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Flint Knapping

Peter PrinciplePeter Principle Registered User regular
edited June 2007 in Help / Advice Forum
I'd like to learn how to do flint knapping, to make stone age weapons. Any suggestions on where to start, either finding raw materials or learning the necessary skills? I live in the Seattle area.

"A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business." - Eric Hoffer, _The True Believer_
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Posts

  • Raiden333Raiden333 Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    The caveman who gets offended at the Geico commercials might know something...

    Raiden333 on
  • BlaineBlaine __BANNED USERS regular
    edited June 2007
    The first thing you should do is build some kind of foundry in your backyard.

    Blaine on
  • Peter PrinciplePeter Principle Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Raiden333 wrote:
    The caveman who gets offended at the Geico commercials might know something...

    C'mon, he's an actor. Actors don't have time to answer normal people's questions. You think George Clooney has time to give out medical advice? Or Mark Hamill has time to give out jedi advice? :rotate:
    Blaine wrote: »
    The first thing you should do is build some kind of foundry in your backyard.

    A foundry? For flint knapping? Why?

    Peter Principle on
    "A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business." - Eric Hoffer, _The True Believer_
  • naporeonnaporeon Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Heya, PP. One of my degrees is in Anthropology, and I can tell you that experimental anthropology is incredibly fun, engaging stuff. I would start by just googling that term. There are actually a lot of great sites out there with instructions; the hard part will actually be finding your materials.

    You might also try seeing if the UW Anthro department has relevant courses, workshops, or clubs that you can audit or visit for free.

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  • spacerobotspacerobot Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I'm not familiar with the actual term 'Flint Knapping', is that actually making tools out of flint?
    If so, I have a little experience with that... All my life my family has participated in Historical Re-enactments of voyageurs and the French and Indian War. At one event weve always attended, a man would camp next to us and chip away at flint, making tools. We would always hang out there when we were young, and he would let us keep the broken flint. What I remember from him doing this, is that he just had a large piece of flint, and would chip away at it until he got what he wanted.

    If this is the type of thing you are referring to, I guess you could go and try and find one of these historical re-enactments (if you're from the Chicago area I can refer you to the one I'm talking about) and probably get advice directly from these guys.

    Or just find a large piece of flint and work at it on your own.

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  • MotherFireflyMotherFirefly Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    First off you're going to need to be able to identify flint, and be able to get it easily, I mean to get nodules that are quality enough to make tools with may be tough. From what I've read there's usually a chalky exterior and you have to get one with a decent core.

    If you're going to work with it in your lap or on the ground, make sure you have a good cover, usually leather, because when you knap off shards, they're going to be very sharp, and it will also help with easy cleanup.

    There are some really good starting kits at this site, and it comes with an instructional dvd/book that might be able to help you out some.
    http://www.flintknappingtools.com/kits.html

    Let me know how this goes, it's something that my friend and I were debating about for when we take a year off and live in the woods.

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