Interesting technique. When I was a kid, I tried this and quickly found it's more tricky than one might expect. Our collective ancestors were far more accomplished than one might guess at.
Brooksy I am so honored you use that Folsom as your display pic. It is a neat point and really thin after it was fluted. One of these days I'll get to make one in person for you just like I did for SnyderPointMan. I appreciate all the wonderful things you have sent to me and I hope I can even the score more sometime. I made a killer Dalton out of Missouri Choteau chert tonight and it looks really awesome made out of that material. Thanks for all the great comments my friend!
Atleast the point came out looking like a legit reworked folsom. I hate losing length from flutes, so to see this one come out perfect was 10/10. Great work.
Thanks Knapping Dutchman! This leverage device works pretty good and when you don't have a lot of flint to waste, this is a good method to reliably get flutes to run. The whole thing that really makes it work though is making sure that the fluting nipple (Prepared fluting platform) is just right and your preform is very lenticular. If you have both those conditions then the flute will run long every time!
Way back in my early years of experimenting with fluting I did try indirect percussion fluting, I didn't get great results and it was about that time that my good friend Jeff Boudreau stopped by my house on his way back to Boston and showed me his new fluting jig he had made after seeing someone else using one. I never used anything else after that because I was getting a higher fluting success rate with that jig. Gotta love that Keokuk!
Dude! you are the best fluter I believe ive never seen lol. that turned out awesome Ken. I made another pipe today and didn't break this 1. see you at project 7.
You made that look easy.Thats what folks always say ,when they watch me drywall.As with most anything,Experience is key. That made a sweet piece.I'm gonna have to try that soon.I have a flat copper bar,,I may get with ya for the dimensions and style of your jig,with a how-to use it.:>) I understand the lenticular part.,and the nipple part too.Thanks for another thrill ride,into the world of fluting.
Thanks Jason, that first flute came off perfectly because I had the flaking just right on that side and it was easy for the flute to widen out and travel in a straight path. On the opposite side the surface wasn't as smooth and a little thicker on the right side which pushed the channel flake to the left. Those flakes always take the easiest path. To get perfect flutes you need perfect preforms, which is not always possible to achieve. Thanks for the comments!
That is a very good method . Seems to offer a lot more control over the fluting process than just creating a good platform and then using soft percussion . Thank you for the excellent video .
Sister Christian in the background. Nice addition, lol. Anyway, those flutes look kickass awesome. If the natives had access to your little contraption, I'm sure they would've used it ASAP. Anyway, keep those vids coming!
I had my fluting jig with me at Letchworth this last weekend and this point was supposed to be fluted there. But as you see, I get pretty busy when I'm at a knap-in and before you know it several hours have passed by and everyone is leaving. I enjoyed your company last Saturday, I'll see you at Letchworth in August.
Just starting to nap and it brings a new respect to how talented you are!! At my rate it will be one out of one hundred make even close! Killer point man, material is really nice!
Thanks so much for the great comments Brooksy! I always love to hear your viewpoint, it is well thought out and always makes good sense. I wanted to make sure that people knew that this is a method that I use and not necessarily what native knappers used, although anything was possible and I think those Paleo guys were some pretty intelligent, creative people. This point is so thin and feels great in the hand. I'll keep you in mind for this point. Thanks my friend!
I used to o a lot of hand flutes and my results were very similar to yours. Usually the flute would travel 1/3 of the way and sometimes if I got lucky a little past halfway. I was always really short on material most of the time so I built this jig to give me more reliable results. I love fluting points and shaping them to get that "classic" look, but sometimes it is a struggle. I do need more practice though and I have a lot of material now, so hopefully you'll see more of my attempts.
