What type of pressure pad?

[knapperhead]

I have a square block of rubber with a channel carved into it. It seems bulky and un-natural in the hand so I usually just double up the leather pad and use that. The only problem is the flakes stop short, either from contact with the pad or poor technique. I was curious what some of y'all use.
Thanks,
Matt

[Stringman]

Here's a look at the one I'm using.



I find that if I use anything bigger I begin to snap points because there is too much contact with the point.

[bowtarist]

I used to use a leather pad but cut my left index finger a couple of years ago and it hurt too bad to bend that tight.  I now use a rubber pad, some sort of conveyor material I think, and it seems to work pretty good.  I have slot cut in one side like you mentioned, but when I notch I use the bottom of it w/o a notch. That's what works for me.  I got the material from a great guy here on PA flintknapping page.  dp

[seminolewind]

I agree with stringman I use a piece of 23/32" hardwood plywood that is cut into an oval and sanded slightly into a dome at the top with a notch cut in it. i domed the top so it only makes contact with the pad where I'm applying pressure. I also glued leather to it....I'm sure it's not the best and kinda ghetto but works pretty good and I don't break a lot.

[Trapper Rob]

I use a rubber pad with a grove cut in it.

[Dalton Knapper]

I use a variety of pads, but mostly a slotted pad. The black ones are from truck mud flaps or conveyor belts. Sometimes I put leather on top of those or any pad. The brown ones are plywood, aluminum and leather on top - fancy! The way I pressure flake seems to destroy the pad and eat through the wood on bottom, so I added the layer of aluminum and glued them up with contact adhesive then cut and sanded to shape. I am thinking about sloping the edges down on either side of the slot because I break a lot of tips off points by getting pressure on them.

According to Jim Winn, when a flake you are removing touches the pad, it stops - hence the popularity of slotted pads. I have also heard that soft leather in contact with the point makes a flake travel further, but I am unsure if that is really true since I almost always avoid knapping on soft leather.

[knapperhead]

thanks for the input and photos. i like the idea of the domed pad. I guess I just need to work on my technique and maybe widen the groove a little more.

[Knapper]

Me too, Thanks. Good post
Knapper

[Dalton Knapper]

Just an interesting tidbit note to my leather covered pads. I used to work at a historic cotton museum and we were rebuilding a late 1800s cotton gin. The main drive belt was leather, buffalo leather in fact and was about 2' wide, 20' long and about 3/8 th inch thick. We had to cut the belt and guess what I did with the scrap! It makes great knapping pads.

[JackCrafty]

I use a domed pad:




Or a rolled pad:

[skyarrow]

Im with patrick i either rooled pad or something domed i did get a cool rubber over aluminum pad from outbackbob when i was a the calssic a few years ago i use that alot also. It has a channel in it andni had a rubber covayer belt pad from tower that my dog ran off with and i could never find lol. For me it more preference what ever works to get the result i want my flakes are just as long with a grooved pad or a rolled up piece of leather i think it all boils down to technique if your skilled enough you can use just abouy any pad to push a good  flake