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Notching tools

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toms22:
I am new to  and just getting started. I read on a recend post that someone was using a horseshoe nail to notching with. Will someone post a picture of there horseshoe nail for notching. Also describe how to start a notch on there points. Looking forward to see how the pro do there notching. We have some real cold weather here in N.C. and it is hard to open the back door to try napping. Hope to see some warm weather.

WindWalker:
Mr. toms22,
"We have some real cold weather here in N.C. ...."
We are going through a warm spell at -17 degrees below 0 (F).  Suppose to turn cool later in the week.  Another month or so before the cold weather sets in.  Another five months before warm weather returns.
All things are relative, perhaps (heh, heh, heh).
(No insult intended.  Merely sharing another side of the coin, so to speak.)
Best Wishes

Hillbilly:
Toms, where you at in NC? we've been getting snow here the last couple days. Regular old horseshoe nails work pretty good for notching, they're already shaped good and are a little softer than a normal steel nail. Just rig up a handle to hold it, and you're good to go. Check out some of the videos on YouTube-lots of great info. Some good ones are by Scalp Creek, Flintknappingtips, Bohunter, and PaleomanJim. Notching is basically just taking alternating flakes from each side until you get the shape/size notch you want. easy to show, hard to explain.

Wolf Watcher:
Toms:  The tools you use to notch with often depend on the material you are working with, the notch you are trying to accomplish, the hardness of the stone, and the shape of the preform when its ready to notch.  Horse shoe nails work fine on softer materials like obsidian, but not so good on tough rocks.  When making notches on points I plan to hunt with which are the Ishi style, I make the first flakes (one on each side and each edge) with my Ishi stick.  This gives me a good start with the longer flake pattern.  Then on top of a 8" by 2' log as a bench (D.C. Waldorf just uses a bench top) with lots of padding, I use a small hand flaker with hard drawn copper wire for the blade.  This tool allows for shaping using alternate flake removal.  One of the hardest things to learn when making notches is to hold the point at the right angle when pushing the flake off.  A high angle will produce a longer flake while a shallow angle will produce a short flake and makes for difficult reduction.  Using a punch when the notch is well defined will allow you to make some fancy and deep notches.  Plan on breaking lots of ears off when you are learing to notch, but don't get discouraged as one beautifully notched point makes the heartache go away!  Watcher

Hillbilly:

--- Quote ---Horse shoe nails work fine on softer materials like obsidian, but not so good on tough rocks
--- End quote ---
I've used 'em on rhyolite, quartz, and raw Texas flint-don't get much tougher than that.  :)

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