Liked your quarry trip . It will be fun to see what comes out of that pile of quarry blanks you brought home . Knowing your ability It ought to be something outstanding . Thanks for the ride along . Good luck and best wishes.---Butch
Thanks Butch, it was a great time with great friends. I need to do this more often because it really isn't all that far away and my son told me he would love to go there with me again. He was a little guy the last time I took him there. Now he has a Bachelors degree in geology, I'm sure he would appreciate a place like this even more now.
Glad you could join me via youtube on this fun journey MMHR! Once it warms up some, I'll get to wok on that stone but today was bitter cold and the wind chill was around zero. Even with the woodstove cranking it takes that rock forever to warm up.
I would cry if I found material this good 😂 The only stuff I find this good is normanskill and the black snake hill chert. Is this video over the border?
Thanks, as a collector of authentic artifacts I learn so much from you modern knappers. I wondered why water was beading up on a Levanna point I had purchased and your comment about how the fresh material smells of petroleum explains that.
Thanks Ryan for those comments. I love the old, original artifacts most of all too. The reason I got into knapping was to try an figure out how they made their points and tools, which has given me a much deeper appreciation for the work the ancients did making things. Yep, there is petroleum in that rock and I'm sure it could made it slightly oily and resistant to water.
Nothing like going up to the big lake to get oil stone! I like that material too. The couple of pieces you gave me a while back was some good stuff. I like going places like where you went to gather the goods and make things at home! Great adventure!
I agree Jon, there is nothing better than procuring your own material if you can. It was just cool to be at that place and finding chert there was the icing on the cake.
That was a good days work, I think the hardest part was lugging that big 6 1/2 gallon pail around as it grew heavier with rock. I hope that material works as good as it looks. There are always some surprises hiding in that rock.
Hello again mr.paleoman. Nice stuff you have there and worth the hour and a half for some good rock to chip and create from. Cant wait to see what you chip out of that stuff. Best part it was basically free, besides the gas to get there. Take care buddy. I have impressed a few people with the knives i made from the gifts you sent. Cant wait to see you catch a fish with the kullcraven survival fish kit.
I'll be sure to take that fishing kit with me kullcraven next time I head out to do a little angling. I can't wait to try it, thanks again, that is pretty cool! No guarantees what I'll get out of that rock but I'll definitely have fun trying! It was totally free for me because I went along for the ride and my friend wouldn't accept any gas money. That was a fun ride in his Chevy Equinox.
Well very nice of him to ask you along. Looked like a very fun trip. You know on here with this youtube communtiy,you find people with similair interests, that you dont normally find locally. Some times i wish i could travel around and do stuff like that with the youtube friends i have made. Take care buddy and i have my kit broken in with that trout and couple chub i caught. Surprised me how good they cast. If you use a bobber, it dont cast as well with the weight of the bobber and then the weight of the hook and such conterating each other. What i did to cast it with a bopper was hold the can out like i was casting and taking the bobber and hook in my other hand and baseball throwing it out into the water, cast great that way. lolOf course make sure the hook isnt going to grab you on the realease of the throw. Take care buddy.
cool vid . been dying to know more about knapping and rocks before I head out. I live in Illinois but have bunch of family in N.Y. will have to do some Onondaga hunting myself.
You saw those hammerstones huh?, I did too and I always grab some of those when I'm there. It is pretty convenient to have tools to work the chert laying right next to it.
Nice bunch of stone Ken, but as much as you knap....you really think all winter ?....LOL I can't wait to see what comes out of the rock you got ! Cool vid Bud...I guess I need to carry a brick hammer with me now...LOL Cool vid and GL with the chipping !
Thanks Elvis! I find that a brick hammer works about as good as anything I've ever used to quarry this rock. Between that and a good hammerstone, you can spall just about anything you want.
I know of a beach that has large lime stone flats like that but it's all in the lake! The shore is all sand and all the stone is in the water :( How much would you want for a box of flakes from your scrap pile? I really want to try my hand at this skill that is being lost to time and learn how our predecessors made their living and survived. Thanks I really appreciate what you do to pass on this skill to a new generation. Anything you can do will be much appreciated.
