It has taken a while, but I think I've finally figured out how to make points flat, thin and sharp. For the longest time, most of my work had the profile of a football.
The thickness kept me from doing anything that I could notch very deep and the edges while sharp, weren't anything I would feel comfortable putting in an animal for a clean kill. Most of the time, they were even to thick to mount onto a 5/16" - 3/8" shaft. Up until recently, I'd flail away with my boppers and take off good flakes, but most lacked the long thin scars necessary to thin.
I'd heard you experts taking about the need for the tool, (copper, antler or hammerstone) to be soft enough to "grip" the edge. That got me to thinking, if you want it to grip, you can't just whack the edge, but a "pull" upon contact is also required. I started doing this and now I've thinned some pieces that I'd reached a dead end on before. I thinned one piece last night by more than half, while preserving most of the width and all of the length. Now, since the piece is thinner, the edge angle is such that I can achieve an edge that is less "blunt".
I'm on the road all this week, but hopefully I'll be able to post some pic's when I get back.
And to think, I learned this just in time for our point swap. Whew.
Mike