Folsoms generally are fluted longer and the flutes cover more of the face of the point. When they were hafted sometimes all you would see is a ribbon of stone around the wood. Whereas Clovis's were heavier, shorter fluted points. Clovis's were usually longer points but some example can be the same size as a Folsom. In my area it is typical to see a Clovis no longer than 2" in length.
wasnt much on my sub-list for new vids 2 watch a couple, but went to check the activity feed &seen where cory/snowflake/orf commented &figured I had to come watch U flute this amazing point probably 4 the 5th or 6th time :) &now that I have that point, Im very extremely honored to have it in my timekeeping till the day comes to gift those to a younger tuber! All My Gifted Points are My Favorite, OLD & Modern, but I Hold that Folsom alot :) may never get to find a real 1 & its the Next Best Thing
Thanks for the cool info, I will definitely try this beveling method and see if it makes a difference. My biggest problem is that I'm really out of practice when it comes to fluting so I prepare that fluting nipple a little heavier than I need to and I get too much of a bite on it. I usually don't blow the tip off unless I video the fluting attempt, haha!
Thanks Rob and Terrie, you have a good question there. If I ever get a quartz preform big enough I would love to see how it reacts on this jig. I'll tell you what, if I do flute a quartzie, it's yours!
Tim, I saw a fellow flute a Folsom by hand one time back in 1990 at the Buffalo Museum of Science. It was incredible and he used the smallest tools I could imagine. His name is Eugene Gryba and I think he was from Alberta Canada. When he fluted these paper thin preforms he did it by pressure flaking the flutes. I have a couple of these points he made and I'm still puzzled how he did it, but he proved it was possible to do it by hand.
Hey Sir, I was wondering if you might could do a video of making a Big Sandy. If not it's cool, the Big Sandy and Clovis are my favorites. Anyway Sir I've took enough of your time, have a great day
I also like Big Sandys, and I have made a few of them in the past. That's a good idea, once I get chipping again when the weather warms I'll have to make some and shoot some video of it. Big Sandys look a lot like our Brewerton side-notch points we find in my area.
Your vice like contraption is pretty cool. Who's to say that native man did not have a similar device? I don't think you can skin this cat but so many ways. Nice video. I hope people will use your video for study purposes, not profit.
rusty wooten Thanks Rusty, I believe the possibilities for fluting were numerous and that they also had some sort of leverage device. I do hope that others will find this video helpful as they learn this survival skill!
that's a pretty neat device where did you come up with that at was it your own concept I like that I am a subscriber to your videos I'm sure if the Native Americans had the resources that we do they would do the same thing after all these tools they make with their livelihood so more efficient less waste of material I believe they would have done it I am Cherokee Clinton that for about 13 years now trying to rekindle the old way I enjoy looking on different videos I live in the Northeast Oklahoma just outside the reservation.WO DO. that is how you say thank you in Cherokee I hope one day we'll have the Cherokee syllabary to type in on the phone
Thanks so much for your great comments Darren, I wasn't the inventor of this device, but I believe a fellow in Texas came up with this idea. I believe that leverage for driving a flute off from a point was available technology to the Native people, Just probably not exactly like this one but a more simplified version. Their technology was greater than we are lead to believe.
You know what they say about magic don't you?, it always comes with a price!, haha usually my price is a bloody finger or sore muscles. I was as surprised as you were when I saw how well that flute traveled, especially on camera, nothing ever seems to work the way you want when you are filming it, I got lucky on that one.
Thanks for watching, it has been a while since I made this video and I also watched it, I was glad this piece fluted as well as it did. That was a really nice piece of Keokuk chert, which made the fluting process much easier.
Just awesome Ken ! I love how well the fluting jig works. Have you ever tried indirect percussion fluting ??? Just wondering . That Keokuk is some beautiful stuff !
Ken, Is there any evidence on just how they did flute those Folsum points? I have seen examples of points that are just mm thick in their mid section...make one wonder? Super job.I figured that first one was gonna hinge at 2/3 the length. Surprised me.
I have done this with all abo tools occasionally but I never videoed it. I will have to make an all abo video sometime as I want to show just how they could have fluted their points. I guess I played it safe on this video using this method. There are many other methods out there to achieve this result. The Solberger jig is really a complicated device but a lot of knappers like to use it. This leverage method is pretty simple, so I went with this. Thanks so much for watching and for your comments!
