Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Flintknapping => Topic started by: ricktrojanowski on August 02, 2008, 10:51:19 pm
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I finally had a bit of time to try some knapping. I'm just messing around a bit and managed to thin down one side of a "would be" point. The other side is really lumpy with some big ridges. Now I need to get rid of some of that mass on the other side. The edge is really favoring the flattened side. How do I now get a flaking platform below the centerline of the stone? Any help is much appreciated.
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Rick you move the centerline by breaking the edge off at about 90 degrees, hold the spall flat side down
and nibble the edge off this will slowly bring the center line towrds the other side. Not sure if that makes sense of not
hard to explain easy to show ya.
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I believe the technique is called "turning the edge".
With the flat side down, knock off some width by "tapping" off short flakes with downward strokes....you're not looking for long flakes at this point. As you're tapping off flakes you'll notice the edge beginning to favor the side that's facing up.
Here is a good series of videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAERJnfcdJ4
Marty says at the beginning that this series of videos is for advanced knappers but he uses all the terminology and techniques that every knapper needs to be familiar with.
Here's another one of my favorite video series:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4qk8XWSbqk
Hope this helps. ;D
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Depending on how big the point is and how thin the edge is, you can either scrub the edge downward with an abrading stone (good for small, thin points), nibble or shear it off with your pressure flaker, or as already mentioned, carefully trim it with light taps of a billet or hammerstone. Patrick has some good advice on watching the youtube videos, there's a lot of knowledge in them free for the watching.
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That helps me too. I tend to get the same flat side/lumpy side issue too.
Mike
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Thanks for the help guys. I messed around a bit today (at lunch, then at the beach with the kid after work) Knapping is great because you can do it anywhere. I did as advised with cleaning off the edge with the flat side down. It worked good. Now if I can just start getting some nice long flakes. Thanks again, I'll check out those youtube vids.
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Wish we could get together sometime Rick. That's about all you can do to raise your edge - tap, shear, bop, flake, grind. Lot easier to show than to tell :).
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Same goes for pressure flaking too! Sheer off the edge, flip the peace, put flaker below centerline and press of flake. So easy an austrolapithicus can do it!
David T
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Same goes for pressure flaking too! Sheer off the edge, flip the peace, put flaker below centerline and press of flake. So easy an austrolapithicus can do it!
David T
Maybey I'll convert. I could use a change. ;D