Author Topic: quartzite  (Read 6639 times)

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Offline carpenter374

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quartzite
« on: March 21, 2008, 12:30:30 am »
hey all. does quartzite knap? theres lots of it here. i tried to percussion flake some arrowhead sized flakes off of a core and i couldn't get it to work. my hammerstone is a large peice of river smoothed granite. any tips on working that particular stone would be appreciated.
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Offline david w.

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Re: quartzite
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2008, 12:34:07 am »
never worked it but i hear it tough and grainy

hillbilly posted a picture of a beautiful quartsite point on another thread
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Offline Hillbilly

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Re: quartzite
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2008, 09:34:39 am »
Some quartzite knaps well, some is really tough. Most of the old points I find here are made from quartzite, some of them really well-made, and some quite crude. Could you post a pic of the quartzite you have? One key to knapping quartzite is to use soft percussors-large hardwood (dogwood/persimmon, baseball bat diameter) billets, big antler billets, and really soft hammerstones like sandstone or rotten quartzite. Hard hammerstones don't grab the platform, it usually takes something that dissipates the energy of the blow slowly to get good flakes with tough quartzite. Good platforms and striking angles are important, too. To get good spalls, everything has to be right more so than with easier materials. Bipolar percussion sometimes works well on small cobbles.
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Offline carpenter374

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Re: quartzite
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2008, 09:07:53 pm »
Here ya go. this is the typical color an texture for the stuff i find around here.

[attachment deleted by admin]
"Those who would sacrifice their freedom for safety will find that they will inherit neither." -Ben Franklin     

--Carpenter

Offline DanaM

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Re: quartzite
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2008, 09:09:08 pm »
Man that looks like a wrist breaker :o
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Offline carpenter374

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Re: quartzite
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2008, 09:10:19 pm »
Here's another.

[attachment deleted by admin]
"Those who would sacrifice their freedom for safety will find that they will inherit neither." -Ben Franklin     

--Carpenter