Many folk know that if you want to learn flint knapping in the UK there is no one more respected than John Lord. John teaches courses for various folks and demos around the country but by far the best way to do it is to go and work with him at his home in Norfolk. A friend and I booked a days knapping tuition and I can not recommend it highly enough. John books well in advance but it is worth waiting and traveling for. Here are some pics.
Quick demo of breaking up a big nodule using a hard hammer (rock)
refining things with soft hammer (antler)
John recommends small groups for tuition and I can see why, I think 2 students is the perfect number, you get just the right mix of instruction and time to experiment, here is Daniel working under the masters eye.
Rough shaping a flake into an arrow head using a stone anvil and antler hammer.
More advice, a day even with this amount of one to one instruction is really only the most brief of introductions to the numerous techniques involved but as a taster it was fantastic.
Pressure flaking, first shaping the outside form...
then more "invasive" flaking to split flakes across the face thinning the head down.
This one is mine, looks sort of OK in profile but I didn't really get the invasive flaking working as well as I would have liked. I got on better whacking big rocks.
This was Daniel's finished work, he is definitely very much "new stone age man"
As for me I am clearly Neanderthal, I enjoyed making big hand axes.
It is always a joy to spend time with anyone who has complete mastery of their particular skill, the sort of mastery that comes after 10 or in this case 30 years full time at it. The bonus with John is that he also loves to share it, when you catch the flint just right and get a good flake off he is as excited as you are. The most amazing thing about this course was what astonishingly good value it is. £120 per day for John's time so if 2 mates go it's only £60 each. Daniel and I shall be going back next year to play some more.
John's website
http://www.flintknapping.co.uk/
Quick demo of breaking up a big nodule using a hard hammer (rock)
refining things with soft hammer (antler)
John recommends small groups for tuition and I can see why, I think 2 students is the perfect number, you get just the right mix of instruction and time to experiment, here is Daniel working under the masters eye.
Rough shaping a flake into an arrow head using a stone anvil and antler hammer.
More advice, a day even with this amount of one to one instruction is really only the most brief of introductions to the numerous techniques involved but as a taster it was fantastic.
Pressure flaking, first shaping the outside form...
then more "invasive" flaking to split flakes across the face thinning the head down.
This one is mine, looks sort of OK in profile but I didn't really get the invasive flaking working as well as I would have liked. I got on better whacking big rocks.
This was Daniel's finished work, he is definitely very much "new stone age man"
As for me I am clearly Neanderthal, I enjoyed making big hand axes.
It is always a joy to spend time with anyone who has complete mastery of their particular skill, the sort of mastery that comes after 10 or in this case 30 years full time at it. The bonus with John is that he also loves to share it, when you catch the flint just right and get a good flake off he is as excited as you are. The most amazing thing about this course was what astonishingly good value it is. £120 per day for John's time so if 2 mates go it's only £60 each. Daniel and I shall be going back next year to play some more.
John's website
http://www.flintknapping.co.uk/
