I have just returned from a weekend in the woods with the South Wales Bushcrafters, the saturday of which was spent Flint Knapping with Karl Lee.
This is the second time I have organised a days instruction with Karl - the first was such a success that a second was made essential!
Karl joined us in our secluded woodland retreat at about 9 in the morning and we were still hard at the knapping late in the afternoon with only short breaks for coffee and lunch - we certainly got our moneys worth from Karl!
As all but one of the members present had been on the first course (in 2010) that I had organised we were able - under Karls excellent tuition - to move quickly through a recap and practice "warm-up" covering; basic principles of the knapping; history; demo etc and get into hitting rocks together ...
To get the apropriate muscles and memmory working we first produced a hide scraper each and then "worked" a core to produce Microlith blades etc before moving on to producing the much more technically challenging knapping of a "tanged and barbed" arrowhead.
It is testiment to Karls teaching ability that everyone turned out fully practical examples of this type of weapon - OK not up to "grave goods" quality...but quite capable of taking down a deer!
The day was full of attentive learning and working the stones but there was loads of banter and laughs under the tarp in the woods and everyone had a realy good time - again!
I would like to thank Karl for an enjoyable, informative and productive day that has once again inspired the South Wales Bushcrafters to get out and play with rocks in their own time as well as on courses!
I have attended several course and demos run by Karl and as well as finding him a great teacher finding him to be a great guy to hang out in the woods with - I hope to be organising further courses with Karl ("bow and arrow making...?) in the future.
For those who have not met Karl , the following is taken from a piece I wrote on him for Sporting Shooter magazine a while back...
KARL LEE – FLINT KNAPPER
Back in the days before firearms and steel tools, the “sporting shooter” would have been using bow and arrows tipped with flint to shoot his quarry, and stone tools to butcher his meat. The skills for making tools using these “primitive technologies” have largely died out, but still live on and are being re-kindled by a very small handful of professional flint-knappers, and a growing army of enthusiastic amateurs.
One of only a handful of pro knappers in Britain today, Karl Lee (a regular reader of this magazine and keen wildfowler and air-rifle shooter as well) not only runs courses to pass on his knowledge and gives demonstrations of his skills to the general public, but also provides “replica” collections of stone tools to museums and universities for educational purposes and conducts experimental research for the British Museum.
Karl was bitten by the history bug at an early age, eventually gaining GCSCs, A-Levels and even a degree in archaeology as a mature student, and is working on a PHD as a research student with the University of Wales. Karl had other work until some eight years’ ago when he turned “pro” in flint knapping, now making it his full-time career.
I caught up with Karl at a public demonstration of flint knapping in West Wales where (using only the tools used of the era) he was producing Stone-Age “hand axes” and arrow heads, as well as Bronze Age stone tools.
Taking up large (more than head sized) raw lumps of flint (flint from different areas has different characteristics), Karl showed how first the outer cortex of chalky materials would be removed using a large hammer stone of quartzite, and an understanding of the physics of how flint breaks – then the rough lump of flint worked on to remove flakes, using smaller hammer stones, and then “soft hammers” of various sizes made from antler until a finished tool, the primitive “hand axe” (an all-round butchery tool) was left.
The flakes were not wasted (although they were often discarded in early Stone Age times as the hand axes were often seen as “use and lose” tools, being quick and easy to make) and Karl makes arrow heads and hide scrapers from these.
Karl also demonstrated the later Stone Age technique of producing “micro-liths” – smaller tools – from a flint core, making a range of small tools from drills to arrow barbs by flaking blades from the sides of a fist-sized lump of flint.
The early Bronze Age use of applying copper tips to his antler tine pressure flaking tools was also shown, demonstrating how this use of metal allowed finer flaking, making such items as arrow heads with finely flaked barbs and tangs.
To prevent confusing future archaeologists, the waste material from Karl’s demos and courses is carefully collected and that which is not re-used to make smaller tools is mixed with “general hardcore” rubble at recycling centres (tips) so that it can never be mistaken for prehistoric flint working.
It takes the eye of a flint-working expert to tell a “modern” piece of worked flint from that worked in the Stone Age when knapping was – quite literally – “cutting edge” technology. Not many archaeologists have this trained eye.
Capturing the audience that ranged in age from infant to senior citizen with his engaging and informative running commentary (interspersed with bad jokes!), Karl not only made superb and functional tools with seemingly effortless use of rock and antler tools, but explained how flint is formed, how it is collected and worked and how the tools would be used.
Unlike seeing a museum display, watching and listening to Karl brought everything to life. Finished examples of his work were available to buy.
Having used one of his “hand axes” to skin and prepare meat for cooking, I have found that Stone Age technology really works! A flint tool that could be made in a few minutes by one man was effective (if not more so) than a steel knife that would take the skills of many – and a long time – to make.
In the past there was a simple technology that was used in an advanced way, now we have an advanced technology that we use in a simplistic way!
Karl is passionate about keeping these skills alive and the primitive technology working into the future, and I for one have been enthused and am trying to organise a place on one of his courses.
Karl Lee is a master of a simple technology, but uses modern technology as well – his website www.primitive-technology.co.uk gives details of his courses etc and he transports his finished pieces in old Dell hard drive boxes!
