That looks like a good piece of Basalt. It's one of the more abundant choices of knapping rock here on Haida Gwaii. There is no flint, chert, or obsidian that I know of.
Texas cherts usually spall pretty nicely and some are high grade which requires a little less mass to fracture it. Working Basalt carries its own set of rules. If you use heavy antler then you have to be sure to abrade the edge well and then give it a good pop to send a decent flake off. I like to work both materials because once you match up the right tools with the stone, it is pretty easy to thin them down.
Good,Helpful Vid,Thanks a bunch.You think,I should use the same size HS,when spallin those 120+chunks?Or should I use bigger, to try knockin off slabs,then work with something smaller to produce smaller flakes?sorry about all the ?'s again.Thanks.FS
Now I'll watch some more of your vids to get a better idea of your technique with the next stages ! I seen the new Copena.....Man that thing is awesome. You can't get much closer than that ! Beautiful work !
Thanks for the info. Just beginning knapping. I need bigger pieces like that one. I'm only finding small ones. Not for sure where to look. Can't wait! Thanks for the lesson.
Usually the rocks that are flint/chert are much finer grain and can be glossy and smooth texture, where as the basalt is quite course with much heavier grain and is purely volcanic. Basalt is magma that has cooled slowly. Many of the flint/cherts have been created by sedimentation of old ocean bottoms that have metamorphosed over a long period of time into a hard rock that has concoidal fracture capabilities. I hope this helps.
Hi Billie, I'm glad you learned some stuff from this video, I wish I had a few more pieces of rock to spall but i'm kind of low right now. I'll have more in a couple of months once the Letchworth show is on. I find spalling very enjoyable, its kind of like rough carpentry when you do the framing, you make fast progress in the early stages until it is time for the detailed work. I built the first house my wife and I lived in for 17 years.
That particular piece came from Arizona, it knapps really well and the points you get out of it look really cool. This was my first step in making a "how to" video MontanaBarNone, hopefully more to follow when I can get my wife to hold the camera for me.
A good rule of thumb I follow is to increase the mass of the percussion tool to get a larger spall/flake. So if you have a huge piece of flint you want to break down get the heaviest tool to impact it harder. The weight of the tool does the work, you just need to direct the energy where you want it to cleave off. I hope this helps Flintspall.
Nice job! I recently practiced spalling with a hammerstone and had limited success. I never realized the downward instead of inward on the strike. Thanks for the vid!
I was really scrounging around for something to spall to make this video. If I had some Burlington, Texas chert, or obsidian, I could give a much better lesson on spalling. In a couple of months we'll have our stone tool show in Letchworth and I'll get stocked back up on good knapping rock. Thanks for the comments Elvis!
That's the key to get those large spalls to release. It took me forever to learn this, but it makes sense once you consider the hertzian cone principal of how silicon dioxide materials fracture (a little heavy on the terminology, sorry). To simple say it, what you are trying to do is replicate what happens when a BB strikes a pane of glass, it blows out a cone. The angle of the sides of the cone equals the angle of the fracture you wish to make when you spall straight down like the BB impact.
Good job bud, that is what i do when i attempt at these rocks, just dont break like that rock did lol . Thanks for the video and great job as always, i need to start busting up rock again lol.
Hey Paleoman, nice to see some spalling! Just wondering how the basalts compare to the Texas cherts? I have never worked basalt and it looks like it might work a little differently? Take care
I'm pretty sure that heat treating basalt would not improve it unless you could heat it to a molten state and then cool it rapidly to form a more glassy material. Mother nature already heat treated that stuff and it cooled slower which allowed bigger crystals to form and make it tougher to chip.
really neat sure learned alot there and you sure make it look easy, but then again you are the master in my book. thanks for showig how to do it. Billie thetnrelichunter
I wasn't sure what my viewers would think about a spalling video, but I'm glad you liked it. I'll try to save you a few pieces of basalt if you come to Letchworth at the end of August. If you really would like to get some sooner, see if PeeblePimp from Paleo Planet will send you some, he has tons of it and that is where this chunk came from. Thanks for watching Jim!
