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How to develop a median ridge?

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Ryan Jacob:
My friend asked me to make him a point for Christmas so I asked him some pictures from the site and he picked out a fluted one. Now, I may not be very good, but I know that you need a ridge to run a long flake easily. So how do I develop a median ridge?

1442:
The only way I ever was able to get a defined median ridge was to have a normal lenticular cross section preform then take sets of short flakes down each side with platforms right at centerline and make them terminate just short of the midline across the point. This uses up a lot of width though and the resulting point is quite narrow for it's thickness, which is good for points with that profile but I don't think you need that to get a good flute. I believe that a flute down a median ridge would be narrower flute and it would leave the point thicker in the flute channels than if you just fluted a lenticular profile which lets the flute run wider.
Smoothness along the flute path with no high or low spots is more important  than a ridge down the middle for a longer flute to me.
with all that said though I am fairly new to fluting points and have never actually fluted anything with a good median ridge so I really don't know for sure and I reserve the right to change my mind on all of this.
Good luck with it. 

 
 

Ryan Jacob:
I think I’ll go with that advice, haven’t tried fluting yet.

Outbackbob48:
Ryan, when I first started flintknapping a lot of my points had a median ridges . I believe this was caused because I had a hard time getting flakes to go past center therefore forming a median ridge. Median ridges come with short flakes that terminate close to or short of center. As you get better at knapping your flakes tend to go past center for better thinning an a more lenticular preform. Now I  have to revert back to when I was a begineer knapper an try and get short flakes that terminate near center. I also believe for good flutes you need good lenticular shape from base to point, any dips or humps will effect the length of you flutes. Hope this helps. Bob

Ryan Jacob:
Forgot to mention that my pounts are gonna be about 1/8 of an inch at their thickest point because I ran out og 1/4 slabs. Also, what causes flakes to dive?

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