No affiliation etc etc - just a very happy customer!
This is the second time I have organised a days instruction with Karl - the first was such a success that a second was made essential!
Karl joined us in our secluded woodland retreat at about 9 in the morning and we were still hard at the knapping late in the afternoon with only short breaks for coffee and lunch - we certainly got our moneys worth from Karl!
As all but one of the members present had been on the first course (in 2010) that I had organised we were able - under Karls excellent tuition - to move quickly through a recap and practice "warm-up" covering; basic principles of the knapping; history; demo etc and get into hitting rocks together ...
To get the apropriate muscles and memmory working we first produced a hide scraper each and then "worked" a core to produce Microlith blades etc before moving on to producing the much more technically challenging knapping of a "tanged and barbed" arrowhead.
It is testiment to Karls teaching ability that everyone turned out fully practical examples of this type of weapon - OK not up to "grave goods" quality...but quite capable of taking down a deer!
The day was full of attentive learning and working the stones but there was loads of banter and laughs under the tarp in the woods and everyone had a realy good time - again!
I would like to thank Karl for an enjoyable, informative and productive day that has once again inspired the South Wales Bushcrafters to get out and play with rocks in their own time as well as on courses!
I have attended several course and demos run by Karl and as well as finding him a great teacher finding him to be a great guy to hang out in the woods with - I hope to be organising further courses with Karl ("bow and arrow making...?) in the future.
For those who have not met Karl , the following is taken from a piece I wrote on him for Sporting Shooter magazine a while back...
KARL LEE – FLINT KNAPPER
Back in the days before firearms and steel tools, the “sporting shooter” would have been using bow and arrows tipped with flint to shoot his quarry, and stone tools to butcher his meat. The skills for making tools using these “primitive technologies” have largely died out, but still live on and are being re-kindled by a very small handful of professional flint-knappers, and a growing army of enthusiastic amateurs.
One of only a handful of pro knappers in Britain today, Karl Lee (a regular reader of this magazine and keen wildfowler and air-rifle shooter as well) not only runs courses to pass on his knowledge and gives demonstrations of his skills to the general public, but also provides “replica” collections of stone tools to museums and universities for educational purposes and conducts experimental research for the British Museum.
Karl was bitten by the history bug at an early age, eventually gaining GCSCs, A-Levels and even a degree in archaeology as a mature student, and is working on a PHD as a research student with the University of Wales. Karl had other work until some eight years’ ago when he turned “pro” in flint knapping, now making it his full-time career.
I caught up with Karl at a public demonstration of flint knapping in West Wales where (using only the tools used of the era) he was producing Stone-Age “hand axes” and arrow heads, as well as Bronze Age stone tools.
Taking up large (more than head sized) raw lumps of flint (flint from different areas has different characteristics), Karl showed how first the outer cortex of chalky materials would be removed using a large hammer stone of quartzite, and an understanding of the physics of how flint breaks – then the rough lump of flint worked on to remove flakes, using smaller hammer stones, and then “soft hammers” of various sizes made from antler until a finished tool, the primitive “hand axe” (an all-round butchery tool) was left.
The flakes were not wasted (although they were often discarded in early Stone Age times as the hand axes were often seen as “use and lose” tools, being quick and easy to make) and Karl makes arrow heads and hide scrapers from these.
Karl also demonstrated the later Stone Age technique of producing “micro-liths” – smaller tools – from a flint core, making a range of small tools from drills to arrow barbs by flaking blades from the sides of a fist-sized lump of flint.
The early Bronze Age use of applying copper tips to his antler tine pressure flaking tools was also shown, demonstrating how this use of metal allowed finer flaking, making such items as arrow heads with finely flaked barbs and tangs.
To prevent confusing future archaeologists, the waste material from Karl’s demos and courses is carefully collected and that which is not re-used to make smaller tools is mixed with “general hardcore” rubble at recycling centres (tips) so that it can never be mistaken for prehistoric flint working.
It takes the eye of a flint-working expert to tell a “modern” piece of worked flint from that worked in the Stone Age when knapping was – quite literally – “cutting edge” technology. Not many archaeologists have this trained eye.
Capturing the audience that ranged in age from infant to senior citizen with his engaging and informative running commentary (interspersed with bad jokes!), Karl not only made superb and functional tools with seemingly effortless use of rock and antler tools, but explained how flint is formed, how it is collected and worked and how the tools would be used.
Unlike seeing a museum display, watching and listening to Karl brought everything to life. Finished examples of his work were available to buy.
Having used one of his “hand axes” to skin and prepare meat for cooking, I have found that Stone Age technology really works! A flint tool that could be made in a few minutes by one man was effective (if not more so) than a steel knife that would take the skills of many – and a long time – to make.
In the past there was a simple technology that was used in an advanced way, now we have an advanced technology that we use in a simplistic way!
Karl is passionate about keeping these skills alive and the primitive technology working into the future, and I for one have been enthused and am trying to organise a place on one of his courses.
Karl Lee is a master of a simple technology, but uses modern technology as well – his website www.primitive-technology.co.uk gives details of his courses etc and he transports his finished pieces in old Dell hard drive boxes!
No affiliation etc etc - just a very happy customer!
gutted i missed it this time but looks like it turned out to be a belter.
