Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Flintknapping => Topic started by: leapingbare on January 22, 2010, 11:15:21 pm

Title: Rock id
Post by: leapingbare on January 22, 2010, 11:15:21 pm
  I found a nice out crop of flint last weekend. It was cracked up bad, I was ripping 50lb boulders off a cliff of this stuff but i reduced it all down to solid pieces and after busting up about 500lbs i ended up with two 5 gal buckets and some pieces over 8 inches long. Dose anyone know if this stuff heat treats well? I made a small preform and it was tough, I put it in with a batch of horse creek and cooked it for 8hrs at 500* and it seemed to work better.
 It has a odor to it when knapping.. sorta a oil smell. The rock came from middle T.N.
I thought it was black Dover at first but now i am having my doubts.
 Any idea's ?


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Title: Re: Rock id
Post by: bryan irwin on January 22, 2010, 11:21:28 pm
I dont know what it is but it looks like some rock i found while getting some speckled rhyolite on the pee dee river
Title: Re: Rock id
Post by: FlintWalker on January 23, 2010, 12:34:31 am
Don't know...but I like it! 8)
Title: Re: Rock id
Post by: leapingbare on January 23, 2010, 12:41:50 am
I am thinking its Dover with a high petro content.
Title: Re: Rock id
Post by: El Destructo on January 23, 2010, 04:09:36 am
Jesse...did this come from over by Chattanooga by any chance?
Title: Re: Rock id
Post by: leapingbare on January 23, 2010, 10:12:29 am
nope this stuff was found west of nashville.
Title: Re: Rock id
Post by: Hillbilly on January 23, 2010, 10:45:51 am
I'd say some variety of Fort Payne or St. Louis. Looks like pretty good stuff.
Title: Re: Rock id
Post by: El Destructo on January 23, 2010, 11:18:52 am
You know Me....I don't know Squat about Knapping or Rock....so I was just wondering since it had a Petrochemical Smell....it it may have been some sort of Shale....... ::)
Title: Re: Rock id
Post by: Bill Skinner on January 23, 2010, 08:46:14 pm
From what I have been told, that is crude oil impregnated shale.  I have also heard it called black Buffalo River.  I don't know what the real name is.  It can be knapped raw, if you heat it, it has a tendancy to blow up.  The grey rip rap that gets put for erosion control has bands of that in it.  I watched Claude make 6" Lost Lake out of a chunk that he got off some riprap at Moundville about 5 years ago.  It is very bad about frost cracking.  The diesel smell goes away after about ten minutes or so.  Bill
Title: Re: Rock id
Post by: cowboy on January 23, 2010, 09:00:08 pm
I don't have a clue Jesse. I do get ahold of some darker type stuff around here sometime's that has that petro smell to it. I'm thinking some kind of shale too..