This is a great question and one I am often asked. My device is a very modern example of a primitive style device that could have been used to achieve the same results. If you were to take a stick that forms into a Y then you could notch the legs of the Y and tie a cross piece in those notches. Place the tip of the preformed flint blade into the Y with tip toward the handle and then space the cross piece just above the base of the preform enough to be able to place an antler between the blade and the cross piece and then pull upward on the antler until the flute is detached. I hope this isn't too confusing.
When this type of point was in use during Paleo times, flutes were struck off to help thin the base of the point and then haft the point onto a wooden shaft. The shaft end would be split like a clothes pin and then the point with the flutes that were struck to thin the base of the point, was slid into the end of the shaft and then wrapped tightly to hold it in place.
if you cant tell by what Ive been using as my profile pic for awhile LoL ;) I LoV iT! & LoV Watching You Make iT! Never Enough Room for Character Space! But Who's the Character LOL Hope Your Having a Good Week My Friend! Again I could Never Thank You Enough for You Amazing Stone-Art-Work that You've Shared With Me, I Cherish Each Piece Very Highly! Thank You! Sir Ken! You Do Rock! Best Wishes My Friend! BORN 10,000 YRs TO LATE
Very cool. And agree with comments below that Indians had to use the same method. For striking with a hammer stone is too problematic. Do you use a rock saw to cut a blank?
Personally have only chipped to gain a little skill that adds to my endless understanding of woodcraft. But as far as understanding Washington artefacts I have seen a lot of different collections and gave everyone that owned one something new to find in every point they had. As you seem to also have quite a collection. And wonder if you know how to look for the hidden art on them? There is much more to them than just being a tool to look at. And ones you see the art you can clearly see there was a skill in creating them that no Indian of modern times can duplicate. Not just water chippings but places chips were removed to create images that seem impossible to have been done intentionally. Until you start to see the same art on many different ones. In the movies, the Indian always seems to know the tribe that made a point. That is not in reality always about the shape. As an entire nation would be made of different tribes that used the same shapes. And they identified themselves as different tribes thru the pictographic art. Also, it was a way to connect to spirits to help in finding the target. And many try to say this is all BS. But it is clear as day when you look at the difference of how a recently chipped one looks different. In the detail along the edge. Even I have chipped enough to know that many shapes and edges that are present do not add to the functionality of the ones in question. That dwell mostly in the predawn points. For as time when on they chose more streamlined design as being more accurate over believing the art as helping them connect with the target. But still, carry the tribe's insignia and or the one that made it. Look at your older ones. They are not all crude without reason.
Charles Weeman iknow what you're talking about. My friend and man I are adamant on this. I see natives in head dresses on the round knives and stuff. Bear heads on my hand axes... I thought we were nuts
WOW! U Alwaz Wow Me w/ Ur Skills at Knapping! that Piece Turned Out Amazing! Ya Wanta Sell IT? Should hav my settlement here soon, still waitin on the hearing date, but that Should come about anytime soon (I hope!) Now Out OF All the Knappers Ive Watched OR Meet! U R the Most Accomplished Skilled Kanpper IN My Book & IF the True Paleo had a Way to Flute w/out Using a Jig of Somekind? I Bet U'd woulda had it Figured Out By Now! So Leaves Me To Believe They Used Some Kinda Jig to Flute Also? We'll
Never Enough Room for Character Space We'll just Truly Never Know, IF True Paleo Fluted w/a Jig OR Not! Just Seems to Me, IF a Person Could Pull a Flute OFF w/out a Jig of Some-Kind? IT Would Be U! And We Know True Paleo We're Very Picky About Their Material They Used, So that Would hav a Guy Thinkin? They Would Not Want to Waste Any! And Could U Imagine How Many Points U Could Break in the Process OF Tryn to Flute a Point w/Out a Jig! I just Cant See Them Wanting to Waste Any Material? "B10TL"
Were the ancients more successful at fluting their points without damaging the point? Like, are there more failed fluted points found than good ones that the ancients made?
fallsgrave That's a good question and I really can't say how successful they were as they probably salvaged their broken ones also. I believe though that they had to be quite successful as they repeatedly made lots of fluted points.
Yeh, that flake went a little farther than I intended it to. That happens sometimes, and you get a shorter point. I was just glad it didn't break in two.
