Just finished the whole thing. Had to watch on my tv to get a better feel. I wish I was younger and could have apprenticed you. I loved that "the big ole' 17 pounder" hit in pt 2. It looked like you just pulled it off with your hand... no more than a gentle nudge. Simply magic to see those brilliant spalls fly off. Thanks for your generosity in sharing.
Beautiful work! The Flintstones would be proud to host you at the Water Buffalo Lodge dinner! Seriously though keeping alive this ancient craft is really admirable and you’re a master! Lovely video!!
I just watched the whole series and the only word that comes to mind is "MASTERFUL" I am in awe at your art work and skill. You are a true "Artisan" !. Thank you for these videos.
I literally "StumbedUpon" this video and was absolutely amazed by the precision with which this man is able to move just the pieces he wants out of that mass. It nearly looks like magic!! What a joy it is to see such well practiced artistry and craftsmanship. Thanks so much for sharing this.
Jim Absolutely incredible. From the pit to the finished piece. Well done. Thanks for going to all the trouble. The whole series is a beautiful thing. Dan NC
I nearly had a heart attack watching and worrying about that beautiful thing snapping in half. I was begging you to stop all the way through it. Thank goodness you didn't beautiful work of art. Would love to have some of the spalls off that rock. Beautiful material. John
You sir are an amazing artist!!!! I have enjoyed every moment of this video series!!!! Can't say I would ever have the patience or skills to create a master piece such as that!!!
I found your videos while hunting for a visual of the used in the Gears' book series I am re - reading. I have come to 4 conclusions: *you sir are an exquisite artist *I am a paleo geek *if I tried this - you should take stock in 4x6 gauze bandages, not bandaid s. and finally, as the art therapist volunteer at the Syracuse NY Veterans Hospital, I wish you could display/demonstrate this skill to my guys and gals.
Thanks Jimmy, knapping is a great hobby. I've seen the originals at Favell and will need to make a trip to Hearst someday. Plan to check out some of your videos later today....jim
Beautiful work sir. Makes me want to start cracking rocks again. I would love to make that journey up there to collect some larger obsidian for my projects.
+TheRedhawke Thanks. The obsidian pits are incredible. It was fairly obvious that the old boys did a lot of collecting there as well, many large broken bifaces turned up, some more than a foot below the surface! Awesome area.
excellent job! you are a true master! its amazing that you didn't snap it in two! now do it with traditional tools! haha! j/k...awesome....totally awesome
Thanks, I agree, making it with traditional tools would be awesome. I plan to try making a blade in the 14" to 18" size this summer with abo tools, gotta find some bigger grittier hamerstones first though...jim
John, yes it is south of the Buttes, maybe 20 miles or so and I think it is considered a part of the Buttes, not sure though. There are quite a few outcrops of it in the area....jim
I was planning to do a weath blade video myself. There're are 2 blades at the Hearst in Berkley that are quite nice. One's only about a foot long and is finished with pressure. The other is a huge blade much like the one you made only it's like 4 inches wide and 1 1/2 inch thick. Ishi is also on display there too.
beautiful! I wouldn't believe it was made with direct percussion if i hadn't seen it. Do you think it could be made with stone and antler hammers in the later stages or the size of the flake removals requires copper?
arnaldohanatarashi Copper is not required to make large blades! Hammerstones and antler will work just as well as copper. The large copper hammers are useful in the field to do the initial spalling because of their mass. In the final stages antler percussors or punches can often do a better job than copper billets. It is really a matter of experience and getting use to the tools than one uses.....
Yes, probably ceremonial. I have heard that some indians still use them, dancing around a camp fire while holding the blade above their head, the fire light reflecting off the blade as they dance. We have found broken pieces of huge blades in the same area, so the old boys were doing the same thing....
It mic'd out at .68" or just under 3/4", not real thin but under 5/1 ratio. I figured it would probably end up as a dance blade, but sometimes if I can preserve the width at one end I aim for a Ross....thanks...
Works great for slicing watermelon! just kidding, they actually made big blades like this in the Northwest for ceremonies. They were known to dance around a campfire holding the blade up in the air where the fire would reflect off the blade....jim
Hi, Jim. Thanks for the great series. I have watched it several times, and have learned quite a bit. I want to take up the craft, and I wanted to ask where in Oregon did you extract the original boulder? Was it near Glass Buttes? I live in Oregon, and I want to go find some material to get started. Thanks. John
@chrissie149 Yeah, stone is wicked sharp but fragile. That's why you didn't see swords or huge-bladed axes until metal working came in. Otherwise, your entire blade shatters ounce it hits bone.
Amazing to watch you at work, though I'd be lying if I said it didn't cut a slight bit into me seeing such a huge boulder being reduced to 'small' shards simply to get a 24" blade result.. As you said, 1% of the boulder-size... Having literally (as of your videos) gotten an interest in this, I'm curious - did the rest of the shards get put to equal attention and use?
rahma4 The reduction process produced dozens of large spalls, each of which was suitable for making smaller blades. Many of the larger spalls produced smaller spalls, suitable for making even more small knives. Hundreds of artifacts can be made from one large boulder with very little waste....
paleomanjim That's pleasing to hear - seeing the amount of spalls going off-camera left me seriously hoping they weren't just being discarded, in lieu of the prized big-blade :) As stated, it's a pleasure watching you work - will definitely draw on your expertise in these videos when I try my hand at drawing blades out of the flint I've collected on the shores of Denmark. With any amount of luck I'll have a few knife-worthy blades for my efforts before too long. Much obliged Jim!
