Chert

[Marc St Louis]

I was a bit stupefied today. My girlfriend is a musician and she has been rehearsing for a Christmas concert at a Cathedral in the town closest to me with other musicians, this Cathedral dates back to the 1800's. As we were walking from the back parking lot to the front doors I noticed some familiar looking stone on the ground right beside the walls of the Cathedral. I bent down and picked it up and sure enough it was chert. Then I had a closer look at the church and low and behold I saw where the chert came from. The whole Cathedral is made of large slabs of stone and this stone is chert. Amazing. The chert looked to be of pretty good quality so naturally I took a bit of time to gather some. I guess I will be making some points from some "holy" stone .

[Pat B]

Holy stone from a chertch.  Sounds like some major mojo. Marc   I guess you are safe from lightening this late in the season.      Pat

[jamie]

cool ive got some funny stuff  but im keepin it in so i dont cause any trouble

[DanaM]

Good advice jamie... :-Xmums the word

[Marc St Louis]

I'm pretty flexible when it comes to religion and the thought crossed my mind to come back and chip some chert off the building itself but........

Here's a picture of the stone




[attachment deleted by admin]

[ricktrojanowski]

Not sure I would want to chip stones off of anybody's house.

[Marc St Louis]

Me neither

[cowboy]

Ahh, the disease . Think I'd be trying to find out where they quarried the stone for the church, but then again it was probably built in George Washington's day and theirs a city on top of it now .

[mullet]

  A you could find a piece sticking out and chip an arrow head,leaving it attached to the church.

[D. Tiller]

Many houses in England are made from Flint. I think that the houses would just about disapear if they were owned by a Knapper!

[stickbender]

     A long time ago, I was working as an electrician's helper, when we got a job doing a dentist's office.  Well they were pouring the drive way, and parking lot, and then they dumped a load of field stone for the the front of the building.  I got to looking at it, and I saw that there were large chunks of Chert in it.  I asked the contractor if I could have a couple of chunks of it.  He said sure.  So I got some.  Unfortunately, I gave most of it away, and busted the rest of it trying to knap.  Which at the time I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing.  Still can't knap, but I have a little more of a clue about now though.  I do still have a small piece in my flint and steel kit, in my possibles bag.  Makes a nice big batch of sparks.  I would like to get together with Mullet, and his neighbor, and learn how to actually make some correct flakes.  I left him a note to let me know if we could do that, and when it would the best time for him.  Any time is fine for me, since I am now retired.

                                                                                    Stick Bender

[ehkahk]

Marc, longtime no see, how are you doing?

Awesome, I'll have to visit that building sometime when I am up there and take pics, both cause of the historical part but also the chert LOL

I've seen buildings in England made from flint, it is so neat to see something like that.

[Pat B]

Hey Paul. Don't be such a stranger. I miss seeing your "primitive bows" and your knapping.   Pat

[ehkahk]

Hi Pat! How are you? Yeah I know, I got a little carried away with Photography and that has become my hobby for the last year. However, I did make an atlatl and a point this week so that's a start

[ehkahk]

Marc, can you get me the name and address of the Church?  as "Historical Hamilton", we'll do some research and find out where it came from