Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Flintknapping => Topic started by: 1442 on February 10, 2017, 03:05:30 am
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Here's a interesting piece of gravel I worked to preform stage tonight.
Here's the rock
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working it down some
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more
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more
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At this point I swapped from working mostly with a 1-1/4" copper bopper to the 3/8" copper rod held under the knee
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And this is where I stopped for now
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Very nice looking point
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Really nice, that rock can tear up some tools, with doing it anyway.
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Cool to see the progression. You use that thinner solid copper rod for percussion a lot?
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Parnell,
I use it as a horizontal shaft punch held under my knee and hit it with a striker, so it's a type of indirect percussion
here's a few shots of finishing the point
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and here's the point
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I presume that the meaning of "gravel" is starting with water worn stones? That's all we have around here, and this new guy (to knapping) could use a few tips about how to, or what with, to make the initial breaks into the stone.
I appreciate your time put into this thread, to show extensive photos and progress.
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Willie
This gravel is quarried from ancient river beds and used for landscaping.
I try to pick pieces that are flattish and prefer the ones that already have a chunk missing, so I can see what the material is like inside and it makes it easy to get started.
I'll pick up a few that are whole with no broken edges, but I am quite selective doing that. I look for certain characteristics of the cortex to give me a clue that the material inside will be good. But then I've found some that look awful on the outside and be sweet on the inside. I still look for pieces that are flatter or have a shape that will allow me to get into it easier.
To get into a rock with no broken edges. I use a hammer stone and just take glancing blows in an area that looks like it will break the easiest. I don't try to break into solid round pieces or anything big thick and rounded. I bought a 14" rock saw and will saw them in half at least if not into more slabs.
If I had no saw, I would practice bipolar reduction to split off slab like pieces, but that is not easy and can be down right dangerous too.
Where you from and what does your gravel look like, is it round or are there flatter pieces too, and how big is it. All this landscape gravel is small sized and you can walk across it easy enough with out twisting an ankle, and only one out of a thousand or so is good for knapping without heat treatment.
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1442
I am in coastal alaska, where iceage glaciers have left behind gravel beds that once were thousands of feet deeper.
flatish stones are common, much variety, but red chert was often used for knapping by the previous inhabitants. sizes about the same as what you have here is common enough, occasional softball sized, rare to find larger, at least in the harder stones.
I do have access to a saw
was the gravel piece shown here heat treated?
thanks
willie
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Hey Willie,
Your gravel sounds like good stuff.
This piece has not been heat treated.
I just like to work it raw, and find it way less likely to snap when raw, but it sure can be hard on the arms and shoulders, and takes magnitudes more force to work than when heated.
I have heated some and it can transform from gritty mess to shiney fine stuff, but I always feel like I overheat it and it gets soft enough that it flakes real easy but snaps easy too,
The color change can be dramatic sometimes when heated. I like that.
I gotta run for now
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That point turned out gorgeous!! love the look of the material. Did you polish it or is that how a well made point is supposed to look? I sure wouldn't know! :laugh: Seriously tho... it does look smoother/shinier than the almost finished pics. Should i be surface abrading or something as a finishing step? I am a newbie, so if this was offensive in any way, please forgive my ignorance.
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thanks flakescarred,
I actually put some petroleum jelly on it to enhance the appearance and make it look slicker for finished pics.
I should post one before and after the jelly application. It sure makes them more photogenic and hides any little hang nails.
I'm not offended at all and am glad you noticed the difference and axed the question.
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Dadgum that some purddy gravel!!!!!
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That is an OUTSTANDING looking point. I grabbed a chunk of that gravel one year while waiting in front of a restaurant and I might as well have taken the concrete block the building was made out of. That stuff is like iron to knap.. Very nice job.