Dear Jim, Congratulations Ability, skills and experience in the same time, ... You saw stages of the film (?) that I put on the network ... Mandi, Giuliano
paleomanjim Jim you are amazing!! I live in Ely . Recently went to the buttes spent a day there looking around but never saw any rocks in the caliber of this one.. I am fascinated by your work. Thank you ! I hope to learn this skill
+tanfo8 Dancing! Some cultures of the Pacific Northwest were known to use large dance blades like this one for use in ceremonies. They would dance around the camp fire holding the large blade in the air which would reflect the camp fire light. Very spiritual.
Wow, Jim this was mind blowing to watch!! Like another said, the large platforms on such a large piece are great to see. Thanks for sharing!!
Just finished the whole thing. Had to watch on my tv to get a better feel. I wish I was younger and could have apprenticed you. I loved that "the big ole' 17 pounder" hit in pt 2. It looked like you just pulled it off with your hand... no more than a gentle nudge. Simply magic to see those brilliant spalls fly off. Thanks for your generosity in sharing.
I love how giant blades ring when you hit them
Beautiful work! The Flintstones would be proud to host you at the Water Buffalo Lodge dinner! Seriously though keeping alive this ancient craft is really admirable and you’re a master! Lovely video!!
Wow, thank you!
Nice work mr. Wizard.....
Thanks
I just watched the whole series and the only word that comes to mind is "MASTERFUL" I am in awe at your art work and skill. You are a true "Artisan" !. Thank you for these videos.
I literally "StumbedUpon" this video and was absolutely amazed by the precision with which this man is able to move just the pieces he wants out of that mass. It nearly looks like magic!! What a joy it is to see such well practiced artistry and craftsmanship. Thanks so much for sharing this.
Jim Absolutely incredible. From the pit to the finished piece. Well done. Thanks for going to all the trouble. The whole series is a beautiful thing.
Dan NC
I love the Dacite used in this video. One of these days I will make it to Oregon to collect my own. Thanks for the wonderful video!!
I am in complete amazement. That is one of the coolest things I have ever seen. WOW!
That’s absolutely incredible!
Thanks, I did have fun with that one
I nearly had a heart attack watching and worrying about that beautiful thing snapping in half. I was begging you to stop all the way through it. Thank goodness you didn't beautiful work of art. Would love to have some of the spalls off that rock. Beautiful material. John
You sir are an amazing artist!!!! I have enjoyed every moment of this video series!!!! Can't say I would ever have the patience or skills to create a master piece such as that!!!
Such a nice result from all of that hard work.
The Solutréens were fabulous artists!! And you also!
They were incredible!
I found your videos while hunting for a visual of the used in the Gears' book series I am re - reading.
I have come to 4 conclusions:
*you sir are an exquisite artist
*I am a paleo geek
*if I tried this - you should take stock in 4x6 gauze bandages, not bandaid s.
and finally, as the art therapist volunteer at the Syracuse NY Veterans Hospital, I wish you could display/demonstrate this skill to my guys and gals.
Thanks Jimmy, knapping is a great hobby. I've seen the originals at Favell and will need to make a trip to Hearst someday. Plan to check out some of your videos later today....jim
Jim, you are a master knapper! That looks better than most of the originals at the Hearst and Favell museums.
Beautiful work sir. Makes me want to start cracking rocks again. I would love to make that journey up there to collect some larger obsidian for my projects.
+TheRedhawke Thanks. The obsidian pits are incredible. It was fairly obvious that the old boys did a lot of collecting there as well, many large broken bifaces turned up, some more than a foot below the surface! Awesome area.
This is absolutely amazing..
Simply incredible.
excellent job! you are a true master! its amazing that you didn't snap it in two! now do it with traditional tools! haha! j/k...awesome....totally awesome
Thanks, I agree, making it with traditional tools would be awesome. I plan to try making a blade in the 14" to 18" size this summer with abo tools, gotta find some bigger grittier hamerstones first though...jim
John, yes it is south of the Buttes, maybe 20 miles or so and I think it is considered a part of the Buttes, not sure though. There are quite a few outcrops of it in the area....jim
Absolutely gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
+jon lennon Thanks, sure had fun making that one.
good gawd! that's beautiful. excellent job.
Toss that thing out in a future archeological area and they'll think "man a giant must have used this, he must have been 20 foot tall".
I was planning to do a weath blade video myself. There're are 2 blades at the Hearst in Berkley that are quite nice. One's only about a foot long and is finished with pressure. The other is a huge blade much like the one you made only it's like 4 inches wide and 1 1/2 inch thick. Ishi is also on display there too.
Simply amazing..........
