Does anyone here do knapping (or as it is sometimes called Flintknapping)?

timbo

timbo

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When I was a kid living in northern NH, there was an old timer, long gone, that knew how to do this. He showed me the technique but that was over 50 years ago though I never really ever tried it. The knives and arrow points he made out of stone and glass were impressively sharp. I suddenly became interested in it a few weeks ago (again) and watched quite a few videos on it but most of the Knappers were on YT are out west where flint and obsidian is fairly common.

If anyone here does it around New England, where do you get your flint? As I remember, this old timer was using flint and quartz (which flint is in the quartz family) and even glass from the bottom of soda bottles but I never see any quartz that would make a decent knife or point as it's all fractured and flint in any decent size is extremely rare.

For those that have no idea what I'm talking about:

en.wikipedia.org

Knapping - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
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enbloc said:
I recall a member here posting about doing it, but can't remember who...

Love that green obsidian (agate)...

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Oh my God...that is really beautiful. That's a masterpiece! This guy I knew up north made some points out of amethyst and rose quartz. I had a few of the arrow points he made but at the time, I didn't appreciate what they were so probably traded them for marbles or something. That blade there is stunning though.
 
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timbo said:
Oh my God...that is really beautiful. This guy I knew up north made some points out of amethyst and rose quartz. I had a few of the arrow points he made but at the time, I didn't appreciate what they were so probably traded them for marbles or something. That blade there is stunning though.
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Yeah, those natural materials really look fantastic and the craftsmanship is what really gets me. Would look great on a mantle...
 
enbloc said:
Yeah, those natural materials really look fantastic and the craftsmanship is what really gets me. Would look great on a mantle...
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This old friend of mine sometimes would, like I said above, make them out of thick glass like the bottoms of coke bottles or he would make them out of glass telephone pole insulators. They looked like light colored emeralds or with the blue insulators, like light blue sapphire or aquamarine.
 
yeah, Lost Art for sure...

Seems all humans are getting better at with their hands is... texting.
 
@timbo
Now that you've moved, I find this thread. Apparently, one of the archeology professors at BU teaches a class. My GF took it when she was there. Seems like a fun way to burn up time, making a big rock into lots of little tiny ones ;)
 
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