Hi ryan, you might want to learn on material that is a little easier to flake. This Onondaga chert is really tough and it can be discouraging until you develop techniques to work it. I'll see if I can scrounge a few decent flakes from my flint pile for you, and I'll let you know. This is a wonderful survival skill and I think it is necessary for all people to have a basic understanding of how "they" did it. I know there are some out there that think what us modern flintknappers do is fake points, and that is so far from the truth as far as I'm concerned. Learning knapping gives you a deeper appreciation for what the early ancestors accomplished and I am trying to educate the collector that modern humans can still do this and if they plan on buying something that is advertised as old from a dealer they might want to think about it before investing a small fortune. I always say that if a deal looks too good, then it probably is.
That was an awesome view looking across the lake. You are right those slabs were all layered limestone and Onondaga. That is where the horizen of the chert is exposed at ground level.
Good Video Ken, That's about how I get the Kanawha down this way, hammer chisel and pry bar and the Kanawha smells like Carbon due to it coming from the coal fields............ Have you ever just spent a day prying the chunks from the outcrop? Looked like some good potential there.
I found out that prying those blocks out of the bedrock was the way to go. I got some pretty nice material out of those chunks. It's hard work but definitely worth it.
Hello, I live in Ottawa Canada where it is very hard to find any flint or chert,i need some to practice fire making but i cant afford it right now,but i am enjoying watching what ever i can about it
I live about 30 min away from toronto and i go to fort Erie, the beach right next to it is basicly made of this stuff, if ever you are around the Niagara area you should check it out.
My sentiments exactly Jason, "Why can't it all be pure?" You have to bust up a lot of rock to get a pile as big as I got. I bet I broke down a couple of hundred pounds of that chert to get what you saw.
I'll be sure to Sofus. Probably in the Spring when the ice melts of the lake and the shoreline. There should be some good rock there to pick up after a long hard winter.
ahhh, the good old Onondaga chert, what will you make of that? I would say something darn nice, whatever it may be. hope the retired life is going great for you sir. take care buddy. I will call you soon!
One thing that Onondaga will be is challenging to work! But I love the way the points look when you finish one made out of that rock. Retirement life is great and highly recommend it to anyone that can do it. I'll be waiting for your call!
If you could point me in a direction or general area you search in I would seriously appreciate it. I live in southern Ontario. I've been able to find very small Onondaga along the beach in Port Colburn but avoiding being on private property is rather difficult
Look for quarry road and take that until it reaches Lakeshore road, then turn right and go until you see a cemetery on your right. There is a public access on the left. That is where I went.
@@Paleoman52 The generosity to share your rock spot is huge, i dont live anywhere near yall but thank you for being an awesome person, folk like you are a dying breed
the brick hammer is a real good idear, now you'll see 1/2 of us out w/brick-hammers! lol Im kinda like Elvis, you really think thats gonnna last you all winter? lol looking forward to seeing what you knap from those pieces, but I bet there's no stone you touch/knap that doesnt turn into a great point/almost like turning stone into gold, cause your work is alwaz amazing! Happy Knapping My Freind & hav a great weekend, were in a deep freeze for a few days, was hopin to get out, but might be to cold for me, but through the week its suppossed to warm back up! OH btw was that Lake Erie?
Yep that was the North shore of Lake Erie. I've got my fingers crossed that I'll get a few nice points out of that rock. I slow way down in my knapping over the winter because by the time my mancave gets warm enough from the woodstove to knap, I don't have a lot of time before it gets dark. Those brick hammers are multi-purpose tools and you can also use the back end of it for a digger. Our forecast is for cold weather to arrive this Sunday with some snow every day until next Thursday.
@@Paleoman52 just had a fire while toying with some Onodaga from reebs! The hunt was so thrilling and rewarding! Thank you for the tip! Learning lots already
You and me both! There is gonna be a lot of hard work ahead with this stone but I really love smacking this stuff, it can take a beating and is quite forgiving if the platform edge is not perfect.
I am sure there is some chert to be found in Pa, but I'm not sure exactly where. Years ago I went to the Macungie area and found lots of Jasper, but I live in Western New York State and I am not really familiar where the sources of chert are. Sorry!
Another great video and was very surprised as i immediately noticed the EXACT spot you drove onto the 400 heading up into N.F./ CAN. I lived on G.I. for 45 yrs. retired and moved back to my home state of P.A. 11 yrs ago in our wonderful area of western n.y. i have found one of the LARGEST native American archaeological sites in ALL of north America....lucky me...smile. Our area is EXTREMELY rich in artifacts as i am sure you know.....Hope you and your family had a wonderful x-mas today and a Happy New Year to you as well........oh i knew your voice sounded familiar, we played ball together....lol
wow i got the same stuff here in ky. i call it oil chert, coincidentally comes from a place call "oil center". looks the same and has a sweet-ish oil smell.
