Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Flintknapping => Topic started by: VenomBOWslinger on February 05, 2010, 04:35:07 pm
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Hello fellow Knappers! Wanted to know how I would go about looking for natural knapping materials where I live. I live in New York state and have found lots of flint artifacts and such in the corn fields by the river. I have tried asking some people at the local library and they dont have much of a clue what knapping is. Anyway I know there are plenty of good material waiting for me here and would love hunting for them. Any ideas are welcome!!! Thanks and always appreciative!
Russ
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I know there is rock on NY state but i ant never been there.. i know here in TN you look for the lime stone and once you find that you look for the clay and thats were you find the flint.. also look for the clay when you looking for coastal planes flint. also use a GPS and mark the elevation of were you finding you good rock.. chances are that you find more good rock in another area at that same elevation.
Thats all i know, good luck!
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Russ, there is a guy ( Ryhmeswithwhat) that hangs out on Paleoplanet that tells how to find rock in Ny. There is an escarpment that runs from Buffalo to Albany an then turns south to Pa. Supposedly where ever water has eroded thru this an road cuts thru escarpment you can find Onadago chert. Onadago is hard as all get out an comes in alot of differnt grades an will smell like Petrolem went first spalled. Anyhow this guy uses gps an computer to pic likely spots to look for Onadago. Thats about all I know about this. Also in the Hudson river drainage area there is some rock called Normanskill an Snake hill chert, used to be a guy at the Letchworth Knappin selling this stuff. His name is Alan Knonimus. Good Luck an if ya hit the motherlode of either send me some please . Later Bob
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Onagonda and Normanskill are both found in NY, both are some of the tougher rock to knap :(
Bob I saw that post on PP its in the Arcieves so should be easy to find, my best advice is to contact a state geologist and ask him/her for advice :)
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Dana, I have beat on both Onadago an Normanskill acouple of times with poor results. It seems to be tuff an grainy an above my skills at that time. Maybe this fall when I go to Letchworth again I will see if I can get a few pieces to try an even the score ::) Bob
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I have a brother in central NY, new Syracause, next time I'm out there I'm making him take me rock hunting, I would love to get a load of either rock
as we have nothing here in the UP >:(
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depends on what part of the state you are from. onandaga to the north, normanskill in the kills areas, esopus in the ct/new york area. champlain shores are riddled withe a mix of onandaga and normans but itts usually in bad shape. i lost my source up there a while back and have been pointed in a couple good directions, just havent had time to get up there.
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Well, I did a little googlin' for lithic materials in New York State and it looks like cherts are what you're looking for.
Found this little teaser site; http://www.susquehanna-wd.com/new_york_lithics.html
The best info seems to be put out by a fellow named John Holland with the Buffalo Museum of Natural Science.
Here's a link to the general info article; http://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/39312.html
Read down about 5 or 6 paragraphs. They mention an interesting article printed in the 1948
Pennsylvania Archaeologist written by a Charles Foster Wray in which he lists 17 different rock formations that
you could look for material in. That article would be worth trying to track down, but the best looking article was
written by John Holland and published in 2004 in the Buffalo Museum of Sciences Journal that you could probably
still order. Holland names 95 different cherts in New York state.
I figure with all the snow you're getting up there you probably got plenty of time to do some reading. ;)
But alot of that material is going to be some tough stuff to work.
Good Luck, Joe
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Hey THANKS!!! I know that there are rock for me here and will be exciting finding it. I like the advice mentioned. I happen to live in southern NY state near PA. border. I have found native arrowheads near the Neversink river...also famous for flyfishing and fly tying.. OK also there are tons of rock quarries I can scavange I'll try and locate a Geologist...Oh yeah someone mentioned the Esopas River I live right next to it... Thanks fellow members and if I can find the motherload I am up for sharing!!!!
Russ
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If your on the Esopus river you should be in it. there should be cobbles of Esopus in the river . The Tri State area has cobbles of material in the creeks. Snake hill is a kind of shale flint that can be good. Onondaga should be around there also. Find Al Kronimus and contact him. He can tell you where to look.
steve Nissly
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You ever wanna go rock hunting let me know I'm an hour away in ct
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Yeah any u guys want to do a rock hunt when it warms up let me know! I'll get all the info maps locations...etc... and dig bang and break em open!!!!
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Hey Guys waiting for Gary from Paleo to reply back. He said that there are lot of varieties to find in on or around my area of Sullivan County. Esopus chert, Snake Hill, Normanskill. He talks about the escarpment that runs from Buffalo to Albany and how erosion and different sediment layers play in affect. Anyway thanks for helping me in the right direction I cant wait for his response. I cant believe I am so excited over rocks and cant wait to go and get them!!!! If any of you have any other ideas or info please let me know!!!
Russ
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OK then I am now friends with Mr. Gary Abbate. He gave me some great advice on how to locate various chert. He also suggested his way of finding different rock layers by using google earth. Its like a GPS that finds elevations and u can zoom in on the actual landscape and u can mark the area with a thumb tack. It is really neat using a sattelite like that. I can even zoom in on my house. Maybe some of you will give it a shot using it as a tool to locate areas with possible flint, chert etc... Thanks again!!!
Russ
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good luck and let us know what you find.
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Will do and if u want to get together sometime let me know!
Russ