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im a starter in need of help

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mitchman:
im new to flintknapping and in need of advice. ??? :-\  i live in moosehead, maine for the summers so i have amazing access to mount kineo.(wich is made of entirely flint. i am home now in pennsylvania and am trying to knap some of the flint from kineo, but it just hinges when i try to brake of a flake for an arrowhead. am i doing something wrong or is the flint just bad. should i use a different material. if so what do i have at my disposal around me.i have knapped some pretty cool arrowheads out of glass  just by pressure flaking it so i dont have alot of experience but i am trying to learn as much as i can . i have a book and have watched tons of videos on youtube.


any help would be apreciated a this point

thanks
    mitch codd

Hillbilly:
Mitch, if I remember correctly, Mt. Kineo is not made of flint, but rhyolite. Rhyolite is knappable and good stuff (very variable as to knappability, though) but probably not a good beginner's rock. It is very tough compared to good flint or chert, but makes good hunting points if it's one of the better grades. Some types knap fairly easily, and some are almost unknappable. What tool are you using for percussion? Rhyolite works best with BIG wooden billets made from something tough like flowering dogwood or persimmon. A heavy moose billet works pretty good, too. I don't think it likes copper much. Other than tough material, some common causes of hinging are: Wrong platform angle or not abrading the platform enough; striking at the wrong angle (usually too straight in); not using big/heavy enough billet for the material; and not hitting it hard enough. The way you support the piece can also affect how far the flakes run. Hard to say without working a piece of your rhyolite whether it's the material or your technique that's causing the problems.

jamie:
load up the truck , come down to ct. and we will break a bunch of rock and see what happens.  ;D peace

mitchman:
well i am using a large deer antler or a large hammer stone to take flakes off the main stone in order to make a flake for an arrow head. the flakes when i use the billet on the preform are all wimpy. they dont run along the peice they just flake like a quarter inch or a half inch and hinge. i dont get it.as to material do you knowwhat i have around me that would be good.

Hillbilly:
If the flakes are stepping close to the edge, sounds like you need to grind your platforms more heavily and whack the crap out of it. Is there any way you can post a pic of your rock?

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