All the flakes I remove have to come from the side of the stone and across the surface. I recently did a 2 part video on making a Snyders Point from start to finish and it shows exactly how I knap the flakes across the piece. Check out those 2 videos if you get time.
Interesting comment on how your Onondaga smells like petroleum. I've worked Texas Georgetown material that periodically produces a crude oil smell when you rip a spall off. Same grey mottled color. Hmmm
Yep one thing that makes Onondaga chert unique is the strong odor of petroleum when you work it. It is actually made out of the decayed plants and animals that settled on an ancient seabed and eventually became chert.
Is there some trick about finding big chunks of chert like that? I'm in the Rochester area and find tons of little stuff that's just completely unusable. From the looks of this vid, you seem to be on the shore of Ontario. Is the picking better up there?
Hi Benjamin, the trick is to find an area where the Onondaga chert outcrops from the Earth. I was on the North shore of Lake Erie west of Port Colburne in this video. At that place the Onondaga is at surface level and those big chunks are part of the bedrock. Onondaga is a layered chert formation that looks like a layer cake with bands of Onondaga separated by bands of limestone. Most of the chert has been fractured but if you break enough of it down you can get a few decent pieces. The weight of all that glacial ice really put a lot of stress on the bedrock which caused it to fracture.
It's pretty hard work getting that material isn't it? I had been there a few times previously so I was prepared to work for it. I'm finding that the best course of action there is to just pry those blocks up from the bedrock and spall them down. That brick hammer did a pretty good job breaking down those chunks, then the hammerstone trimmed them up nicely.
That vein of Onondaga runs from Canada, across New York State all the way to Albany. You might be able to find an escarpment where it outcrops and you'll have all you need. If you know any local geologists or Soil and Water people they might be able to show you a map of this outcropping of chert in your area.
I'm not sure if my vids will be excellent FS, but I'll give it a good try. You must have a couple of those brick hammers kicking around your place don't you. They work great for spalling. This was a throw away at work years ago. The guy that was working for us did the job and then tossed this hammer in the trash. I knew it would come in handy at some point in time.
Paleoman52 Infact,I have a brick hammer.Unfortunately,had a neighbor couple that was divorcing,they both moved their stuff,and parted ways,yet neither one of them wanted to bother with the remains of an outside garage,and she told me to get anything left in it,if I could use it,,so,I helped myself to several gas cans,car cleaning items,nuts,bolts,tools,etc,,even a brick hammer,,but mines a short handled Etswing model and blue.It might not work like a red one.:>)
Hi, I am sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you are willing to let me know where this site is? I have been trying to track down a onondaga chert outcrop to collect from, I want to make a video on onondaga chert and I want to get some nice geological samples. If you are willing to tell me but don't want to say it in the comments I am OK with with you emailing me location.
No Problem, after all it is your rock. This outcropping is at Reeb's Bay right across the road from a cemetery. The road that takes you there is Quarry road off from Route 3 out of Port Colburne. I subbed your channel, I would love to see you video on Onondaga Chert.
Very cool road trip...liked it. I find artifacts here in southeast Michigan and 25-30% of what I find is made of Onondaga Chert. The other materials artifacts here are made of is: Kettle Point chert, Lake Huron shores in Ontario Canada 🇨🇦, Stoney Creek Chert, monroe/washtenaw County michigan and Bayport chert, Saginaw bay Michigan. The Charity Islands, 10 miles out in Saginaw bay are limestone formations that source Bayport chert in round nodules. Amazed that indians would paddle that far out into lake huron to collect this popular chert. There is a cool video on utube about collecting chert at the Charity Islands. This video shows the nodules under water near these islands in shallow snorkel depth. Always wanted to try collecting some. Just need a boat and snorkeling gear. Heard the nodules under water shouldn't have freeze cracks. Thanks again, Michigander , Ralph.
Onondaga is one of those cherts that really doesn't benefit from heat treatment. It is always worked raw as far as I know. I've heard that some folks have tried to heat treat it and it didn't work any easier. There are different grades of Onondaga chert, it can occur from what I refer to as concrete to almost glassy. It all depends on how much limestone is has in it, the less the better it works.