Thanks Richard, I hope this was helpful to you if you ever have some big rock you want to break down and get some usable flakes from. That antler is "Big Bertha", I usually only use it when I have some heavy percussion to do. Thanks for watching.
+TheRedhawke Thanks for watching! I got this from a fellow named Tom Dodge in Arizona. Google him and you can find his contact info. He's a really nice guy! He has access to a lot of this stone.
Seeing that you are just getting started, a word of advice for you, try using some materials that are good teaching devices such as glass, and Johnstone (broken toilet tank). I suggest this because unless you have a huge source of good knapping rock available to you for free, you will spend a lot of money buying good rock that you might destroy and wish you had later. These other materials I suggested help you to develop some techniques you can use on the good rocks. Good Luck!
WAGONJON I got that Basalt from a fellow in Arizona, if you go on Paleo Planet look for a guy that goes by the name Pebble Pimp and he will be sure that you get some of this material. He also has a source of Basidian (half Basalt and Half Obsidian) this stuff is really cool because it is striped with green and black.
Good explanation, Thanks. Now if I can find me some good chunks of Burlington w/o the hairline cracks, Maybe I'll get somewhere. I've hauled backpacks of rock home thinking it's good rock and whack with the hammer and crumble with the rock,,,LOL,,,frustrating. Trial and error,,,Just like the ancients, I guess!
I live in Seaside, Oregon....We have tons of Basalt around here(I think that's what it is). Any tips for working with it as I can't make a trip to glass buttes until next spring :(
+Reck Tominvayed I like to use a nice solid hammerstone to work with basalt. I think the thing about that material is that it is a little more forgiving than obsidian which is very delicate and easy to break. Some basalt may be just too hard if it cooled really slow, so that material could be tough to work with.
Thanks alabamajones62, I believe this is probably the way that the Indians did it because it didn't really require fancy tools, just one rock chipping another into a rough shape. Thanks for checking in!
+Seth Warner For the most part my goal is to get one large blade from a piece that size. I do try to get some smaller usable flakes along the way for smaller points too. The rest I just discard behind my mancave for future use if I need small flakes for other projects. Good Luck knapping and thanks so much for watching!
I think,I've got the idea now.when I find me a big enough,round rock,I may show U how I bust my knuckles,in a private vid.I would'nt want everybody laughin at the same time.:):):)Thanks for the edge.I think there are many,in the dark with me,even on the basics. I know,there's no replacement for a good cam person,but tripods do o.k.If my, how to vids had to wait on my wife,well,I couldn't make many,for she has 0 interest in me peckin on rocks.LOL.HINT
I used to go to a place where the stone outcropped on a shoreline of Lake Erie, but in recent years I have been purchasing most of mine at a knap-in that is held near my home in Letchworth State Park, in Western new York State.
I live south of Rochester and have been hearing about the Letchworth knap-in. When is it? Who organizes the event? Thanks for all your videos. I'm learning a lot.
This year the Letchworth Stone Tool Craftsman Show will be held at the North end of Letchworth State Park at the Highbanks recreation area just south of the swimming pool. It starts around noon on August 24th and ends August 27th around 2pm. It is organized by the Genesee valley flintknappers. Google that name and you can find their webpage.
That looks like a good piece of Basalt. It's one of the more abundant choices of knapping rock here on Haida Gwaii. There is no flint, chert, or obsidian that I know of.
Thank you for this. I really enjoy learning.
That's some high quality basalt.
Texas cherts usually spall pretty nicely and some are high grade which requires a little less mass to fracture it. Working Basalt carries its own set of rules. If you use heavy antler then you have to be sure to abrade the edge well and then give it a good pop to send a decent flake off. I like to work both materials because once you match up the right tools with the stone, it is pretty easy to thin them down.
when im spalling i sometimes use the spalls as is for woodcarving and stuff
Good,Helpful Vid,Thanks a bunch.You think,I should use the same size HS,when spallin those 120+chunks?Or should I use bigger, to try knockin off slabs,then work with something smaller to produce smaller flakes?sorry about all the ?'s again.Thanks.FS
Thanks Rick, I'm glad you are watching. Are you taking good care of that Onondaga Snyders?
