Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Flintknapping => Topic started by: beartail on March 04, 2015, 10:20:56 am

Title: need help spalling a round piece of kentucky blue
Post by: beartail on March 04, 2015, 10:20:56 am

 


 


 

I have a large cantaloupe size "ball" of Kentucky blue flint.i have never spalled a round cobble like this.where do I start? I need all the directions I can get.dont want to mess this perty rock up!
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Title: Re: need help spalling a round piece of kentucky blue
Post by: Stringman on March 04, 2015, 01:43:50 pm

If it doesn't already have a conchoidal fracture as a face, then you will just have to smack it...HARD! Probably gonna have to do that anyway. Obviously, certain sides are better than others, but we will need pics to help with that.

Title: Re: need help spalling a round piece of kentucky blue
Post by: Outbackbob48 on March 04, 2015, 03:34:59 pm

I watched James Parker partially bury one rock in the dirt and take the nodule he was going to open, both hands over his head an come down hard more than one hit and crack it in two like a coconut, i believe he called this bipolar reduction, I was just new to knapping and wished I had paid more attention to the details of this. It was pretty impressive and looked like you could lose a finger real easy :( i just had a friend of mine cut one up for me about 1/2" steaks. Bob

Title: Re: need help spalling a round piece of kentucky blue
Post by: JackCrafty on March 04, 2015, 05:55:26 pm

You might want to use a technique call "cobble splitting".  Basically the same as what Bob was describing.  You can either take the cobble and smash it really hard against something else (like a harder stone) or smash the cobble with a sledge hammer or large stone.  Either way, rounded cobbles are really difficult to "crack open" and you will loose some material regardless.

Title: Re: need help spalling a round piece of kentucky blue
Post by: mullet on March 04, 2015, 10:00:52 pm

If it's the one I just sent, smack it across the tip with a hammer so you can see what you have to work with. Then start skinning the cortex off the sides.

Title: Re: need help spalling a round piece of kentucky blue
Post by: TRACY on March 05, 2015, 06:54:28 am

I use a 3 lb copper billet and place the nodule on the ground and hit towards one end so I can still have some length in spalls. Also allows me to see how thick of cortex I'm dealing with. Set up a platform and start spalling out bigger pieces. Good luck!


Tracy

Title: Re: need help spalling a round piece of kentucky blue
Post by: aaron on March 05, 2015, 01:22:01 pm

Need a picture of the rock and your biggest bopper

Title: Re: need help spalling a round piece of kentucky blue
Post by: beartail on March 06, 2015, 08:22:49 am

I only have a small bopper. I would use a hammer but a hammer leaves fat bulbs. I guess im gonna have to wait till I save up some cash and buy me one. Thay aint cheap!

Title: Re: need help spalling a round piece of kentucky blue
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 06, 2015, 09:05:15 am

What's wrong with a rock?

Title: Re: need help spalling a round piece of kentucky blue
Post by: bubby on March 06, 2015, 11:08:19 am

Bi polar reduction, thats some funny stuff :laugh:

Title: Re: need help spalling a round piece of kentucky blue
Post by: JackCrafty on March 06, 2015, 03:09:13 pm

 ;D

Title: Re: need help spalling a round piece of kentucky blue
Post by: beartail on March 07, 2015, 11:26:42 am

if you use a rock to spall ,it will leave a large percussion bulb on your flake.and therefor will be harder to thin,at least for me anyhow..

Title: Re: need help spalling a round piece of kentucky blue
Post by: caveman2533 on March 07, 2015, 11:32:40 am

The the rock you are spalling with is too hard. use a softer rock.