Am I just making Gravel?

[tward1604]

I "acquired" some flint/chert (don't know the difference) from work the other day. Not sure this flake is even workable. I don't have any clue as to how to remove a proper flake from a rock, the rocks are between baseball and soft ball size. I have antler tine and hammer stones to work with.

[tward1604]

Last three pictures

[bjrogg]

1604 no gravel yet that actually looks like a really nice flake. It's really hard for me to explain how to knap something especially if you have no experience and don't know the "language". I would really suggest watching a bunch of you-tube videos. I don't know how you aquired the flake but it looks like whoever made it might know what they are doing maybe they could show you something. Do you understand the different types of knapping? Percussion, indirect, and pressure? Do you know how to "set up a platform"? follow a ridge? Do you know how a flake ends feathered, stepped or hinged? Are you looking for spear point or arrowhead?  If you watch some videos you'll pick these things up and communications will be easier.
PS then you'll be ready to make gravel lol. of course you could make gravel first and then watch videos. Good luck, and just try to relax and not get frustrated once you start to figure out where to hit it and what angle things get interesting.
Bjrogg

[Chippintuff]

Early on it seems impossible to plan what you want from a rock and then make it, but with enough time and tenacity, it can be learned. As BJ said, you tube videos are a good start. If you can connect with a knapper near you, that is even better. Most knappers are happy to help new people learn. That flake does look good, but it would take a lot of skill to chip out a pretty point from one that small unless you get a good working knowledge of knapping first.

WA

[le0n]

as stated, he knocked this flake off of a rock on his own.

not sure if it is, but if the rock is raw, it could prove very difficult for a beginner to make something out of it. believe me, i've tried.

that is a flake i would set aside for cooking. get a batch of flakes similar to this and you can attempt to cook them.

give us a little more information on what the rock originally looked like before you went after it.

show some photos of your gravel by-product too.

[tward1604]

I have watched weeks worth of youtube videos and "think" i have a decent grasp of the terminology. And the only treatment this rock has had is 9 days straight in north Fort Worth where we've been over 100 degrees (106 on Thursday). I don"t have a way to cook rock so it might be best to set this aside until I can get it hot. I did make that flake. I've been watching videos trying to figure out the process from rock to flake.

Should I buy some treated chert or obsidian to get going with?

[Chippintuff]

Any scrap glass makes perfect learning material. I have used a lot of pieces of broken mirror and a few bottoms from bottles.

WA

[le0n]

i don't see anything wrong with practicing with it though.

it looks like you're getting some pretty decent spalls.

if they were free, i'd keep doing what you're doing to get a feel for that rock.

i'd pick those two larger ones on the bottom and go at them with the hammerstones.

[tward1604]

I have been breaking glass left and right. Just have trouble getting the bottle bottoms flat. I will break more glass no doubt. The bigger pieces on the bottom are being saved where as some of the smaller stuff there is just that, small. It's probably pure inexperience but with this rock I'm not getting any flakes that are longer that 1/8th inch give or take. Even still its a blast!

[le0n]

i also meant to say that the rock looks rather promising.

[Zuma]

Actually if you could thin that base out
you would have a viable point.
There a few nice flake scars I see already?
Zuma

[Tracker0721]

I prefer to make a preform before trying to make a point. Too many new guys focus on trying to beat a triangle out and then have a thick or broken arrowhead looking thing. Keep taking down ridges and hitting the low spots till you have a centerline around the preform. Then just pop flakes into an arrowhead shape. If you'd like I'll send you a box of obsidian and dacite in easy to knap chunks. Just some good practice stuff. Shoot me a PM if you're interested. Payment is an arrowhead you make.

[tward1604]

The flake is what came off the rock when I hit it. Unfortunately I broke it clean in half this morning trying to get that ledge off.

[mullet]

You should post this on the ABO thread at the top, since you are working with primitive tools. John will be able to help you with a lot of questions. That rock looks kinda like Novaculite, is it?

[tward1604]

I'm not sure if its Novaculite...or what that looks like. How would I move this thread to the ABO topic?