Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Flintknapping => Topic started by: iowabow on October 14, 2011, 12:36:50 pm
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I saw a guy at the Skunk river knapin working on an ax head with a piece of flint. Has anyone see this process. I was suprised how fast he could remove material using this method. I put this in flint knapping be cause we use stone to hit flint - this (ax making process) is flint hitting stone.
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In my years of arrowhead hunting I have found numerous hammerstones. The vast majority are limestone or a type quartzite. But everyonce in a while ,a long while, I do find a hammerstone made of flint. I cannot say what it was used on but its definitely a flint hammerstone.
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iowabow im pretty sure you are talking about "pecking and grinding". he was doing the pecking. its better to do the pecking with stone like flint because everytime a piece breaks off it "sharpens" itself again
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This is not a fast process. 1 hours work.
(http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m559/iowabow2/flint/2011-10-14151317.jpg)
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I have been hitting it with a piece of flint.
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thats peck and grind. take a spall of nasty chert and itll chew that stone up. same reason our abraders and hammerstones get grooves and wear patterns. its the best way to get the shape made if the material is too dense to rough knap.
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OK I have hit on this think for two more hours (crazy) but it is starting to take shape. If anyone has done this please post suggestion as I go. This is the first time for me.
(http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m559/iowabow2/flint/2011-10-15134111.jpg)
(http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m559/iowabow2/flint/2011-10-15134124.jpg)
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sing while your doing it, it'll help kill the time. ;D
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Josh posted some pictures of a couple of axes that I made, I don't remember the title. When I grind, I use a concrete slab so I can get a 4 to 5 foot long stroke. Also, I use coarse river sand and some water to really make it cut. Bill
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I have worked a lot more on the Celt (and I don't know why) it take a long time to make any progress on a project like this. Here are a few more pictures. Also if any one has pictures of. A celt or could take pictures of the bit I need to know what the correct angle should be. Also I don't know when the grinding starts. I am afraid to continue hitting close to the cutting area.
I need to flatten the top and the bottom still.
(http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m559/iowabow2/flint/2011-10-18152929.jpg)
(http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m559/iowabow2/flint/2011-10-18152508.jpg)
(http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m559/iowabow2/flint/2011-10-18152517.jpg)
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Start grinding now. To final shape your cutting edge, use a smaller hammer stone. Go to the megalithics site, Larry Kinsalla has very detailed steps and lots of pictures. Bill
Axes by Bill Skinner, July 16, 2011 by Josh has a couple of pictures of some axes I have made.
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Thank you for the reply!
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(http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m559/iowabow2/flint/2011-10-27123753.jpg)
(http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m559/iowabow2/flint/2011-10-27123807.jpg)
(http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m559/iowabow2/flint/2011-10-27123825.jpg)
(http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m559/iowabow2/flint/2011-10-27123841.jpg)
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Man,
That is Pretty Darn Cool...
Nice looking Cutting Edge.
-gus
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looks great john. id bring the apex of the curve down a bit more. its definitely ready for cutting though. excellent work
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Cab you explain just a little more about apex. Thanks for the help!
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this is an awsome post thanks for showing :D
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Show that on Paleoplanet, Larry usually reads the posts almost daily. Don't thin your cutting edge too much, it will crumble when you start chopping. Use a piece of green wood to make your handle, you can use seasoned wood but doing the final fitting will be easier with green wood if you aren't using power tools. Drill a too small hole or two, link them with a chisel, then char the hole with a blow torch and scrape. Repeat until about 1/2 the head is seated in the handle. When you seat the head, only the top and bottom touch, if the sides touch, as you chop the head will act like a wedge and split your handle. Don't make the hole so large that the head can flop side to side as you cut, the head will break. Pecan, hickory, ash and white oak all make good handles. Walnut and cedar make pretty handles but they aren't as tough.
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Ok I posted the on paleoplanet and larry said that it looked just right (the cutting edge was perfect). I also wanted eveyone to know that the labor on this one was about 8 hours. Not sure I will ever make another one but if I ever did I would be picky about the rock I started with. I would look for one that was almost a celt and require very little work. An hour of looking could save 5 hours of labor.
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Hey Sir,
Again, love the Axe!!!
Very Cool Thread!
And it would seem that the information gleaned in this thread could be carried over into other areas of Primitive Works!
Got it bookmarked!
-gus
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Very nice axe! You have more patience than I. Love the thread & well done!