Liked your quarry trip . It will be fun to see what comes out of that pile of quarry blanks you brought home . Knowing your ability It ought to be something outstanding . Thanks for the ride along . Good luck and best wishes.---Butch
Thanks Butch, it was a great time with great friends. I need to do this more often because it really isn't all that far away and my son told me he would love to go there with me again. He was a little guy the last time I took him there. Now he has a Bachelors degree in geology, I'm sure he would appreciate a place like this even more now.
What an awesome looking area up there on the shore. I enjoyed that whole video.
Thanks Tom, I'm still looking to give that rock you sent me a try. That sure is some pretty stone. Cold weather has set in so it may be a while.
can't wait to see what comes out of that pile of stone! keep us updated...lol! thanx for takin' me along ken.
Glad you could join me via youtube on this fun journey MMHR! Once it warms up some, I'll get to wok on that stone but today was bitter cold and the wind chill was around zero. Even with the woodstove cranking it takes that rock forever to warm up.
I would cry if I found material this good 😂
The only stuff I find this good is normanskill and the black snake hill chert.
Is this video over the border?
Yes, Port Colburne, Canada. Reeb's Bay
Thanks, as a collector of authentic artifacts I learn so much from you modern knappers. I wondered why water was beading up on a Levanna point I had purchased and your comment about how the fresh material smells of petroleum explains that.
Thanks Ryan for those comments. I love the old, original artifacts most of all too. The reason I got into knapping was to try an figure out how they made their points and tools, which has given me a much deeper appreciation for the work the ancients did making things. Yep, there is petroleum in that rock and I'm sure it could made it slightly oily and resistant to water.
Very cool outing Ken....can't wait to see what's hiding in all those rocks!!
Thanks Rick, I'm hoping I find a few points hiding in that tough stone, if I do, you'll probably see them here on the tube.
Nothing like going up to the big lake to get oil stone! I like that material too. The couple of pieces you gave me a while back was some good stuff. I like going places like where you went to gather the goods and make things at home! Great adventure!
I agree Jon, there is nothing better than procuring your own material if you can. It was just cool to be at that place and finding chert there was the icing on the cake.
Hey, Great to see you out and picking up some material! I could smell that stuff from here! Funny, I like the smell, lol
Ga. Rob & Terrie
Hey that looks like a good days work, and should keep you busy for a few more too! Looking forward to seeing some nice points coming out of that pile!
That was a good days work, I think the hardest part was lugging that big 6 1/2 gallon pail around as it grew heavier with rock. I hope that material works as good as it looks. There are always some surprises hiding in that rock.
Nice looking chert you brought home , can't wait to see what's hiding inside .
That chert appears to be a decent grade of material and from what little I tested it, it works pretty darn good.
Cool trip man!! Enjoyed watching!! Cant wait to see what you come up with! Glad to see you out enjoying the retired life! Good luck!
I am enjoying this retired life and I wish I could have done it 4 years ago when I turned 55. Thanks for watching and commenting Rocky Top!
Hello again mr.paleoman. Nice stuff you have there and worth the hour and a half for some good rock to chip and create from. Cant wait to see what you chip out of that stuff. Best part it was basically free, besides the gas to get there. Take care buddy. I have impressed a few people with the knives i made from the gifts you sent. Cant wait to see you catch a fish with the kullcraven survival fish kit.
I'll be sure to take that fishing kit with me kullcraven next time I head out to do a little angling. I can't wait to try it, thanks again, that is pretty cool! No guarantees what I'll get out of that rock but I'll definitely have fun trying! It was totally free for me because I went along for the ride and my friend wouldn't accept any gas money. That was a fun ride in his Chevy Equinox.
Well very nice of him to ask you along. Looked like a very fun trip. You know on here with this youtube communtiy,you find people with similair interests, that you dont normally find locally. Some times i wish i could travel around and do stuff like that with the youtube friends i have made. Take care buddy and i have my kit broken in with that trout and couple chub i caught. Surprised me how good they cast. If you use a bobber, it dont cast as well with the weight of the bobber and then the weight of the hook and such conterating each other. What i did to cast it with a bopper was hold the can out like i was casting and taking the bobber and hook in my other hand and baseball throwing it out into the water, cast great that way. lolOf course make sure the hook isnt going to grab you on the realease of the throw. Take care buddy.
