Texas stone

[paulc]

I have come my closest so far in getting a legit point from some Texas stone. Thought I ought to document my success. I will leave it sit for a couple days before I start picking at it again and reduce it to a dull bird point incapable of cleanly cutting a room temp stick of butter....Paul

[JEB]

Looking pretty good. A little heat would have tamed that rock a bit. If it is your very first arrowhead I would frame it and then a year down the road compare your work. I have my very first two I made, one pressure flaked and one percussion.  There is a bit of a difference after 10 years.

[Parnell]

Ha!  Keep at it.

[paulc]

That is cooked stone :-) !  At least as best my toaster oven could do.... maybe I should cook it again?  P

[Deerhunter21]

looks good! that stone looks basically like quartzite to me!! lol!

[JEB]

Patrick knows more about Texas rock than most so maybe he will suggest something for you. I use an old turkey roaster and beach sand to cook it. Some comes out good and some comes out too hard and break into little pieces when struck. But when it comes out it is like butter to knap.

[bjrogg]

Looks like your winning Paul.
Bjrogg

[Parnell]

Any progress?  I would thin that base up some.  Nice looking centerline.

[paulc]

No progress yet...honestly hoping JC would chime in...And I am wondering if there is any value in cooking it a second time...I have two pieces of uncooked stone left.

I assume I can ruin the stone with too much cooking yes??  Paul

[mullet]

I'd cook it again around 350, maybe 8 hours. Then try pressure flaking it in a few spots before you start banging on it.

[JackCrafty]

Paul, that stone looks like it won't flake well no matter how much heat you use. But it won't hurt the stone to heat it again. If it feels "powdery" or grainy on the surface after heat treating, it's a good indication that it's going to give you trouble.

Unfortunately, a lot of TX rock is poor quality. If you want the really good stuff, order from Bob at apocalithics on ebay, or from Kinley Coyan. There are others but those are the two guys I personally order from.

[Hawkdancer]

From a flint knapping dummy:  how do you tell if the Rock has already been heat treated, or needs to be heat treated?  Hope I am not hijacking the thread!
Hawkdancer

[paulc]

definitely feels grainy after the first cook session...it's just rock right so either way its no big deal 

HD, I don't know enough to comment intelligently but I will anyway :-)  If the rock feels smooth or waxy then no need to cook it.  Otherwise cooking might help it...

fwiw.  PC

[JackCrafty]

Jerry, there's no guaranteed way to tell if a rock has been heat treated. But after making hundreds of arrowheads, you kind of get the feel for it.

The only way to know for sure if a stone needs heat is to try knapping it. Again, after making many arrowheads from a certain material, it will feel difficult to knap compared to the heated version of that material.

[paulc]

I rolled the dice and this is what I'm left with. Not a bird point but also not an arrowhead yet. This weekend will be make or break it :-)