pressure flaking patterns?

[maddog314]

Cool, I never know how far to move from the last flake removed. I do okay when using a bopper I just have trouble being consistant with presure.. I have just recently made an ishi stick ( a hand flaker shooved into a large boo stick). I am needing to learn how to use it though!?!?
Micah

[iowabow]

Grady Bowen on youtube has some amazing flake patterens on the surface of his work. I think from looking at his points he is taking a very small flake toward the ridge on side A to make a platform for side B. I can easy do that but was hoped to not have the double ridge on the edge.
Options;
1. Live with the double ridge on edge and start working on the patterns for side B
2. grind the valley and focus on points that are serated
3. grind the delta on side A for a platform to remove flakes on side B (this leave a more random pattern on side B) Maybe I could grind the valley and remove all small flake on side B. This would create a ridge just below the ground delta on side A. Then I could place pressure flaker on ground delta and and remove flakes on side B.

I think I want the same pattern on both sides and like the real sharp edge from the delta platform so I am going to give option three a couple more tries.
if that does not work I am going to focus on the Bowen style by pushing a small flake off the delta.

[iowabow]

So I got home and went directly to the flint pile and bifaced out a beautiful piece of burlington.  I think it was about the nicest I have worked yet from this area. Well I set that stone aside to use later and opened another stone that was really poor but has nice color.  This stone was rough and tough and was like knapping sandstone.  I thought that I had nothing to lose so I started working the stone up like the rest.  But could not set it real clean for fear it would step bad.  Anyway I was very happy to get patterns on both side even though it was not real clean.  I used a combination of process from the list above to bring it all together and will explain it in detail with the next run.

 

[Bevan R.]

Looks good to me!

[iowabow]

Thanks Bevan I think this point is not great but the process is solid and should work well with higher quality material.

[maddog314]

Very nice!
Micah

[cowboy]

Looks good John! I'll have a box of rocks headed your way on monday..

[iowabow]

I worked texas rock yesterday and forgot how hard I have to hit it.  I did not thin this biface out fast enough and had to work with a less than idea preform. Here is a view of side A before I flake side B.  It is turkey season so it is cutting into my knapping time. I am not real happy with the pattern but the flake scars are cool. 

[gstoneberg]

Looks great to me.  That rock looks familiar too.

George

[Jimbob]

Man, your makin'em look really good!

[iowabow]

Thank you cowboy.  Thanks G and jimbob.  I really destroyed side B with 2 steps so I went back and reworked side A and side B but side B still looks like garbage but side A looks amazing now.  I think I have to remove the deltas on side A toward side B first then grind the valleys and remove flakes to get a good pattern on side B. If I could just figure out side B I would have it. 

So the main points that I think are important are:
1. Real good material is key
2. Real good preforms, don't think you can get away with anything I won't happen as a beginner
3. Must always have good convexity
4. Slow down and question everything because good is not good enough. 
5.  Shannon once told me that you should not shoot a flake longer than you need to so, I understand that now to mean " a flake should not be forced to do what what other flakes are doing with ease".  So if everything is set up right you should not have to "try and make something happen" another words you are in the "zone" as cowboy says it. 

[cowboy]

Only way you could improve on that John is to run all those flakes parallel and edge to edge imo.. Looking good.

[iowabow]

Only way you could improve on that John is to run all those flakes parallel and edge to edge imo.. Looking good.

Thanks Paul!
I was thinking on the drive to work that my problems are starting much earlier than I know so I have to come up with a new bifacing plan.
"Me just Thinking"
1. Start with a good thin and wide biface so that you can get great convexity and identify where the median ridge might fall. The thickness should be close to the thickness of the completed piece.

2. Start by removing flakes that do not go to center, maybe almost to center

3. Make the lowest flake scar the level of plane during this process.

4. Shape with the mindset of establishing a median ridge then remove flake that go half way to center

5. Set up platform and double check to make sure there are no high spots.

6. Continue with ishi stick making sure to do as Paul stated above and not to high on the platform. I think dont over do it as I go.
We will see if this works today or tomorrow. It is hard on the hands to make one of these everyday.

[Tower]

Heck, all your patterns looks good to me.  You've really improved with your skills!

[iowabow]

Heck, all your patterns looks good to me.  You've really improved with your skills!

Thanks Tower I had a chance to to work some stone my neighbor gave me from at trip to OR.  Nasty black stuff it cuts me every time.  My hands hurt so I work it bucause it is easy.  Anyway I knocked the lip off twice and it messed up the pattern but I was happy with the finished point. Heck I even got a nice flute out of the deal.  I still have not achieve what I want be getting closer.  The convexity has to be perfect to make really good patterns.