Nice road trip. I can't wait to see the gems that you pull out of that rock . Thanks for taking us along . H H :-)
I knapped a piece of it today and it works pretty good, actually better than I expected. You'll see what I made soon.
cool vid . been dying to know more about knapping and rocks before I head out. I live in Illinois but have bunch of family in N.Y. will have to do some Onondaga hunting myself.
good looking flint and there were some good hammerstones laying about too it looked like!
You saw those hammerstones huh?, I did too and I always grab some of those when I'm there. It is pretty convenient to have tools to work the chert laying right next to it.
You bet..Its hard to find hardstone ones here just sandstone
Nice bunch of stone Ken, but as much as you knap....you really think all winter ?....LOL I can't wait to see what comes out of the rock you got !
Cool vid Bud...I guess I need to carry a brick hammer with me now...LOL
Cool vid and GL with the chipping !
Thanks Elvis! I find that a brick hammer works about as good as anything I've ever used to quarry this rock. Between that and a good hammerstone, you can spall just about anything you want.
I know of a beach that has large lime stone flats like that but it's all in the lake! The shore is all sand and all the stone is in the water :(
How much would you want for a box of flakes from your scrap pile? I really want to try my hand at this skill that is being lost to time and learn how our predecessors made their living and survived. Thanks I really appreciate what you do to pass on this skill to a new generation. Anything you can do will be much appreciated.
Hi ryan, you might want to learn on material that is a little easier to flake. This Onondaga chert is really tough and it can be discouraging until you develop techniques to work it. I'll see if I can scrounge a few decent flakes from my flint pile for you, and I'll let you know. This is a wonderful survival skill and I think it is necessary for all people to have a basic understanding of how "they" did it. I know there are some out there that think what us modern flintknappers do is fake points, and that is so far from the truth as far as I'm concerned. Learning knapping gives you a deeper appreciation for what the early ancestors accomplished and I am trying to educate the collector that modern humans can still do this and if they plan on buying something that is advertised as old from a dealer they might want to think about it before investing a small fortune. I always say that if a deal looks too good, then it probably is.
great vis ,nice view off shore.
I heard that those large sheets you showed are all that Onondaga chert.
easier to get too than flint ridge.
That was an awesome view looking across the lake. You are right those slabs were all layered limestone and Onondaga. That is where the horizen of the chert is exposed at ground level.
Good Video Ken, That's about how I get the Kanawha down this way, hammer chisel and pry bar and the Kanawha smells like Carbon due to it coming from the coal fields............ Have you ever just spent a day prying the chunks from the outcrop? Looked like some good potential there.
I found out that prying those blocks out of the bedrock was the way to go. I got some pretty nice material out of those chunks. It's hard work but definitely worth it.
Hello,
I live in Ottawa Canada where it is very hard to find any flint or chert,i need some to practice fire making but i cant afford it right now,but i am enjoying watching what ever i can about it
I live about 30 min away from toronto and i go to fort Erie, the beach right next to it is basicly made of this stuff, if ever you are around the Niagara area you should check it out.
Cool vid! I see a few future Onondaga killers in your near future! Why can't it ALL be pure!! Lol Happy knappin Ken!
My sentiments exactly Jason, "Why can't it all be pure?" You have to bust up a lot of rock to get a pile as big as I got. I bet I broke down a couple of hundred pounds of that chert to get what you saw.
Awesome video! I love quarrying vids, but sadly there arent that many on UA-cam. If you ever go out quarrying bring us with you again :)
I'll be sure to Sofus. Probably in the Spring when the ice melts of the lake and the shoreline. There should be some good rock there to pick up after a long hard winter.
The metric socket washed in from Canada
ahhh, the good old Onondaga chert, what will you make of that? I would say something darn nice, whatever it may be. hope the retired life is going great for you sir. take care buddy. I will call you soon!
One thing that Onondaga will be is challenging to work! But I love the way the points look when you finish one made out of that rock. Retirement life is great and highly recommend it to anyone that can do it. I'll be waiting for your call!
Wow, i go to the exact same place to get it! Greetings from canada
I can't wait to see what comes from those spalls.
I love the look of points made out of Onondaga, hopefully I'll get some to show.
If you could point me in a direction or general area you search in I would seriously appreciate it. I live in southern Ontario. I've been able to find very small Onondaga along the beach in Port Colburn but avoiding being on private property is rather difficult
Look for quarry road and take that until it reaches Lakeshore road, then turn right and go until you see a cemetery on your right. There is a public access on the left. That is where I went.
