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Offline sailordad

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english flint
« on: June 13, 2009, 01:50:05 pm »
well i went to this rock shop today and found some more slabs so i bought a few
i have never worked with english flint yet,as i have onlhy been doing this for 5 months now.

has anyone every had the opportunity to knapp this? or does anyone know if it needs heat first?
also can a slab be cut with a simple hand tile/glass cutter like i do slabs of obsidion?

he also had some english flint still in the "rock" form.was wondering is i always so misshaped. it had large bumps sticking out all over
i dont know how to spall so i didnt but any like that,just three small  slabs.but i did have him price out one of the larger ones,he siad it would go for about $35
i think it weight like 13 lbs,if its worth it i was thinking of buying it and taking with this summer to lake ebnton mn for a knapp in down ther and see if i could get some one to show me how to spall properly.

maybe later i could post a pic of the slabs

                                                                              peace,
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Offline cowboy

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  • Paul Wolfe. Springtown, TX
Re: english flint
« Reply #1 on: June 13, 2009, 06:57:48 pm »
Yep, post pictures Tim. I've never laid eyes on English flint that I can recall. From what I understand it's some of the best stuff there is and doesn't need any heat. I wouldn't pay $35.00 bucks for a rock unless I was going to have someone slab it out for me. Even an experienced spaller will only get a fraction of what you'd get with a saw.
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Offline Hillbilly

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Re: english flint
« Reply #2 on: June 13, 2009, 07:23:29 pm »
English flint is good stuff, but it's sometimes really tough and hard to knap (about like tough raw Pedernales flint), you've got to really hit it. All of it I've seen is in odd-shaped nodules like you describe. It's usually really hard flint, makes great gunflints. There are many grades, some knap better than others but it's probably all knappable.
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Offline mullet

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Re: english flint
« Reply #3 on: June 13, 2009, 08:05:56 pm »
  the real good stuff is black or a dark smokey gray, a lot like the Danish Flint. If it is slabbed thin enough you can cut it with a diamond tile saw. But it is hard.
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Offline Hardawaypoints

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Re: english flint
« Reply #4 on: June 14, 2009, 11:47:26 am »
You can get some English flint from Eric Morris (@ericsrocks dot com).  Pretty sure he sells if for >$2 per pound.  It is oddly shaped because of the way it flowed into the chalk beds it formed in.  Like most rock, there are varying grades, sometimes even vast changes from one end of the rock to the other. It can be tough, but it makes nice points. I understand that flint was used for all different types of construction in England...even heard of one church entirely made of the stuff.

Jim
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Offline mullet

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Re: english flint
« Reply #5 on: June 14, 2009, 08:46:12 pm »
  Jim, I saw the pictures of that church, I think on PP. It made my mouth water. Here's a picture of some Danish, It all comes out of the same geological formation in that part of the world. Somes just better than others.

[attachment deleted by admin]
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Lakeland, Florida
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Offline sailordad

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Re: english flint
« Reply #6 on: June 15, 2009, 12:14:47 am »
well as promised here are a couple of pics
the one on the far right i did cut with a hand tile cutter after i kerfed it.
it snapped reall nice,but man this is some tought shnit.
only way i could get a decent flake was with an ishi stick.really had to get some weight into it.
its not real forgiving either.if you use bad technique,hinge everytime.then its a real biotch to get a
flake to travel past it without stacking on you.but i learned that when i get a hinge if i sharpen my flaker
i can get rid of them by working directly on the hinge itself.maybe later this week i will finish up that piece and
get something to show ya'll.
oh ya,this stuff just wants to be sharp also.every edge you make you can feel blood just wanting to come out when you touch them.
should make some decent stuff if i dont wreck it all first
well hers the pics





                                                                                            peace,
                                                                                                 tim
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i always wanted a harley,untill it became the "thing to ride"
i ride because i love to,not to be part of the crowd

Offline cowboy

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  • Paul Wolfe. Springtown, TX
Re: english flint
« Reply #7 on: June 15, 2009, 08:11:00 am »
That all looks good Eddie and Tim! Makes me wanna break it ;D.
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Offline Bone pile

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Re: english flint
« Reply #8 on: June 15, 2009, 08:20:42 am »
Here's a knife I made with a Dannish flint blade.the stuff knapps great and you can put a sharp edge on it .you'll like it,mine had a few spots of concrete in it but nothing big or bad.

Bone pile
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