Tools

[Mike_A]

Just wondering what everyone is using and how you made them if you make your own tools. I'm just getting into knapping and need some pointers on making a few tools. Especially what tools work good for taking spalls off of big rocks. Thanks. Mike

[Sleddman]

Mike,  Tools depend on how you want to go about knapping. Meaning that if you want to stay primitive you will use stone and antler tools for spalling. (But good moose billets and antler will cost you dearly)  I believe the best way for a new knapper to get started is to use copper boppers. A copper plumbing cap rounded out from the inside and filled half way with lead. This is than glued onto a handle. In my experience make the handle as short as possible, about 4 inches max. Any longer than that I find new knappers using the tool like a hammer. The object is to hole the bopper as close to the copper as you develope a swing ti spall off your flakes. As for a pressure flaker, find a solid handle Deer horn, wood, delron, metal and drill a hole into them for the copper and set screws and you will be in buisness. As for copper wire, go to your home Depot Lowes etc. get some different sizes ground wire. As bought they will be to soft, take the wire and cut about 10 inch lengths. Put one end in a strong 1/2 in drill and the other into a vice. Start and stop the drill repeatedly untill the copper straightens out and will break on one end. It will be very hot. Set it to the side and let it cool. You will have much stronger copper to use as pressure flakers.  Get good leather for your leg to knap on. Enough to keep your leg from getting bruised, etc. Old grinding stones found at flea markets work well for grinding stones for setting up platforms. What ever you do unless you are made of money, dont think you have to go and spend it on things you can make.  Use your money for gas and getting good rock.  There are a couple of books and some video's you can get as you go along to help in your learning curve.  Good luck.  Sleddman

[Mike_A]

I appreciate the advice Sleddman. I've got a few tools already. Mainly an ishi stick I made and a pressure flaker, hand pad and one small flat bar copper wand. I'm still very new, but mainly was having trouble with spalling off of big rocks. Thanks for the advice and I'll be heading to the hardware store before long. Have a good day. Mike

[Otoe Bow]

Good advice.  I was having trouble finding copper end caps bigger than 1/2 inch at our home improvement stores, so I got on the internet and bought some from Missouri Trading Company.  The one inch ones were only about $14 and the handles are machined aluminum with thick, replacable copper caps.  They also offer a starter kit with a pressure flaker, bopper and abrader, for less than $30 bucks.  I went with the package deal, mainly to save time and get started right away.  There's other stuff out there, so just shop around.

I also got a book and a DVD on the subject.  You Tube offers some great videos on the subject for free as well, but it wasn't until Yesterday, when I went to OJAM and watched some truly fine knappers in action, willing to answer my endless questions that I feel it all came together.  I feel like my learning curve just shot off the chart.  Find a knapp in, and go.  It will be worth your time.  Then you can also see what they use and how they use it.  I also learned how to make more tools for knapping to go with my store bought versions.  A win-win situation. 

Otoe



 

[Hillbilly]

For taking spalls off big rocks, you want a good hammerstone-at least grapefruit-sized. A softer hammerstone is usually better than a harder one. Another thing that works good for spalling is a copper hammer or solid copper rod a couple-three inches in diameter and a foot or so long. At today's metal prices, though, the copper rod will cost you a fortune. Hammerstones are free in almost any creek.

[Mike_A]

I appreciate all the advice and I think I'll look into the copper cap thing, in the meantime I believe Hillbilly has a very good point, Parden the pun. I've been to a knap in and had a blast, unfortunately I only learn well from actually doing it. Thanks for the help and if anyone else has some advice please share. Thanks ya'll. Mike

[cowboy]

Mike, man I've been trying to reply to this for almost a week it seems - something to do with the picture posting thing that was happening .
 I was trying to tell you that I like solid copper the best, seeing as how thats what I learned with and have used most. I did build some copper cap boppers with lead in em and a wooden handle but the caps would wear out on me within - oh, maybe a week worth of spalling. May have something to do with the rocks I'm beating on . Anyway, I found some copper remnants at a metal mart and bought them for the going price per pound - wasn't cheap, but these days they'll almost cost ya their weight in gold , well almost. You can also find odd shaped copper chunks at scrap yards, and they'll usually sell them at market price - just an idea.
  On Ishi sticks a flakers, I just took a fat broom handle and drilled a hole in the end the size of my wire (which I had taken from an old power pole) this stuff must be some kind of alloy because it's stiff, the newer stuff isn't stiff. I drilled two holes in the side of said handle and tapped in two set screws to lock in the wire, then wrapped a peice of bailing wire around the end to keep it from splittin out - voila, have been using them almost since I've been knapping.
  Here's a pic of my tools..

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[flecha]

I use what I can find for using points.  If I'm trying to make a certain point, I try to do the research and find out what tools would have been available to the ones who made that certain style originally.

[Mike_A]

Thanks Cowboy and Flecha. I'll have to look into the getting the copper from a scrap metal place around here. I'd like to eventually learn how to do it well enough to be able to use pretty much nothing but super primitive tools. Till then I'll use whatever I can find to get the job done. Thanks all. Mike