chasing some online reading

[otis.drum]

hi guys, i'm new here, and new to knapping. so hi all, you have a great website here.

just briefly;
i'm from cape york australia and honestly don't know if we have any natural materials to knap close by, so plan to start on some beer bottles...plenty of them around 
i am a souly traditional bowhunter, and am interested in all things old and hard. that is, pre technological technology    i love the outdoors and making my own gear. i make and shoot my own longbows, lam bows and selfbows, quivers, tabs etc etc and love every minute of it. for me the only natural progression in my pass time is to get more and more primitive in my gear and techniques.

i have read through a couple of dozen pages of threads on here and have admired some beautiful work, some true craftmanship/cavemanship 

i have also taken in as much 'how to' knapping info, in bits and pieces, as i could. but i was hoping someone could point me in the direction of some online readings and articles on how to knap. i have watched a number of youtube vids which have been really good, and have started thicking over some tools to gather and make to get me started.

any good reading would be much appreciated if you could help me out.

thanks,

Otis Drum

[DustinDees]

Welcome! As far as material there i googled "Australia knapping" and found http://www.eskimo.com/~knapper/mookaite.htm this is an unadvertised plain site. hopefully the admins allow this. i also sent you a PM with some of my favorite beginning sources. hope this helps.

Dustin D

[otis.drum]

awesome, thankyou. i'll check it out....

[Swamp Bow]

I think if you posted a picture of a knapped opal blade, you might give most folks on here a heart condition!    Especially some of the electric blue in a black matrix stuff.  Drool! I hope to get back to your beautiful and friendly country sometime soon.

Cheers,

Swamp

[otis.drum]

i think i had best start with the beer bottles. no need to use my inexperience to turn perty opal into rubble    check back in 20 odd years and we'll see how i'm going with that 

opal would be far to exspensive for me, and doesn't come filled with yellow hops flavoured water 

[grozierguy]

Hi Otis,

Welcome to the wonderful world of silicon addiction!

In addition to the Youtube videos there are also tutorials at the two mYahoo groups, Knappers R Us and The Tarp.  Also there are some at the Paleo Planet forum, too.  Plus many of the commercial sites such as flintknappingtools.com have either articles or pointers to , too.  Have fun looking!

So far the only problem I have found with the beer bottle bottoms, aside from size, is that after two or so I start to loose about the same volume in blood as I'm taking in in beer.....

Dave

[otis.drum]

thanks dave. i will have to look at those from home as the work computer (currently on night shift) is slow and blocks a lot of sights (weapons  )

beer bottle will be fine for me as i'm, ennitially at least, only trying my hand at it and hopefully making a few arrow heads for chasing cape boars 

i think i will probably be loosing enough blood knapping sober, so i might drink and knap on seperate occasions 

otis

[mullet]

 Yep, you have some great Opal down there. I've ordered it before. The Mookite is real good to knap, but heat treat it first. And, welcome aboard.