Absolutly awsome. Keep the videos coming.
very cool Mandi! thanks for sharing....jim
I learned more from watching this larger scale, one of those aha moments. Thanks
I recommend using glass if good quality rock is hard to find in your area. It works the same as obsidian and is readily available.....
This one is a bit large, but they did use blades like this for ceremonies and dances and perhaps grave offerings....jim
beautiful! I wouldn't believe it was made with direct percussion if i hadn't seen it. Do you think it could be made with stone and antler hammers in the later stages or the size of the flake removals requires copper?
arnaldohanatarashi Copper is not required to make large blades! Hammerstones and antler will work just as well as copper. The large copper hammers are useful in the field to do the initial spalling because of their mass. In the final stages antler percussors or punches can often do a better job than copper billets. It is really a matter of experience and getting use to the tools than one uses.....
wondering wat this would be for other then decoration? nice video aswell
a t-rex spear lol all jokes aside that is one crazy big blade
Yes, probably ceremonial. I have heard that some indians still use them, dancing around a camp fire while holding the blade above their head, the fire light reflecting off the blade as they dance. We have found broken pieces of huge blades in the same area, so the old boys were doing the same thing....
Jim, Fantastic set. How thick did it turn out?
Did you plan a dance blade from the onset?
Anyhow congratulations. This is a fine piece.
It mic'd out at .68" or just under 3/4", not real thin but under 5/1 ratio. I figured it would probably end up as a dance blade, but sometimes if I can preserve the width at one end I aim for a Ross....thanks...
Super you started with 300# and its only 4# way cool video to enjoyed it greatly thanks
Art in ones hands.
Good stuff as always Jim!
Works great for slicing watermelon! just kidding, they actually made big blades like this in the Northwest for ceremonies. They were known to dance around a campfire holding the blade up in the air where the fire would reflect off the blade....jim
Forgot to ask you where might I buy a chunk of Basalt. I have looked all over the web with no luck. Your stone seems to work very well.
+TheRedhawke I don't know if anyone is selling basalt lately. I collected mine from Arizona....
Man I sure miss your knapping videos
Thanks Shane, I miss making them, crazy fun knapping, I'd get into the stone and forget about everything else!
Is that black obsidian?
It would be nice to compare it to a real one.
It is called Dacite, but yes it is essentially opaque grey/black obsidian
Amazing
Hi, Jim. Thanks for the great series. I have watched it several times, and have learned quite a bit. I want to take up the craft, and I wanted to ask where in Oregon did you extract the original boulder? Was it near Glass Buttes? I live in Oregon, and I want to go find some material to get started. Thanks. John
@jacksawild I agree with you, the old boys were the masters and I could learn a lot from them!....jim
Awesome, I hope to be that good one day... It would be great for hunting Wooly Mammoths.
@chrissie149 Yeah, stone is wicked sharp but fragile. That's why you didn't see swords or huge-bladed axes until metal working came in. Otherwise, your entire blade shatters ounce it hits bone.
Amazing to watch you at work, though I'd be lying if I said it didn't cut a slight bit into me seeing such a huge boulder being reduced to 'small' shards simply to get a 24" blade result.. As you said, 1% of the boulder-size...
Having literally (as of your videos) gotten an interest in this, I'm curious - did the rest of the shards get put to equal attention and use?
rahma4 The reduction process produced dozens of large spalls, each of which was suitable for making smaller blades. Many of the larger spalls produced smaller spalls, suitable for making even more small knives. Hundreds of artifacts can be made from one large boulder with very little waste....
paleomanjim
That's pleasing to hear - seeing the amount of spalls going off-camera left me seriously hoping they weren't just being discarded, in lieu of the prized big-blade :)
As stated, it's a pleasure watching you work - will definitely draw on your expertise in these videos when I try my hand at drawing blades out of the flint I've collected on the shores of Denmark.
With any amount of luck I'll have a few knife-worthy blades for my efforts before too long.
Much obliged Jim!
awsome jim thanks
o si yo jim thats a how its done good tool work
I just started last night and having trouble with finding material, any chance you could help a guy and send him a decent flake to work with?
Dear Jim,
Congratulations
Ability, skills and experience in the same time,
... You saw stages of the film (?) that I put on the network ...
Mandi, Giuliano
its going to be very nice like all your stuff is...
Cool. Let's go hunt some mammoths!
Sweet!!!
wat can you do with it
What is a dace blade
Jim where are you located
Nevada
paleomanjim Jim you are amazing!! I live in Ely . Recently went to the buttes spent a day there looking around but never saw any rocks in the caliber of this one.. I am fascinated by your work. Thank you ! I hope to learn this skill
Jeeze
Would you sell something like that to me?
What do you use that for
+tanfo8 Dancing! Some cultures of the Pacific Northwest were known to use large dance blades like this one for use in ceremonies. They would dance around the camp fire holding the large blade in the air which would reflect the camp fire light. Very spiritual.
hm at first I though you were making some kind of lithophone...though this much work would probably be overkill for that?
wow
Lets see ya do that without a copper billet. PLEASE
handle? 😒
+FuriousJoeDK I see, thank you for the info 😊
symmetry is a little off you need to throw it away and start again