@@Paleoman52 The generosity to share your rock spot is huge, i dont live anywhere near yall but thank you for being an awesome person, folk like you are a dying breed
That should keep you busy for awhile...Turn out some nice ones!
Thanks! I'll do my best!
the brick hammer is a real good idear, now you'll see 1/2 of us out w/brick-hammers! lol Im kinda like Elvis, you really think thats gonnna last you all winter? lol looking forward to seeing what you knap from those pieces, but I bet there's no stone you touch/knap that doesnt turn into a great point/almost like turning stone into gold, cause your work is alwaz amazing!
Happy Knapping My Freind & hav a great weekend, were in a deep freeze for a few days, was hopin to get out, but might be to cold for me, but through the week its suppossed to warm back up! OH btw was that Lake Erie?
Yep that was the North shore of Lake Erie. I've got my fingers crossed that I'll get a few nice points out of that rock. I slow way down in my knapping over the winter because by the time my mancave gets warm enough from the woodstove to knap, I don't have a lot of time before it gets dark. Those brick hammers are multi-purpose tools and you can also use the back end of it for a digger. Our forecast is for cold weather to arrive this Sunday with some snow every day until next Thursday.
Are you on the lake erie side or lake Ontario im planning a trip up from wv to see my sister in Olean
This was on the Canadian side along Lake Erie near Port Colburne.
Also looking for some Onodaga! Here in ontario same as you it looks like, where are some good spots?
Reeb's bay west of Port Colburne is a good place to find this stone.
@@Paleoman52 thank you!
@@Paleoman52 just had a fire while toying with some Onodaga from reebs! The hunt was so thrilling and rewarding! Thank you for the tip! Learning lots already
@@Paleoman52 sunscribing and liking all ur vids rn btw!
@@jaredrichardson2337 Thanks and I hope you get some great rock at Reeb's!
Can't wait to these in final form!
You and me both! There is gonna be a lot of hard work ahead with this stone but I really love smacking this stuff, it can take a beating and is quite forgiving if the platform edge is not perfect.
Is there any chert along PA creeks and rivers ?
I am sure there is some chert to be found in Pa, but I'm not sure exactly where. Years ago I went to the Macungie area and found lots of Jasper, but I live in Western New York State and I am not really familiar where the sources of chert are. Sorry!
Another great video and was very surprised as i immediately noticed the EXACT spot you drove onto the 400 heading up into N.F./ CAN. I lived on G.I. for 45 yrs. retired and moved back to my home state of P.A. 11 yrs ago in our wonderful area of western n.y. i have found one of the LARGEST native American archaeological sites in ALL of north America....lucky me...smile. Our area is EXTREMELY rich in artifacts as i am sure you know.....Hope you and your family had a wonderful x-mas today and a Happy New Year to you as well........oh i knew your voice sounded familiar, we played ball together....lol
wow i got the same stuff here in ky. i call it oil chert, coincidentally comes from a place call "oil center". looks the same and has a sweet-ish oil smell.
That one piece that looks like a triangle from the long side. How would you take flakes off the top of it?
All the flakes I remove have to come from the side of the stone and across the surface. I recently did a 2 part video on making a Snyders Point from start to finish and it shows exactly how I knap the flakes across the piece. Check out those 2 videos if you get time.
Interesting comment on how your Onondaga smells like petroleum. I've worked Texas Georgetown material that periodically produces a crude oil smell when you rip a spall off. Same grey mottled color. Hmmm
Yep one thing that makes Onondaga chert unique is the strong odor of petroleum when you work it. It is actually made out of the decayed plants and animals that settled on an ancient seabed and eventually became chert.
Paleoman52, I'm in the Lake George area. Do you come this way at all? Would be cool to do an outing with another NY knapper
Is there some trick about finding big chunks of chert like that? I'm in the Rochester area and find tons of little stuff that's just completely unusable. From the looks of this vid, you seem to be on the shore of Ontario. Is the picking better up there?
Hi Benjamin, the trick is to find an area where the Onondaga chert outcrops from the Earth. I was on the North shore of Lake Erie west of Port Colburne in this video. At that place the Onondaga is at surface level and those big chunks are part of the bedrock. Onondaga is a layered chert formation that looks like a layer cake with bands of Onondaga separated by bands of limestone. Most of the chert has been fractured but if you break enough of it down you can get a few decent pieces. The weight of all that glacial ice really put a lot of stress on the bedrock which caused it to fracture.