Now I'll watch some more of your vids to get a better idea of your technique with the next stages ! I seen the new Copena.....Man that thing is awesome. You can't get much closer than that ! Beautiful work !
Thanks for the info. Just beginning knapping. I need bigger pieces like that one. I'm only finding small ones. Not for sure where to look. Can't wait! Thanks for the lesson.
Excellent Ken ! That helps alot. You sure make it look easy....LOL Now I just have to get something that big to try it.........LOL
Usually the rocks that are flint/chert are much finer grain and can be glossy and smooth texture, where as the basalt is quite course with much heavier grain and is purely volcanic. Basalt is magma that has cooled slowly. Many of the flint/cherts have been created by sedimentation of old ocean bottoms that have metamorphosed over a long period of time into a hard rock that has concoidal fracture capabilities. I hope this helps.
Always cool to watch you work Ken!
Great vid. I always enjoy watching people working with rock.
Hi Billie, I'm glad you learned some stuff from this video, I wish I had a few more pieces of rock to spall but i'm kind of low right now. I'll have more in a couple of months once the Letchworth show is on. I find spalling very enjoyable, its kind of like rough carpentry when you do the framing, you make fast progress in the early stages until it is time for the detailed work. I built the first house my wife and I lived in for 17 years.
That particular piece came from Arizona, it knapps really well and the points you get out of it look really cool. This was my first step in making a "how to" video MontanaBarNone, hopefully more to follow when I can get my wife to hold the camera for me.
A good rule of thumb I follow is to increase the mass of the percussion tool to get a larger spall/flake. So if you have a huge piece of flint you want to break down get the heaviest tool to impact it harder. The weight of the tool does the work, you just need to direct the energy where you want it to cleave off. I hope this helps Flintspall.
Cool vids helps you understand some the flakes and tools you can find on a hunt.
Nice job! I recently practiced spalling with a hammerstone and had limited success. I never realized the downward instead of inward on the strike. Thanks for the vid!
I was really scrounging around for something to spall to make this video. If I had some Burlington, Texas chert, or obsidian, I could give a much better lesson on spalling. In a couple of months we'll have our stone tool show in Letchworth and I'll get stocked back up on good knapping rock. Thanks for the comments Elvis!
That's the key to get those large spalls to release. It took me forever to learn this, but it makes sense once you consider the hertzian cone principal of how silicon dioxide materials fracture (a little heavy on the terminology, sorry). To simple say it, what you are trying to do is replicate what happens when a BB strikes a pane of glass, it blows out a cone. The angle of the sides of the cone equals the angle of the fracture you wish to make when you spall straight down like the BB impact.
Good job bud, that is what i do when i attempt at these rocks, just dont break like that rock did lol . Thanks for the video and great job as always, i need to start busting up rock again lol.
Hey Paleoman, nice to see some spalling! Just wondering how the basalts compare to the Texas cherts? I have never worked basalt and it looks like it might work a little differently? Take care
I'm pretty sure that heat treating basalt would not improve it unless you could heat it to a molten state and then cool it rapidly to form a more glassy material. Mother nature already heat treated that stuff and it cooled slower which allowed bigger crystals to form and make it tougher to chip.
Excellent demonstration, Ken! Nice antler billet =)
really neat sure learned alot there and you sure make it look easy, but then again you are the master in my book. thanks for showig how to do it. Billie thetnrelichunter
I wasn't sure what my viewers would think about a spalling video, but I'm glad you liked it. I'll try to save you a few pieces of basalt if you come to Letchworth at the end of August. If you really would like to get some sooner, see if PeeblePimp from Paleo Planet will send you some, he has tons of it and that is where this chunk came from. Thanks for watching Jim!
