I don't know what kind of chert it is. But, I think it is a great start. In my mind, "trying to learn" should involve trying to learn about various flintknapping processes. If you had "primo" material, and you were "trying to learn", you could go through a lot of expensive materials, in a short period of time, while producing maybe rubble. On the other hand, if you reduce this stone to rubble, you could learn something in the process, while not destroying really good stone.
So, my thought is that breaking this stone down with hammerstones would be a great learning experience. You can set the stone on really thick pads, on a block of wood, or a stone anvil. Hold the stone steady with one hand, while striking down with a hammerstone, held in the other freehand. See if you can get the breaks to follow the internal fractures. The fractures can be seen like red dirty planes, running through the stone. Some time in the past, the stone cracked, and water seeped in, thus producing the fractured planes.
If the stone is still difficult to break, you could soak it in water for a few days, and then cook it. Quite possibly, the water in the fissures will expand, and cause the stone to crack, in order to split it.
If you are new to knapping, I would suggest never getting caught up in the "finished point" race. From a strictly scientific point of view, finished points generally do not reflect a single technology. The finished points found in archaeological contexts frequently reflect sets of technologies. And, these technologies can be very very diverse. If you are starting with large chunks of stone, and you are going to follow in the path of ancient people, you will need to learn to spall stone, from large nodules, into large flakes. Then, you will need other technologies, to work down the large flakes.
Also, if you need hammerstones, I would suggest visiting a landscaping supply, and buying large individual nodules, of various materials. In many cases, the landscaping people have given me large nodules, for free. They also watch with amusement when I pick through a bin of stones, hold them in my hand, practice swinging them, tap on other rocks, etc. Generally, they have no idea that I am testing the rocks, as "tools". And, they have no earthly clue as to what I am going to do with the stones, or why I stare intently at them. I am sure it must be a mystery to them.
Anyway, if you can get large nodules of tool stone, you should consider hitting up a landscaping supply, and collecting some hammerstones, to break down the large stuff.
Also, if you are trying to collect rock, you might want to try digging it out of the ground, or out of riverbank areas. The problem with rock found near the surface is that it is frequently subject to many diverse temperature changes, that occurred over the last few million years. So, surface found rock is more prone to having cracks.
Anyway, these are a few tips to help get started. Don't get discouraged. Look at everything as a chance to learn. My greatest epiphanies occurred in the middle of experiments that were essentially worthless. The experiment was not always worth keeping. But, sometimes what I learned was worth keeping.
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