thicker toward the center. the base should do the same.it fits a arrow better that way.i like my tips to be kind of abrupt from thin to thick at the center. makes for a strong tip that dont break easy if used but is rather sharp.i make the flying saucer lol. everything symmetrical.then whatever side is thinnest going into the center becomes my base. then i make my triangle by working in the sides.i enjoy makeing arrowheads, knives, winged drills, shaft scrapers, stuff like that. been doing it since i was a kid. im past 50 now.lol wish there was videos like this back then. i couldnt even find a book on it. just trial and error for a number of years.figured most of it out by the time i was 30.read my first book back then, by Waldorf .after i read it i thought to myself, hmm, that guy knows what hes talking about. lol anyways, enjoyed your video.you can do the notches. make a copper tipped flaker. use a twig for your handle. i use dogwood just like for my arrow shafts.i use a thick piece of wire. drill into the handle {twig} and glue in the piece of copper wire so about a 1/4 inch sticks out. round the tip off there ya go. make a second one with a flat tip, make a third with a very pointy tip.i have many percusion and flaking tools. everything from hammer stones to billets, to antler flakers, to copper flakers.that flat tipped flaker i mentioned will take a hinge fracture off of the back of the blade if your persistent.sometimes it happens, just like sometimes they break in half, and sometimes i use strong language when it does lol.
@MrGeary08 Hmmm, sounds like overstrike to me. You're hitting the piece to far into the glass, not on the platform at the edge of your piece. Glass doesn't tolerate any overstrike at all, which is one reason it's such a good material to learn on. Remember, you're striking the VERY EDGE of the glass with the VERY TIP of your billet. Check out our Popsicle Stick Drill #1 and #2 to help with your accuracy. Practice those regularly and I guarantee you'll start to get better results!
thanks wear im from it only has to be 7/8 in wide with to cuting sides so people i see use bone it worked to i think i dould rather use glass thanks very good videos
@DaveWreckingCrew D'oh! Sorry to hear that Dave. Sounds like you were a victim of what's called "overstrike", meaning you hit your rectangle too far into the glass. You need to strike PRECISELY on the VERY EDGE of your piece with the VERY TIP of your billet. Check our our Popsicle Stick Drill videos (both # 1 & #2) to learn easy exercises that will build up your accuracy. Remember, flintknapping is the art of trying to just barely miss the edge of your piece, and failing. :-)
Tonight the wife and I played home surgery in trying to remove a shard of glass out of my right foot. Now, mind you I was knapping while barefoot, which was really stupid but I had to do something with the beer in the bottle, so I drank it really fast, and I never drink...soot, yes, very stupid. However, listen to what she says. If you use the wrong size nail it will not come out whole and you'll have glass - EVERYWHERE! ;)
i like that nail in the bottle technique cuase the machine will still take the bottle and i can get my deposit money! Plus i can sell the Arrowhead and get more beer so its good all around!
I love this vid ..Just wondering how to make short and long flakes and also wonder if you took off long flakes on the opposite side of the glass the same way you did on the other.
Not with nails, no. You need hard drawn copper wire. You can find full step-by-step instructions on how to make your own pressure flaker/Ishi stick on our website at practicalprimitive[dot]com/skillofthemonth/ishistick. Making your own copper boppers is more involved, and it's actually easier & cheaper to just buy those from a place like neolithics[dot]com or goknapping[dot]com or flintknappingtools[dot]com or a site like that. Or you can use a hammer stone!
i understand the idea of the bevel and what it does, but i cant seem to get long flakes. my understanding is that if the bevel is at about 45 degrees and you hit it strait down, almost toward you, then the flakes should bend around a couple of inches long. but mine only reach about 1/2 to an inch long? i abraid too. any advice is appriciated. and thanks for posting the video! its very helpful.
Could you please explain 5:02 "reverse the bevel" ? I'm trying but broke the piece in half when I got to the ends part and don't know how to control the length of the flakes. "round ends"...."square edges" ?? Thanks.
Great tutorial. What nation are you from may I ask. I am looking for any info on the suiox nation and there ways . Thanks again for providing the tutorial beautiful lady. God Bless.