Thanks Richard, I hope this was helpful to you if you ever have some big rock you want to break down and get some usable flakes from. That antler is "Big Bertha", I usually only use it when I have some heavy percussion to do. Thanks for watching.
Nice looking basalt! where did it come from?
Where can a person buy this type stone ? I cant seem to find it for sale. Thanks, really enjoy this spalling demo.
+TheRedhawke Thanks for watching! I got this from a fellow named Tom Dodge in Arizona. Google him and you can find his contact info. He's a really nice guy! He has access to a lot of this stone.
Seeing that you are just getting started, a word of advice for you, try using some materials that are good teaching devices such as glass, and Johnstone (broken toilet tank). I suggest this because unless you have a huge source of good knapping rock available to you for free, you will spend a lot of money buying good rock that you might destroy and wish you had later. These other materials I suggested help you to develop some techniques you can use on the good rocks. Good Luck!
Where do you get good basalt like that from? It is a rich deep coal color. Thanks for the lesson!
WAGONJON I got that Basalt from a fellow in Arizona, if you go on Paleo Planet look for a guy that goes by the name Pebble Pimp and he will be sure that you get some of this material. He also has a source of Basidian (half Basalt and Half Obsidian) this stuff is really cool because it is striped with green and black.
Thank you, Sir!
Thanks for watching, I'm glad this was helpful to you, good luck!
It,and the other two have a small Rikers case all to themselves!!
Good explanation, Thanks. Now if I can find me some good chunks of Burlington w/o the hairline cracks, Maybe I'll get somewhere. I've hauled backpacks of rock home thinking it's good rock and whack with the hammer and crumble with the rock,,,LOL,,,frustrating. Trial and error,,,Just like the ancients, I guess!
I live in Seaside, Oregon....We have tons of Basalt around here(I think that's what it is). Any tips for working with it as I can't make a trip to glass buttes until next spring :(
+Reck Tominvayed I like to use a nice solid hammerstone to work with basalt. I think the thing about that material is that it is a little more forgiving than obsidian which is very delicate and easy to break. Some basalt may be just too hard if it cooled really slow, so that material could be tough to work with.
Thanks alabamajones62, I believe this is probably the way that the Indians did it because it didn't really require fancy tools, just one rock chipping another into a rough shape. Thanks for checking in!
Good video. :-)
So, Im a beginer. DO you keep the little pieces, or are you basically shaping the big piece into something?
+Seth Warner For the most part my goal is to get one large blade from a piece that size. I do try to get some smaller usable flakes along the way for smaller points too. The rest I just discard behind my mancave for future use if I need small flakes for other projects. Good Luck knapping and thanks so much for watching!
I think,I've got the idea now.when I find me a big enough,round rock,I may show U how I bust my knuckles,in a private vid.I would'nt want everybody laughin at the same time.:):):)Thanks for the edge.I think there are many,in the dark with me,even on the basics. I know,there's no replacement for a good cam person,but tripods do o.k.If my, how to vids had to wait on my wife,well,I couldn't make many,for she has 0 interest in me peckin on rocks.LOL.HINT
Is this from glass buttes?
I'm not sure where this obsidian is from, it was sent to me by a fellow youtuber. My guess would be yes. A lot of obsidian comes from there.
Thank you.
Where do you find knapebl stone
I used to go to a place where the stone outcropped on a shoreline of Lake Erie, but in recent years I have been purchasing most of mine at a knap-in that is held near my home in Letchworth State Park, in Western new York State.
I live south of Rochester and have been hearing about the Letchworth knap-in. When is it? Who organizes the event? Thanks for all your videos. I'm learning a lot.
This year the Letchworth Stone Tool Craftsman Show will be held at the North end of Letchworth State Park at the Highbanks recreation area just south of the swimming pool. It starts around noon on August 24th and ends August 27th around 2pm. It is organized by the Genesee valley flintknappers. Google that name and you can find their webpage.