Hunting sharpness ??

[Danzn Bar]

I really don't know, it may be common knowledge around here, but,  How sharp are stone points?  Will some stone shave you? Is chert or heat treated stone or for that mater any knapped rock as sharp as a store bought broadheads?
DBar

[seabass]

I don't know about the stone Bill,but obsidian is the sharpest stuff on the planet.

[Pat B]

Stone points are sharp in the flake scar valleys but don't necessarily feel sharp on the peaks.

[Thesquirrelslinger]

glass/obsidian/flint/chert are all much sharper than your average steel blade. a well made obsidian blade is probably one of the sharpest things on earth.

[aaron]

the edge of a knapped head is a wavy line with some sections that are very sharp. However, because the edge is not straight and inevitably has some not-so-sharp sections, it doesn't feel as sharp as steel. This is especially true after it has been rattling around in your quiver. Also, the edge angle on stone heads is usually not as small an angle as on steel. So, obsidian can create the sharpest edge known, in practice it's not like a sharp steel edge. I do hunt with stone heads, and feel that they are "sharp enough".

[Danzn Bar]

Thanks for the responses guys...............I'm just now getting real interested in hunting with knapped points and was wanting to know what is the best/sharpest to start out with. 
Thanks again,
DBar

[TRACY]

I saw Paul Brunner do a demo once at a shoot that was about sharpness and pressure using a piece of scrap leather and stretching it tight then pushing it over the tip of the broadhead. I was amazed at how little force it took to punch through the leather. Moral of the story was poundage you were shooting and keeping the broadhead as sharp as possible. I don't advocate this, but the duller broadheads punched through fairly easy. As far as stone, oblique flaking and or micro flaking the edge will get the job done provided enough force is transferred to the arrow.

Tracy

[aaron]

going back to your question about the relative sharpness of different materials.... It's important to note that while obsidian is sharper than heat treated flint, and heat treated is sharper than raw....these materials all differ in strength too. obsidian is weakest, followed by heat treated flint and raw flint. So for hunting, the best point is a trade off between sharp and strong. If you make a sharp obsidian point, you'll need to treat it gently or the edge will chip and dull because it's weak, while if you make a flint point it may not be as sharp, but it's more durable. Most of my stone points are obsidian and i keep them from touching each other to protect their sharpness. another challenge with stone over steel is weight- steel points all are equal and as heavy as you like. stone points vary and are generally lighter in my experience.

[JackCrafty]

Stone cuts flesh and bone extremely well.  Other materials, not so much.  Shaving?  Nope.  I've tried.  IMO, The only rock that works for shaving is obsidian, and you need a long straight blade like the kind the Aztecs made.

Steel will cut all sorts of things very well. So, if you need to shoot through obstacles (like camo nets, bushes, tents, NO HUNTING signs, etc) or if the deer are wearing armor, use steel.   

Otherwise, stone works just as well for creating a wound and killing the animal.

[Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive]

When I test my hunting points, I gently rub them along the backside of my thumb/palm area. If they leave knicks or make me bleed with very little force, then I am happy with them. In my opinion, stone points should be sharp like a brand new saw blade. I have accidentally cut a little too deep a couple times with obsidian, heat treated Coral and texas chert... then you know you have a real sharp one. getting them real sharp does take some practice

[mullet]

Pappy just got through penetrating the tough hide on the back of a gator with a stone spear point and it completely severed the spine. All mounted on a river cane shaft.

[Danzn Bar]

Thanks guys....
This is the kind of information I was looking for.  I was wanting to know because after shooting some broadheads in a target a few times to make sure they fly well before hunting with them, if they needed to be re-sharpened.
Thanks
DBar