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suitable flint?

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raalf:
a few months ago i got into my head that i needed to be able to make stone tools like my ancestors did 5000 years ago

i live in a river delta, called the netherlands in western europe, on a big heap of sand. the only place the bedrock comes through the sand is 30 miles southwards, near maastricht. there are some prehistoric flint mines found there.
i found a local limestone quarry that encounters blobs of flint. i took a wheelbarrow full of it home.

i tried knapping it with some hammerstones and copper hamers, but i can't get flakes off that are longer then 1 inch.
I tried heat treating, in an oven for 24 hours at 400 degrees fahrenheit

all the youtube video's I see people spalling flakes of multiple inches long.
what should I do? find another source of flint? do different heat treatment?

RickB:
Here's a free online reference that may answer many of your questions - hope it will help out. Rick B

http://flintknappinginfo.webstarts.com/uploads/Online_Flintknapping_Articles9-30-11.pdf

Zuma:
Perhaps some photos could help.
If your platform is incorrect small spalls may be all you get. :KN :KN
How sharp are the edges do you have a 130 o/o cleavage? :KN :KN
Zuma
btw welcome to PA

mullet:
Let's see some pictures of the rock.

JerseyBill:

--- Quote from: RickB on July 17, 2018, 02:10:00 pm ---Here's a free online reference that may answer many of your questions - hope it will help out. Rick B

http://flintknappinginfo.webstarts.com/uploads/Online_Flintknapping_Articles9-30-11.pdf

--- End quote ---

Many thanks for this link Rick. Like Raalf my interest is in the Neolithic and the collection of articles looks like being gold dust.

Have only just joined the Forum - and am delighted and astonished at the knowledge you guys share so freely and in the true spirit of cooperation. Thanks to you all!  :OK

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