Flint Identification

sasha said:
Today my dad come home from a fishing trip and shows me some rocks that are shiny black like glass. when i asked him where he got it he said there are all over the place the size of basketballs.. So next time he goes there i would ask him to get me some of the large rocks... Never played with them before but with enough rocks i should get something half way decent..

sasha
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That sounds like obsidian to me. Good stuff to work with!
 
Sasha, that is deffinitely obsidian. Obsidian throws better sparks then flint.

QB, I just made some charcloth. I will give that a try real soon.

Thanks
 
Have played with flint knapping off and on for a number of years, including using stone tools to make bow drills, skin and butcher small game, etc. When looking for flint/chert you need limestone in the area. Start breaking rocks looking for "concoidal fractures' like a BB does to glass. My understanding of heat treating the material is that it melts trace minerals and turns the stone into an 'alloy'. Different materials require diferent temps, duration, cool down time for the desired effect; just like with steel. Opens a whole new can of worms, but the skill of 'primitive' man is just amazing. Many good websites out there on flintknapping and heat treating. I like to use charred cattail down for flint and steel, too. Starting to experiment on other natural fibers as well. Good luck and have fun with it.
 
naked said:
Seems that flint can serve many purposes in a survival situation. Is it common in certain regions? How can it be identified? I'm curious to learn more about how to find it.

L
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Flint is a generic term given to a form of quartz (impure, but nevertheless, with properties of quartz) High silicon base which fractures in a concoidial manner leaving scoop shaped fractures (IE: like a clam shell) Your area is sitting on large flint deposits. Gray very hard rocks which fracture in the manner described are generally flint. Obsidian is a volcanic glass which fractures concoidially as well and will produce an edge which is little more than a molecule thick. Try this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint
 
Without giving you a a Geology 101 course. Flint is a silicate, related to quartz or common glass. It is found in association with carbonate sedimentary rocks. Rocks that were laid down in marine environments. You find flint or chert in limestone, chalk and other carbonate formations. Flint is usually found in nodules that were formed on the ocean floor. Indians traded flint all over the US. Their trade routes can be traced by the origin of the flint source they used. Obsidian, quartzite, and all forms of quartz can be used to make sparks. the main value of flint and obsidian is that they can be easily chipped to make sharp tools. That was their main value. If you live in a region with Metamorphic or Igneous rocks you won't find flint. Areas with sandstone formations do not contain flint. Flint has a waxy look to it and can be any color from white to black or a mix of both. My main fire tool is a section of broken file. It really makes sparks when struck.
 
Sorry being late... Yes the small piece you can see the light.... I looked up at some more and it does seem to be Obsidian. Now i cant wait for my dad to go fishing again lol.... Looking more at it. I must say the color looks nice and deep. Has some sort of green and opal color to it. I would have to wait to get it and take some pics.. Started to read more about it...
Sasha
 
Just watch some of that stuff!! I have flintknapped for years and some types of obsidian tend to sort of "explode" if you just haul off and hit them. Lots of little razor sharp fragments. Always wear eye protection and even gloves if you can. If you break off a sharp fragment to play around with, abrade the edges where you plan on holding it so you don't cut yourself. On the plus side, cuts from obsidian are very clean and heal nicely. Flint on the other hand can do a number on your fingers. Don't get me started on chert either . . . .:D
 
From what I've read flakable tool material was traded from region to region in North America by the Natives. Over the past few years I see why.

In WI we have most availible, chalcedony. It's a silicone ,well, type material. But it's very coarse and doesn't make very good tools. Not that I am a great knapper but I get fair results from black/grey obsidian a friend from WA sent me.

Has anyone tried heat treating less desirable rock?
 
BenchmadeBoy said:
Just watch some of that stuff!! I have flintknapped for years and some types of obsidian tend to sort of "explode" if you just haul off and hit them. Lots of little razor sharp fragments. Always wear eye protection and even gloves if you can.
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BMB makes a good point. Also, if you start breaking a lot of rock, pay attention to the wind and try to do it in a cross breeze. Inhaling the dust is not good for you and can "cut-up" your lungs so to speak. Do it enough and you can develop silicosis.
 
I knapped a few arrowheads from some obsidian that I found south of Mono Lake, and I learned the hard way that you get lots of very sharp little fragments all over the place. Wear leather gloves and do it where you don't have to worry where the fragments go.
 
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