As always, it's a learning experience watching your vids. I've been trying my hand at knapping for about a year, but only pressure flaking with small pieces, haven't found any large spalls yet, but when work permits, I look. You make it look easy, thanks for posting and keep knapping.
Really good to see your technique (on video) that you've discussed. That anchor stone seems to make a difference especially when removing wide, long, thin flakes. I'm goint to have to steal some of this...
@2962nicktucker Yes, most modern knappers use turkey roasters or kilns to heat treat chert. You can heat treat rock in the ground by laying it in a shallow pit, preferably spalled or in thin pieces. Lay the chert in a bed 2 or 3 inches deep or thick. Cover the chert with several inches of dry sand or dry dirt. Build a small fire on top, or use BBQ charcoals. Keep the fire going for several hours at least and let it burn out. Dig up the chert the next day. Heat treatment varies, but it does work!
@jaocheu I've been wondering about that too! Any flat stone could have been used but it might be hard for archeologists to identify as to what it was used for. That is part of the problem, people of the past used techniques and tools that we still have not figured out yet, so identifying archeological objects can be a problem. Experimental archeology and flintknapping can shed some light....jim
@2962nicktucker I make all my tools and collect my rock out in the field. Lots of flintknapping sites to buy rocks and tools from, just do a google search. Also, Paleoplanet forum is a great place to check with other knappers for good sources of tools and rocks....
After watching this second video, it seems the step fracture problem was with the cortex because you are getting nice long flakes now that the cortex is gone.... so never mind the question... :) Thanks for posting another great couple videos. Dan
@jaocheu The first flat stones I tried out I was just placing the leather in between and actually using the flat stone as a hammerstone so in a dig it would just look like any other hammerstone. I also tried using the flat stone without leaher but there is too much shock to the biface. Mike Dothager uses red ocher which does not require any leather, not sure if flat pieces of red ocher have been found?
@paleomanjim I guess I'll have to keep an eye out for especially flat stones at digs, that don't have any marks indicating they were used as hammer stones. I don't suppose the sandwich technique has left any tell tale marks on the sandwich stone from the flaking? Or maybe an accidental miss and the billet hitting the sandwich stone instead of the point and leaving a mark.
@gotrocksinhead I think as it got thinner I adjusted to the toughness of the stone, and the weight of the sandwich stone really kicks in at the later stages...., but the cortex is kinda unpredictable also...jim
How clever is this? The various marks that remain on the product that he is chipping flakes from are very similar to or with or nearly so stone points made some 20K years back in what is now south western Europe, the Solutrean culture? Perhaps others of that general era too. As shown on PBS' NOVA and other documentaries from time to time, suggesting that paleomanjim might have invented or rediscovered the techniques that had been used in western Europe during those long past times. Similar points going back to similar times have also been found and are currently being stored and displayed in US museums as well --- which have also been discussed in fashions similar to PBS's NOVAs about the 20K years back in Europe. Who knew?
Thanks, I did get some good results from that technique and kinda had similar thoughts to yours, the extra mass helps prevent the recoil and may keep the flake traveling....