Paleoman52 Awesome, thanks a lot!
If you don't mind me asking, where was this location?
Paleoman52, what are the GPS coordinators to this place.
Out side of Buffalo ny
I know exactly where you guys were... Been there myself. Brought a Nation Guy there to bust out chert. We brought hammers, chisels :)
It's pretty hard work getting that material isn't it? I had been there a few times previously so I was prepared to work for it. I'm finding that the best course of action there is to just pry those blocks up from the bedrock and spall them down. That brick hammer did a pretty good job breaking down those chunks, then the hammerstone trimmed them up nicely.
wish we had some rock like here. I have been looking but no luck
That vein of Onondaga runs from Canada, across New York State all the way to Albany. You might be able to find an escarpment where it outcrops and you'll have all you need. If you know any local geologists or Soil and Water people they might be able to show you a map of this outcropping of chert in your area.
Good deal,,,You got enough to last the winter,so we get excellent vids all winter.I just love,win-win situations.:>) hmmmm? brick hammer.
I'm not sure if my vids will be excellent FS, but I'll give it a good try. You must have a couple of those brick hammers kicking around your place don't you. They work great for spalling. This was a throw away at work years ago. The guy that was working for us did the job and then tossed this hammer in the trash. I knew it would come in handy at some point in time.
Paleoman52 Infact,I have a brick hammer.Unfortunately,had a neighbor couple that was divorcing,they both moved their stuff,and parted ways,yet neither one of them wanted to bother with the remains of an outside garage,and she told me to get anything left in it,if I could use it,,so,I helped myself to several gas cans,car cleaning items,nuts,bolts,tools,etc,,even a brick hammer,,but mines a short handled Etswing model and blue.It might not work like a red one.:>)
Hi, I am sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you are willing to let me know where this site is? I have been trying to track down a onondaga chert outcrop to collect from, I want to make a video on onondaga chert and I want to get some nice geological samples. If you are willing to tell me but don't want to say it in the comments I am OK with with you emailing me location.
No Problem, after all it is your rock. This outcropping is at Reeb's Bay right across the road from a cemetery. The road that takes you there is Quarry road off from Route 3 out of Port Colburne. I subbed your channel, I would love to see you video on Onondaga Chert.
@@Paleoman52 Awesome thank you! I will let you know when I post it.
Very cool road trip...liked it. I find artifacts here in southeast Michigan and 25-30% of what I find is made of Onondaga Chert. The other materials artifacts here are made of is: Kettle Point chert, Lake Huron shores in Ontario Canada 🇨🇦, Stoney Creek Chert, monroe/washtenaw County michigan and Bayport chert, Saginaw bay Michigan. The Charity Islands, 10 miles out in Saginaw bay are limestone formations that source Bayport chert in round nodules. Amazed that indians would paddle that far out into lake huron to collect this popular chert. There is a cool video on utube about collecting chert at the Charity Islands. This video shows the nodules under water near these islands in shallow snorkel depth. Always wanted to try collecting some. Just need a boat and snorkeling gear. Heard the nodules under water shouldn't have freeze cracks. Thanks again, Michigander , Ralph.
I hereby coronate you, THE STINKROCK KING!
I am truly honored to be given that title, LOL!
Does Onondaga need to be heat treated?
Onondaga is one of those cherts that really doesn't benefit from heat treatment. It is always worked raw as far as I know. I've heard that some folks have tried to heat treat it and it didn't work any easier. There are different grades of Onondaga chert, it can occur from what I refer to as concrete to almost glassy. It all depends on how much limestone is has in it, the less the better it works.
Where is that place?
Near Reeb's Bay Ontario , Canada.
Where did you get the chert
I quarried that stone at Reeb's Bay near Port Colburne, Canada. I declared it at the border and they were fine with me taking home a few rocks.
where is this? NY?
Just across the border at Buffalo, NY into Canada.
Cool! Thanks, I live in Rochester and want to get into Flint knapping but I just can't find anything.
Sean Stamski You can find Onondaga chert from Buffalo to Leroy, NY along the escarpment. I used to get some near Indian Falls.
i live very close to this spot rtwodogs instagram