lenght of hunting points?

[bjrogg]

I really like this one. It just looks like it wants to slice thru something.

It’s 2 3/4” tip to end of steam

1” wide and thin but with spine up the center.

It’s also very sharp

Bjrogg

[M2A]

Not late at all Tracker, thanks for the input. I'm still working on this and suppose I will be for a good long while. Its just too easy to carry a few flakes in my jacket and work on them during the day. Finished one over the weekend at 2 3/8 in length final weight came in at 133g.That did seem a bit long but still think I'll eventually haft it and try out for experience. But got me thinking that 2 "+ or - is a good lenght so set that as my goal. So was good to see you and Gutpile are in that general ballpark.  For whatever reason I have liked to make simple triangle points but figured it would be in my best interest for now is to side notch them. Worked on 2 yesterday but need to notch yet. Hope to get a few more pics on here later in the week. I suppose this is old hat to many folks here, if so ignore my ramblings. Im just having fun, It has been my goal to hunt with equipment I made, never thought it would take as long as has but I keep adding things to the list. Maybe this year, maybe next who knows. For now the hunt is making the best equipment I can.  Need to re watch a Ryan Gill video again on sharpening also Im pretty sure Jackcrafty has one as well.

Thats a good point BJ. looks razor sharp. I broke a couple obsidian pieces over the weekend pressure flaking . I need a little lighter hand when working on that stuff.
Mike                     

[Allyn T]

I'm in the same boat, I thought I'd be hunting with stone points this year but that didn't happen. Need to get my flintknapping good enough to make hunting points and then I need to make another bow that is a little better than my first one. I'm too heavy handed with obsidian as well, I think I've hit too much chert.

[Tracker0721]

I was one of the ones that responded when Ryan Gill was looking for knappers to make him preforms, he gets overwhelmed with bow/arrow/knife/point orders so he buys sets of preforms at times and then finishes them himself, and he sent me a casting of his preforms before sharpening so I use that as my go to size. It’s a little over the 2 to 1 ratio, which my knapping stuff is covered and under a foot of snow currently though or i’d gladly send it to ya! It’s nice having a 3D reference. Once it melts out I could send it to ya though if you’d like!

[bjrogg]

Mike I don’t mind the rambling at all. Nice to see some one besides myself rambling on. I really like seeing as many on here as we can get. It feels kinda lonely around here at times.

Obsidian is definitely a different critter than chert. I struggled for a long time making sharp points. It isn’t all the same either. I can do percussion good on it, but I’ve had a lot of trouble with my edge not being strong enough and crumbling with pressure flaking. I generally get pretty close now with percussion and then abrade lightly but enough to remove weak lose stuff. Then I use either pressure or indirect to sharpen them up good try to take a nice flake that doesn’t crumble leaving a good sharp edge.

Bjrogg

[M2A]

Thanks for the offer Tracker! That would be cool to see that preform cast. Would not want to interfere with any business venture you have with my hobby. But that would be interesting to size up bifaces or even spalls and flakes to see if they have the size at the start. Let me know when the snow melts. Thanks!

I hear ya Allyn. I don't have a time table anymore. Only when I feel good about my equipment is when Ill take it out. Learning/perfecting the skills has been alot of fun over the years.

BJ, hope to try a few flakes of obsidian again soon. I would like to make an antler pressure flaker 1st or spend the few minutes to sharpen up a tine. I have had my best success with that stuff with an antler billet I made but have not made the time to make a quality tine flaker so was putting too much pressure an breaking things in half. But been using copper on any other stone so far.  Have yet to get indirect down, worked at it a few weeks ago and think I determined I needed to change the angle of contact but have not got back to that yet. I can see how it would be a useful skill to have.
Mike
   

     

[bjrogg]

Mike I like antler and stone for obsidian to. The antler seems a grip the edge better and I have less crumbling.
 It took me a while to get comfortable with indirect. It looks so easy, but it’s hard to get comfortable. I find I do better if I put the point to the tip of my flaker rather than put my flaker to my point. I also have better flakes when I put inward pressure with my legs to drive a longer flake. That’s  why I put the point where the flaker is. If I put pressure against my edge I don’t slip off it as bad that way. I’ve more than once slipped off edge to center of point just as baton was coming down. Ruined my points

Bjrogg

PS it seems to help if I strike flaker close to its end and not in just in the middle of it

[M2A]

Appreciate all the information from everyone in this thread. Going to keep working at it. Here's what I come up with to this point.
Thx, Mike
IMG_4509 (2) by Mike Allridge, on Flickr   

[gutpile]

those look nice.. deep big serration are hit or miss .. some tend to grab hide and hinder penetration.. I try to keep mine micro serrated.. but those look nice.. ratio looks good too... for pressure flaking obsidian it is critical to abrade well..I use a callahan pad or a pad that has built up edges with notch cut out of center.. really helps with a well abraded edge to put enough pressure on the edge and drive a long flake to center with out the edge crumbling.. once a good straight trued edge is set I can come back with a horseshoe nail of tiny point antler to do micro serrating and keep that trued up edge straight.. congrats on your heads.. gut