Trying for an IowaBow point

[gstoneberg]

I hafted a point up tonight and it is clear that I need to get them thinner at the base.  So I worked a couple spalls.  Lost my symmetry on the first one, but when I went for the second one I discovered a really cool color pattern for Texas stone.  The thinning went pretty well, but there's a funny hump in the center of one side.  I'm trying for the style of point John (Iowabow) makes.  Ran out of time to finish it tonight, but hopefully it'll work out.  Dang, looking at the pictures I can see my symmetry is still off.

George

[GooseGossett]

Love the look of that rock.  I think you and I could be in the same boat.  Maybe we need to draw a diagram and trace it onto our lap pad.  Your points are looking good to me.

[soy]

Looking good to me George, like the colors!

[YosemiteBen]

Main symmetry is good. just take a few flakes off of the bottom on the long side to even the point up. Very nice color.

[gstoneberg]

Thanks, I need all the advice I can get.  This stone likes to step on me, you can see several small ones.  I'm hoping to bring the sides in a little too, it's really too wide now, and get out some of those steps.  It's such a pretty piece, I hope I can get a nice point from it.  This is probably the first point I came up with a plan of attack on.  It seems to work better, though I feel like I'm doing plan B an awful lot.   Thanks all.

George

[iowabow]

that point is looking real good.   I often find myself with a wide point that only needs a few more passes. I hope it works for you. 

[cowboy]

That is a good looking rock George and good lookin point ta boot. Bet some of those colors are kinda grainy and not too flinty? I've found quite a bit of that perd like that - sometimes hard to incorporate the colors due to the grainyness (is that a word?). Anyway, good luck with her .

[gstoneberg]

Thanks guys.  I very rarely get a point this thin and this wide so it's been good so far.  Yes Paul, the pinkish stuff is pretty grainy and likes to step.  Patrick heat treated this rock so I don't know what it looked like raw.  To be truthful I expected the color to be a cortex that would get knocked off, I've had some like that.  I was pleasantly surprised when it went clear through the spall.  I'm not sure I'll have time to work on it tonight but we'll see.

When are you going to spend some time in Texas so I can come and get pressure flaking and notching lessons??

George

[iowabow]

G I will try to explain something that is difficult to put in words.  When you thin a piece it is hard to shape it afterwards because the convexity is gone.  Therefore in order to thin I make a non thinning pass (one that consist of downward pressure flake rather than inward). This will reestablish convexity.  After making that pass I have to set the platform again.  It is very confussing because it seems backwards to everything you do up to that point.  I guess it confussed me because I was alway trying to thin a piece but there comes a point when you start getting good (like you are now ) that you have to hold back on thinning flakes till the end and final passes.  Anyway that is how I do it and have seen others do it but is not the only way I am sure.  I hope this helps prevent the steps.  My point is that you are getting so good that you are creating problems because you can thin and it is happening a little to soon. Maybe tower or cowboy can explain it better.  Tower can thin a point like crazy.

[Tower]

I think ya did a dang good job of explaining the thinning process. The only thing I could add is plan your thinning flakes. Sometimes there are high spots on the point. I try to take them out first attacking them from the side . I like to thin with an Ishi, sending my flakes diagonally on a final pass. But there is no wrong way only differant ways.

[gstoneberg]

John, you were sure right.  I had zero luck trying to get the hump out of the middle of this point.  The edges, point and base were very thin and I could not knock that bump off.  So I finished it up and rather liked it, but that hump kept bugging me.  My side notch stalled right into the thick spot and like an idiot I took one more whack at it...and took the corner off the point.   The best I could do was make a stemmed point.  Bummer.  And it's almost too light to hunt with now.



So, I started another point.  It was a small spall.  I should have left it a little thicker to keep the weight up.




And I ended the day making a flint heart for the kids.  Still bummed about messing up that point.

Thanks for the info.  Unfortunately, I'm not pressure flaking at all.  All my points are all made with Patrick's indirect percussion method.  I think the process is similar though.  I actually tried pressure flaking tonight and got a couple longer flakes.  I'll work on it more tomorrow.  I've got to meet up with somebody to show me the pressure flaking ropes.

George

[Tower]

Maybe one of these days I'll get some time to come visit ya. Do you ever make it to San Antoine area much?

[bowtarist]

They look good to me.  You hafted any of them up and flung em yet?  Don't be so hard on yourself w/ the knappin' until you shoot some of your better ones and break em cuz of a foul shot.    One of these hot shots here told me that points are easy to make, be sure not to break the arrow, that takes more time to make.  I've relaxed about breaking points since then.  I just need some more rock to bust!!!

[gstoneberg]

Haven't been down to San Antone for a year or so.  Don't mind driving a ways though to get a knapping lesson.  Gonna be a little harder to do now that deer season is upon us.  Thanks for offering, I will do my best to meet up if you have time.

I agree, primitive arrows are hard to make.  Had the nock break on one of mine and I wanted to cry.  Won't bother me to have a deer break one though.  Shooting an arrow and breaking the point would be sad, but I'm sure it'll happen.  I'll keep at least one trade point in the quiver for squirrels and coons.

George