Flint knapping

H

halo2

Joined
Sep 13, 2005
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Here's a picture of some arrowheads I knapped from chert.

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I put up a how-to (or how I did it) at http://www.outdoorwonders.com

Enjoy!
 
Thanks. Ever done any knapping? It's easy to "make something" but tougher to make a "real arrowhead."
 
Try making a fish hook or gorge. When making the hook, knap out the inside first. Scrapers and knives are great practice pieces for the smaller hooks and darts. Good start there!

Codger
 
I made some fish hooks & gorge hooks out of bone. There are pictures of those on my site, too.

Wouldn't bone be a better choice than stone?
 
Bone was the preferred choice for hooks. At least the ones I've seen from 200-400 years ago were bone. I've also seen 2 piece wooden hooks that were more recent, but were exact copies of those displayed in a museum.

I have a few very good examples of arrowheads. If halo2 is interested, I'll post them.
 
Cool. I consider knapping a good skill to have, though I'm not sure how much I'd actually use it.

We have cigar boxes full of arrowheads found locally in fields.

To me, it's pretty easy to make an arrowhead-shaped piece of rock from a percussion flake. It would be a lot harder if you had to start out with a big lump of flint you actually found. Glass is very easy to work though, and 'round here you can't walk through a floodplain without finding lots of glass bottles that have washed up over the past 50 years.
 
the possum said:
Glass is very easy to work though, and 'round here you can't walk through a floodplain without finding lots of glass bottles that have washed up over the past 50 years.
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Have you actually chipped or flaked glass arrowheads from bottles???

I'd be curious to see if you have any photos. In our society throw away glass bottles are probably easier to find than good obsidian, but I've never heard of anyone using the glass from bottles for the same end.
 
m_calingo said:
Have you actually chipped or flaked glass arrowheads from bottles???

I'd be curious to see if you have any photos. In our society throw away glass bottles are probably easier to find than good obsidian, but I've never heard of anyone using the glass from bottles for the same end.
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I actually have but unfortunatlly don't have any pics.
The bottoms of the bottles are quite thick. Cleanest stuff there is.
 
mewolf1 said:
The bottoms of the bottles are quite thick. Cleanest stuff there is.
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Well, that's good to know. What sort of precautions do you take to chip glass and not end up in shreds?
 
I havn't flaked glass, but think that I'd wear safety goggles/glasses, lay a piece of thick leather over my leg and cover the piece when actually chipping, to keep glass from flying. It might be a good idea to put down a tarp to make clean up easier.
 
My first point started life as a Hieneken bottle!

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As with any knapping, watch your eyes and hands. Obsidian can cut down to a tendon. I'm told that they still use obsidian for certain surgical scalpels, but I've never verified that.

The tiny flakes coming off of a "point in progress" are VERY sharp.
 
I've made a few smaller points from glass bottles, but I don't have any pictures.

Since I was working with smaller pieces, I had trouble coming up with a way to protect my fingers. I did end up getting little cuts a couple of times, but overall it wasn't too bad. 'Course, at that time, I had calloused farmer's hands that were tougher than leather anyway...
 
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