Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Flintknapping => Topic started by: iowabow on May 28, 2012, 06:08:40 pm
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Getting rock is starting to be as much fun as knapping. It makes me feel like I am a kid when i can just spend the morning poking around in the creek. The only thing that snaps me back is running into snakes and quick sand. I did better with the sand but had to move fast a couple of times. Just cant stop when sinking or you are trapped for sure.
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Nice addition to your 'travel kit', considering you pension for jumping into quicksand. :laugh:
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I know what you are saying about finding rock. My wife told me we were going to have to build on to store rock. Lol
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Hehe you have very good powers of observation. Aways be prepared.
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Tabular stone? I'd leave my boots in the mud before I'd leave one stone! Nice haul my friend.
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I agree John, rock runs are a lot of fun! Yours seems to have that adventurous element with punge rocks, quick sand and snakes thrown in there ;). Good looking haul!
Tracy
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Nice haul John. I'm fixin to be needin some more rock myself. dpg
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The further away from a rock cut the stones get smaller. I'm also finding that large stones are in the center of the channel and below the water. Banks in the creek that have experienced erosion recently seem to be of higher quality. These rock layers seem to have avoided freezing and therefore have less freeze cracks.
Nice haul John. I'm fixin to be needin some more rock myself. dpg
Well good luck and be safe. I am going to be carrying a grappling hook so that I can indiana jones my way out of a pickle.
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John, do you seem to find better rock in high clay soils, ie. Less fractured, higher silica content?
Tracy
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Tabular stone? I'd leave my boots in the mud before I'd leave one stone! Nice haul my friend.
What is special about 'Tabular Stone'?
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Hello all:
I thought you might be interested in some chert exposure maps I am creating for Iowa. I am doing it one county at a time and have Henry and Washington counties done. I am working on Louisa County right now. It takes awhile to publish each map because I am ground-truthing as I go. You can go to www.rollinghillsconsulting.com and click on County Chert Maps to access them. If you follow RHCS on Facebook, you will be notified when the next map is up.
Hope this is helpful!
Chad
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John, do you seem to find better rock in high clay soils, ie. Less fractured, higher silica content?
Tracy
The top quality flint that i have found is where the flash flooding uncovers a rock out crop. This rock would have been covered with clay and is between layers of limestone. The stone with the clay directy on top is not my best stuff. The rock in my quarry has clay on top and is very cracked but is high quality but not the best. IMO
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Interesting. The better hornstone nodules I find are packed in clay so to speak and have little to no fractures compared to the recently exposed chert by flooding. Thanks for the input to my working theory/understanding of better quality chert.
Tracy
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Hello all:
I thought you might be interested in some chert exposure maps I am creating for Iowa. I am doing it one county at a time and have Henry and Washington counties done. I am working on Louisa County right now. It takes awhile to publish each map because I am ground-truthing as I go. You can go to www.rollinghillsconsulting.com and click on County Chert Maps to access them. If you follow RHCS on Facebook, you will be notified when the next map is up.
Hope this is helpful!
Chad
Very cool! Know anyone doing similar work in IL or IN?
Tracy
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Interesting. The better hornstone nodules I find are packed in clay so to speak and have little to no fractures compared to the recently exposed chert by flooding. Thanks for the input to my working theory/understanding of better quality chert.
Tracy
Scott has found some and i hope he can jump in here and give his option
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I think it is interesting that even though John and I seem to have similar chert types there is still many parts that are different. Colors, patterns, where we find them, how they heat treat... My own experience is that the burlington is in a layer of white clay. There is a vein as well as flintballs running thru the same zone. Finding a creek that cuts thru that zone means easy access to creek sorted flint. This is the best and easiest way to pick up flint in my area, but conditions change from place to place.
If I try to quarry flint from yhe face I work harder and most of what I uncover is freeze fractured leaving me with a lot of waste rock for a lot of effort. Letting the creek sort it for me is much preferable.
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I think it is interesting that even though John and I seem to have similar chert types there is still many parts that are different. Colors, patterns, where we find them, how they heat treat... My own experience is that the burlington is in a layer of white clay. There is a vein as well as flintballs running thru the same zone. Finding a creek that cuts thru that zone means easy access to creek sorted flint. This is the best and easiest way to pick up flint in my area, but conditions change from place to place.
If I try to quarry flint from yhe face I work harder and most of what I uncover is freeze fractured leaving me with a lot of waste rock for a lot of effort. Letting the creek sort it for me is much preferable.
Very well said thank you scott. In a rock layer a 100 yards long there can be a great amount of variation in color and quality