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Any flintknappers out there?
- Thread starter not2sharp
- Start date
I used to have a link that I was going to post for you, It no longer exists.
Flint knapping is an interesting skill. As practiced in it's day it varied from just finding a pile of rocks and smashing them with other rocks until a usable piece was made by accident. The piece was used for the task at hand, and discarded. Real pieces of art were made by specific craftsmen and traded over hundreds of miles in commerce.
The first method is in the reach of all of us. The second is most likely out of our reach, unless we are willing to devote vast amounts of time to the pursuit.
Mike
Flint knapping is an interesting skill. As practiced in it's day it varied from just finding a pile of rocks and smashing them with other rocks until a usable piece was made by accident. The piece was used for the task at hand, and discarded. Real pieces of art were made by specific craftsmen and traded over hundreds of miles in commerce.
The first method is in the reach of all of us. The second is most likely out of our reach, unless we are willing to devote vast amounts of time to the pursuit.
Mike
- Joined
- Apr 27, 1999
- Messages
- 6,117
I'm much more liable to be lost in the wilderness with two steel-bladed knives than to be lost in an area with a good flint supply. I love playing around with obsidian and flint when I can get them, but serious flint knapping would only be practical if you are stranded in the wilderness for months on end.
I would probably just bang random rocks to make crude edges if I was lost for only a matter of days. In a pinch I might try and make a tip for a javelin.
[This message has been edited by Jeff Clark (edited 02-27-2001).]
I would probably just bang random rocks to make crude edges if I was lost for only a matter of days. In a pinch I might try and make a tip for a javelin.
[This message has been edited by Jeff Clark (edited 02-27-2001).]
Two stone that should not be overlooked are quartzite and slate (or shale).
Quartzite fractures into rough pieces fairly easily, and produces good edges, but it is not very good for finely finished pieces.
Slate and shale are fairly easy to fracture into flat sheets which can then be ground down to produce a usable edge.
This stuff is more likely to useful in "after the holocaust" type scenarios than in any short term survival situations.
Mike
Quartzite fractures into rough pieces fairly easily, and produces good edges, but it is not very good for finely finished pieces.
Slate and shale are fairly easy to fracture into flat sheets which can then be ground down to produce a usable edge.
This stuff is more likely to useful in "after the holocaust" type scenarios than in any short term survival situations.
Mike
I am a flintknapper, and have been doing it for 13 years now. It is a valid survival skill, but it's application has some limits.
If you are not in an area with a supply of flint, there are several options. Human refuse can provide glass. Bottle bottoms are a good source of arrowhead sized pieces, and are fairly easy to work. Many areas will have quartz pebbles and cobbles that can provice a sharp edge. Fine grained basalt works well, and is often found in big pieces.
Even 3/4" pebbles can make a good tool by using the bipolar technique......
This means taking two larger stones, preferably of tougher, less glassy material, and using them as a hammer and anvil to break the pebbles nutcracker style. If you do this right, an acorn sized pebble of quartz or chert can yield 5 or 6 little razor blades. One blade will pop off at each impact, you are trying NOT to shatter the stone.
Do not plan on producing a "Stone Knife" Think instead of producing a tool box full of easily altered flake blades from a stome core. This is the technology that worked out very well for the Neanderthal people for tens of thousands of years. In one afternoon, you can learn to produce tools equal to theirs!
If you are not in an area with a supply of flint, there are several options. Human refuse can provide glass. Bottle bottoms are a good source of arrowhead sized pieces, and are fairly easy to work. Many areas will have quartz pebbles and cobbles that can provice a sharp edge. Fine grained basalt works well, and is often found in big pieces.
Even 3/4" pebbles can make a good tool by using the bipolar technique......
This means taking two larger stones, preferably of tougher, less glassy material, and using them as a hammer and anvil to break the pebbles nutcracker style. If you do this right, an acorn sized pebble of quartz or chert can yield 5 or 6 little razor blades. One blade will pop off at each impact, you are trying NOT to shatter the stone.
Do not plan on producing a "Stone Knife" Think instead of producing a tool box full of easily altered flake blades from a stome core. This is the technology that worked out very well for the Neanderthal people for tens of thousands of years. In one afternoon, you can learn to produce tools equal to theirs!