I can reduce finally so thank you all!

[iowabow]

Thank you for taking the time to direct me to the video and focusing my efforts on the platform preparation. This is not done but I wanted to share with you what I learned. First I watch those videos on reduction and the 6 phases.  I think I made it to phase 4. I came home and put the information to the test by grabbing scrape from the bucket of flint that I could not finish and started building the platforms with a 60 degree angle and using the copper bopper. Look at the difference this made! My flakes now travel to the center because of my preparation. Many of the flakes early on were overshots… I just could not believe what was happening. On the back side I have a large hinge from earlier attempts but I know what to do. I am going to continue thinning and raise the platform then chip to 60 degrees and undercut that baby (with lining up and following ridges). I had to stop because I wanted you all to see how different the flake pattern is with this platform perpetration ( I have long flakes and not round ones). Granted I only made it work like 20 times but I know this is the ticket.  And this is not heat treated so it was my lack of skill that was the problem all along (you Old timers are very polite to newbies)…THANKS FOR HEADING ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION! If I don’t snap this in half I will post the finished reduction in a couple of days.

[jamie]

you are definetly getting there. aint it cool when things click

[iowabow]

I did finish the biface and was able to remove the hinge on the back (see photo) I dug through the scrap pile and pulled out some flint that was a little smoother and made the point below. This was going pretty good till I ran in to the crack seen about 1/3 down and that disrupted the flaking pattern so I was not able to continue the pattern that was looking good toward the tip. I am real happy with the progress at this point and I think I am going to spend some time just setting up platforms and knocking out bifaces for a week. This is the first point that I have made by thinning the block down and Pressure flaking the edge to center (as seen near the upper third). With A larger piece of smooth flint this should go a little better. Wow something else the edges are much sharper.

[jamie]

flake scars are definetly getting longer. 

[iowabow]

I ran out of large stuff to work on and it is too cold out to go and get more. So I started practicing on pressure flaking and thinning some of the small flakes I had laying around. I worked on platforms and angles and direction of force. I was surprised to discover the force I was putting on the platform was not inwardly sufficient to drive long flake to the center of the piece. You can see the results in the picture. I wish I could do this for 2 inches all the way down a point someday in the future. I really had to put the maximum amount of pressure I could place to drive these flakes. I have a friend that is making me an ishi (spelling ?) stick. Before I think I was a little low on the platform and pushing just down and not in (reall hard) at the same time.

[jamie]

that kinda looks like a seahorse.  nice runs on that one.

[iowabow]

When it is done it will look like a hermit crab shell. lol I watched more of paleomanjim yesterday and learned I was holding the biface wrong when striking it so cant wait to try some of his technique on the new stuff. The unresting part was how he held the stone with thumb and index finger and squeezed to firm the forward part of the platform for striking leaving the back section free so the flake can release. I always held it in the center this and other things must have created a few steps. Any comments or thoughts about pressure flaking would be great to read. Or link to other post?

[iowabow]

OK What do ya think?  this flint was heat treated. I had a little trouble adjusting to the heat treat because it felt like I was cheating. I think I need to get a better handle on the pressure flaking. The is new learning curve with the heat treated stuff. I had a couple of platforms collapse because not enough convexity.

[leapingbare]

Thats some good burlington you got there..
 And a very nice point!

[iowabow]

All the thanks goes to you for the formula. Great recipe! I really like the color light pink/dark pink and small bands of golden yellow.

[iowabow]

I have been working on pressure flaking lately. So if anyone has advice on this subject that would be helpful. I have learned that the inward force and outward force produce a different flake and that was an eye opener. I was working a three inch point last night (broke it just as I was finishing it ) and setup a nice platform. I was hoping to level a step at the center of the platform. I was not shooting flakes into a step because it had steeped from the other side so I was attempting to level the top by reducing from a new platform. My platform was thick and I used my thicker pressure flaker. I was able to setup a good series of thinning flake that made it to the center and was reducing the step. I dressed up the platform for the next pass and noticed that the platform was smaller and that made sense. Because I was now using more inward force as a technique for driving off thinning flakes my larger tool was getting harder to place on the platform. I switch to a smaller flaker and my flakes released before I could build the same amount of pressure as I did with the larger pressure flaker. I almost removed all of the step. So How do you know what to do as the platform thickness starts getting smaller and smaller? Do you switch to a smaller pressure flaker or sharpen the lager one or start using a notch tool. I am kinda lost do to lack of experience. I know this is hard to answer but if anyone could give a brief technique description that would be great!

[iowabow]

OK I worked a bit more this morning and took photos but my email is down. So I solved a couple questions and was able to thin the work out real nice but now I have another problem I broke the tip. I think I was taking to large of a bit near the tip so I reshaped it and broke the tip again. I reshaped and was real light on the tip and it did not break. I made a nice point that I will show later. So i guess the more you learn the more problems you start to have.I also figured out that you have to plan a lot of moves ahead to get all three dimensions to work in the end. As the thickness of the platform decreased I used smaller pressure flakers and that worked.

[jamie]

linda like playin pool. 

[iowabow]

[jamie]

wow you are kickin a$$ dude. i meant to say kinda, not linda.