could anyone help me please. my dad what's a go at flintkapping where could you get some to work on? i've done a search but nothing came up?
flint help
- Thread starter kb31
- Start date
Karl, you can get practice by using the bottom of glass bottles as the structure is supposed to be similair. The first thing I tried was an arrowhead and that was made using the bottom of a beer bottle.
Karl,
You may already be aware, but flint occurs in chalk, so if you know where there are any chalk hills or cliffs then this is where you will find flint - it generally occurs in these areas on the beach or on farm tracks/bridleways - obviously making sure you have permission to remove it......
You could try a glaziers for offcuts of thick glass as well if you get really stuck.
You may already be aware, but flint occurs in chalk, so if you know where there are any chalk hills or cliffs then this is where you will find flint - it generally occurs in these areas on the beach or on farm tracks/bridleways - obviously making sure you have permission to remove it......
You could try a glaziers for offcuts of thick glass as well if you get really stuck.
Flint and obsidian have a similar structure and can be worked the same way, and obsidian is volcanic glass so yeah, glass will work.
Try this site, http://www.onagocag.com/knapping.html they have quite a few articles on it
Try this site, http://www.onagocag.com/knapping.html they have quite a few articles on it
The advantage of using glass from the bottom of beer bottles:
1. You need to drink the beer to get at them, though the 2" livid linear scar on my knee is a constant reminder of the day I tried to mix alcohol and flintknapping.
2. If you use a beer bottle/other type bottle which has a flat, and not concave, profile, then you save an awful lot of knapping time trying to achieve an even bifacially worked surface in flint for making arrowheads etc .
3. The structure of glass is much less like to have internal imperfections, fractures and inclusions in it which can make knapping rather unpredicatable and frustrating for those learning.
An easy way to get at the bottle bottom is as follows. Wear a pair of leather work gloves and eye protection.
1. Put a long, thick nail with the point facing the bottom inside the bottle
2. With one hand over the bottle top and the other supporting the bottom, gently shake the bottle up and down. If you do it right, the bottom of the bottle should pop cleanly off as a circular disc of glass ready for you to knap.
Remember to dispose of the rest of bottle responsibly as the exposed bottom edge is now a potentially deadly weapon.
Be careful where you do your knapping or pressure flaking as, like flint, the tiniest shards of discarded glass are vicious, very messy in a blood everywhere kinda way, not to mention excruciatingly painful, when discovered with the bare soles of your feet (or your kids or your pets or some other poor saps) at some later date.
1. You need to drink the beer to get at them, though the 2" livid linear scar on my knee is a constant reminder of the day I tried to mix alcohol and flintknapping.
2. If you use a beer bottle/other type bottle which has a flat, and not concave, profile, then you save an awful lot of knapping time trying to achieve an even bifacially worked surface in flint for making arrowheads etc .
3. The structure of glass is much less like to have internal imperfections, fractures and inclusions in it which can make knapping rather unpredicatable and frustrating for those learning.
An easy way to get at the bottle bottom is as follows. Wear a pair of leather work gloves and eye protection.
1. Put a long, thick nail with the point facing the bottom inside the bottle
2. With one hand over the bottle top and the other supporting the bottom, gently shake the bottle up and down. If you do it right, the bottom of the bottle should pop cleanly off as a circular disc of glass ready for you to knap.
Remember to dispose of the rest of bottle responsibly as the exposed bottom edge is now a potentially deadly weapon.
Be careful where you do your knapping or pressure flaking as, like flint, the tiniest shards of discarded glass are vicious, very messy in a blood everywhere kinda way, not to mention excruciatingly painful, when discovered with the bare soles of your feet (or your kids or your pets or some other poor saps) at some later date.
kb31 said:
Go for a walk along Allonby beach (near Aspatria) and pick up some bits, they are not very big but it's easy to find ones big enough to make arrowheads out of.
About three inches across being the biggest stuff I have seen there.
i have been keeping my eye open for flint for about a month, I think i found some early this week. the beach is far away so i searched a large local waste land with lots of stone heaps, but found nothing. then out of the blue i was walking down a path and there were black shiny rocks about. i saw chalk heaps too near a farm, but i dont think there was flint there.
kb31 said:
I live in deepest darkest Wiltshire, so have lots of flint around here. It is in fact a problem in my garden, it grows more flint than veg. Mostly it is small surface broken pieces but I do have a few pieces about as big as a melon.
If you have anything for trade I am open to offers, if not I can for the furtherment of bushcraft send a piece about fist size for your dad to pracice on.
PM me a contact address if you are interested.
Hello KB31,
I've just done a flintknapping course on the Bushmoot with John and Val Lord and believe me it looks a lot easier when John Lord is doing it, than when you have a go yourself.
Between 12 of us on the Saturday, we managed to produce enough hard core to make someone a new driveway!
It was fun though, and between us we did get a few bits of flint with a decent shape to it, plus soem spare small pieces for fire lighting etc.
If your dad's really interested, perhaps you could send him on a course with John and Val, they are the most patient people I've met in a long time, and very eager to help and give direction.
Their website is:- www.flintknapping.co.uk it's approximately £100 for a day, for up to 4 people, so good value for money too!
Good luck
Steve
I've just done a flintknapping course on the Bushmoot with John and Val Lord and believe me it looks a lot easier when John Lord is doing it, than when you have a go yourself.
Between 12 of us on the Saturday, we managed to produce enough hard core to make someone a new driveway!
It was fun though, and between us we did get a few bits of flint with a decent shape to it, plus soem spare small pieces for fire lighting etc.
If your dad's really interested, perhaps you could send him on a course with John and Val, they are the most patient people I've met in a long time, and very eager to help and give direction.
Their website is:- www.flintknapping.co.uk it's approximately £100 for a day, for up to 4 people, so good value for money too!
Good luck
Steve
Can you expand on this it all please, Steve, you make it sound like a conjurer's trick!Big Steve said:
Not sure I can expand on that Scanker. It really is as simple as that. I did not believe it myself until I tried it myself and the bottom of the bottle popped off cleanly into my hand as a circular disc ready to be worked into an arrowhead.
I have liberated one of my father's extra large (6 inch) wood nails which I keep for the purpose. It feels a bit unnatural shaking the nail up and down in the bottle but it will work. Try it gently at first and then increase your effort if it does not pop the bottom off... until it does.
I have also found a website, entitled 'From Beerbottle to Arrowhead', where some dude explains this process and knapping glass in very great detail if you want to check it out:
http://www.geocities.com/knappersanonymous/bottle.html
I have liberated one of my father's extra large (6 inch) wood nails which I keep for the purpose. It feels a bit unnatural shaking the nail up and down in the bottle but it will work. Try it gently at first and then increase your effort if it does not pop the bottom off... until it does.
I have also found a website, entitled 'From Beerbottle to Arrowhead', where some dude explains this process and knapping glass in very great detail if you want to check it out:
http://www.geocities.com/knappersanonymous/bottle.html
queeg9000 said:
i agree with queeg hole heartedly a few moths ago my self and 2 friends had a day at johns, three people is a good number to go and see John with it will be the best £33 quid you'll spend for a long time. Every one I talk to that has spent any time with john and val has come away in amazment and awe at the skilllevel and friendly welcoming bright happy attitude they both possess
oh and the beer and sarines in the loacl pub are great
By jove it works! I didn't have any long thick nails, so used a punch with the same method and it worked a treat. Thanks Big Steve!
I didn't have any long thick nails, so used a punch with the same method and it worked a treat. Thanks Big Steve!
