bird points from flakes.

[Prarie Bowyer]

So I was watching primitive pathways videos on you tube and he had one that answered a question I had.  I see allot of apparently good flakes getting tossed aside in the knapping process.  I wondered if they were useable.

He makes a small bird point from one. 

I'm curious if anyone could drop a few flakes for a rank beginner to fiddle with/cut himself on into an envelope.  I'd like to try to make a few rabbit points and just little pressure flaking stuff.  I don't want to get into "boppers", and that big mess but to just start pressure flaking otu a few small points would be kinda neat.

I have some antler that I can make a pressure flaking tip from.  I considered epoxying a copper cap on the but end with a little sand inserted for added weight.  I also have an 1/8" bronze rod I could make a tool from.  A few small scraps of leather for holding.

[Wolf Watcher]

Don't know where you live, but there are knappers all over the USA and Canada.  I would recommend you find one of them and they will gladly give you some material.  Best thing is to go to a knappin.  And the very best one of them is at Twin Oaks in Tenn.  If you go there take a bucket and fill it up out of the pit!  A/Ho Joe

[bowtarist]

Check your local college if you have one.  If they have an archeology department, ding ding ding, you got young people w/ lots of enthusiasim knapping.  We have one here @ IU, I haven't been there yet though.  Bottoms of glass bottles wook great to start too.  Drop a nail in and shake, the bottom comes right off.  Good luck and post pics!! dpgratz

[Prarie Bowyer]

Check your local college if you have one.  If they have an archeology department, ding ding ding, you got young people w/ lots of enthusiasim knapping.  We have one here @ IU, I haven't been there yet though.  Bottoms of glass bottles wook great to start too.  Drop a nail in and shake, the bottom comes right off.  Good luck and post pics!! dpgratz

Can you get right into the pressure knapping from the bottle bottoms?

[bowtarist]

"Can you get right into the pressure knapping from the bottle bottoms?"

Sure you can, or you can grab a rock, smooth and golf ball sized and do a little purcussion first if needed.  You'll need a leather pad too, and some electrical tape or bandaids to tape up your cuts.

[Pat B]

to your local glass company and look in their dumpster. Lots of knappable material there. 1/4" plate glass comes out about the right thickness and only pressure flaking is required.

[bubby]

yeah pressure is all you need on glass and slabs, you can get away with just pressure on tv glass and it's 1/2" thick, Bub

[TRACY]

Check your local college if you have one.  If they have an archeology department, ding ding ding, you got young people w/ lots of enthusiasim knapping.  We have one here @ IU, I haven't been there yet though.  Bottoms of glass bottles wook great to start too.  Drop a nail in and shake, the bottom comes right off.  Good luck and post pics!! dpgratz

Went there a few times last year. One of the PhD students wanted to organize a knapping event and monitor brain waves using electrodes to make some kind of connection to our ancestors. Never heard back from him. Sounded kind of cool in a techno way.

[Tower]

I'll tell ya what. I'll swap ya a box of flint for a couple of points made from the flakes. What do you think?

[Prarie Bowyer]

Tower, Thanks for the offer.  right now the only thing knappy is my hair in the morning.   I don't know that I wouldn't just ruin it all.

Honestly I'm a little cautious of the mess.  I have a 4 year old that is ALL OVER ME constantly.  All I need is to miss a flake in the clean up and I'll have hell to pay.  My plan currently is to do it from close preforms or cut glass and glass bottoms type of stuff.  Jump right to pressure flaking and work over my bench where I can easily vaccume.

[Jimbob]

I have found that using an old tarp is pretty easy to knap on.  Sit in the middle of it or where you have the most coverage to catch the flakes and when you are done, just fold it up and empty into the trash.

[bowtarist]

I have kids too.  I do all my knapping outside.  Fixin' to move into the garage for the winter, probably use a tarp and tell the kids to stay away.  I was knapping on the porch, swept up each time I took a break to keep it out of the house.  There were a couple of cut feet though.    I tell em that if they weren't a bunch of hillbillies they'd be wearing shoes.    But that's my family, a bunch of hillbillies.