Were you napping when there was knapping?

K

Kevin the grey

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Aug 26, 2005
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On one of those"Searching for the Truth" programs they had a husband and wife who were ancient skills experts. The truth being searched for was how the "Stonehenge" stones were transported.

The wife made cordage from stinging nettle stalks. She simply carfully harvested the stalks ,stripped off the leaves and thumbed open the tube/stalk into a flat length . She more or less used her thumb like a spoon to spoon out the innards. She was then left with the exterior structure. She braided several lengths together into a rope that supported a man who must have weighed at least 150 pounds.(Skinny little fart.)

The husband knapped an axhead in about the same time it takes you to read this. ( N o S k u n k w e r x i t d i d n o t
t a k e f o u r h o u r s . ) :confused: :D

He knapped a piece of flint into roughly a large closed clam shell shape.
Then Mr. Goldern magician strikes the clamshell where the two sides would close and it split into two axheads just as if it was opened into the two clamshell halves.

I am not worthy.
 
I haven't seen that show, but I've seen ones similar. People who REALLY know what they're doing are kind of daunting. Also, it seems they often just act cool, like it was no big thing. Grrrr!! :D
 
Yeah if I had time for another hobby, flint knapping is something I would like to learn. There's a big controversy about Clovis points (big knife-like spear points) and where they originated...some say Europe.

Regarding moving rocks at Stonehenge: This is something that fascinates me. Not just at Stonehenge, but also the great pyramids and the stone work at Machu Picchu. It is just amazing, it beggars the imagination.
 
Watching the pros knap is amazing. I have seen the theory, but never tried to get a split like that, the normal knapping had me fighting enough issues.

The pyramids are interesting, there is evidence to suggest the upper blocks were cast in place. They took the soft limestone, dissolved in pools of water, added lime and the water evaporated into a type of limestone mud/concrete. Carry up to molds, and a couple days later, the chemical reaction makes blocks that is hard to differentiate from quarried limestone. The researchers need more access to confirm this, but the egyptian government doesn't officially like the theory.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-2480751,00.html

--Carl
 
The husband knapped an axhead in about the same time it takes you to read this. ( N o S k u n k w e r x i t d i d n o t t a k e f o u r h o u r s . )

It was on TV? OH man that was camera tricks!! :cool:
They actually filmed that over the course of a week. :D

Kevin you believe what you see on TV? dang man, and you won't even go out and light a bark torch? tsk tsk.

Actually amount of time it takes to make something may not necessarily equate to difficulty level. Was this guy some kind of ringer?
Or put a different way...Could someone of average dexterity reproduce his 5 minute hard boiled Axe Head? To me it's about easily taught and easily transferrable knowledge.

Around these parts we don't have a lot of stone (if any) that would serve for knapping. I'll have to take a stroll down to our creek and hunt around for some different "species" of rock.
 
No ringer involved. The gentleman did not claim to be a beginner.

Knapping on an advanced level is beyond an Art. These guys almost caress the stone into shape. I have seen arrowheads where there were barbs like rows of curved sharks teeth.

There are surgeons who use obsidian blades to cut with. These blades are literally sharper than metal can be made.

You will have to ask someone else how feasible it is. Even with clear written explanations I cannot fathom the terminology or method.

I do think that with a little experience and the right stone that your average forumite could do it in a survival situation.
 
Kevin the grey said:
I do think that with a little experience and the right stone that your average forumite could do it in a survival situation.
Click to expand...

Oh yes, I believe that, no doubt.
Would we be able to knap surgical quality edges? maybe not.
Works of art, well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder anyway.
But would we be able to make a cutting edge, enough to skin an animal, or wittle some wood, cut a vine, sure thing.
I've never formally knapped, but, I have busted Big rocks into little rocks and yielded some nice sharp edges, just by chance.

I think the type of mineral plays a big role, you get the right stuff, and you can break a decent edge onto it. Get a crappy piece, and no matter how hard you try, it'll crumble, and be gnarley at best.

This gets into "What would you do if you didn't have a knife" territory. :confused:
Heaven forbid!! :eek:

If it was ultra-difficult to make an edge from minerals, humans would have never made it past the IKAN'TKNAPeolithic period, and we would be extinct now. :thumbdn:
 
If I didn't have a knife I would simply get some stones and write "S:A:K's are no good". in big letters. :eek:

I would have a big bunch of disgruntled red handled knife owners up my butt in no time. :D
 
Good one Kevin.

I have seen demo's of skinning deer with the large flakes. Anyone can get a reasonable edge for the work required in survival situations. Axe/Hatchet, again, for survival, fairly easy. Robust daily users, that would take some work and skill.

If you look at the way glass and knappable rocks flake, think of a BB hitting a window and the cone that is dislodged. It is part of this cone you try every hit or pressure. Getting the flake to go where you want is the art. What he did when smacking the back of the clamshell was to send that fracture down the center. Wish I had the skill to do that, but I feel confident I could make due if required.

--Carl
 
pricew I am trying to picture the BB hit on a window in comparison to a knapping strike/push.
the knapping seems to flake off a piece on an angle where the BB would be this conicular shape. By this I mean the force of the BB moves out in all directions evenly in a spreading fashion as it moves away from point of impact.

The flaking just seems to split off a piece in a linear fashion. Maybe if I understand what you mean it will clear up my misunderstanding about knapping.
 
Kevin,

The only reason the BB is circular, is it is perpendicular to the strike, and has room all around it. If the strike was at an angle, you would see an oblong. Now, you take a copper nail, antler, hammer rock, whatnot, and envision the angle that pressure or impact would cause the same thing. To do this effectively, you sometimes need to create a platform. Overall, all knappable material fracture in this same way, as a knapper, you try and control it and steer flakes in the direction you want.

Some advanced tutorials w/some basic information.
http://p081.ezboard.com/fpaleoplanet69529frm27.showMessage?topicID=79.topic
http://p081.ezboard.com/fpaleoplanet69529frm27.showMessage?topicID=78.topic

Another that has pics with lines showing the flakes before they are pressured off.

http://p081.ezboard.com/fpaleoplanet69529frm27.showMessage?topicID=81.topic

Interesting thing about that one, it is done with Johnstone, or better known as toilet bowl.

http://www.geocities.com/knappersanonymous/bottle.html

good one on turning a beer bottle bottom into an arrowhead. This one has some good diagrams.

Cool thing about knapping in a survival situation. As humans we leave a lot of crap as we go. A lot of it (toilets, beer bottles, etc) can be used to knap. Gives you a head up when the trash you find on the way saves you!

--Carl
 
So if I am correct in understanding what you are saying a flint knap fracture is like a cross section of the BB impact cone shape?

I have a couple of pieces of flint. I'll check out those links and get back to you.
 
Yep. If you have a bottle or some non-tempered plate glass or even some johnstone, give it a try on that. Any beginning guide or book will recommend the first piece of equipment to buy is a box of bandaids, believe them.

If you are starting, do a google search on beer bottle arrowhead. There are a number of good tutorials, and it is fairly easy material to learn on, flint can be hard to knap depending on where it comes from. Some can be heat treated to make knapping easier, but glass, obsidian, and johnstone is good learning material.

--Carl
 
I was told johnstone was hard to work. Can you make a serviceable head with beer/glass? its pretty fragile isn't it?
 
Beer/glass is identical to obsidian or opal. Both have made points for centuries. Will you break them, probably at some point. However, I think a good heart/lung shot on game you will be OK. I have read articles by people that hunt with beer bottle arrowheads to great success.

--Carl
 
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