obsidion spalling

[sailordad]

weill i have a nice 5 lb hunk f peacock obsidion
its go some nice dark purples and blues (and some greens i think) to it
i bought this a few weeks back at a rock shop
now i dont want to destroy it by just attempting to spall it down.
i would like to get some decent size spalls for longer blades adn what not from it.
but i really dont know what i should use on it for spalling with it become 5 lbs of gravel.
i do realize that i need to set upp platforms nad abraid them first,but i really dont have a clue as to what would work best
for the actuall hitting with
all i have are some hammer stones.nothing huge just what i use for percussion work.along with a couple of copper boppers
i do have some hard wood logs that arent good enough for bows.
should  i cut one of them down to size and shape it and use that?
any input is always appreciated
thanks

[jamie]

use the hammerstones as long as they are soft material. got a pic of the stone? usually your first blows dont need to be abraded, just need to find a natural platform and use it. i get my best spalls from the first few hits depending on its shape. also when you are looking for spalls you want a heavy platform and you are gonna hit it a little higher so you can get a long run with some thickness.

[leapingbare]

Tim post a pic of your hammer stones and the rock and we can coach you on it.

[Hillbilly]

You need a big, softish hammerstone for spalling obsidian. I like a heavy hammerstone swung slow.

[Blacktail]

hey Tim,like every one said if you can get some pics up of the differant side maybe some one can use arrows to point out the platforms to use...now i am a very aggressive knapper and i use a hard river rock and find a natural platform if i cant find one then i make one...and i give it a fast hit with the river rock...on obsidian i don't hit repeatably..john

[sailordad]

thanks for the input everyone
i did take pics last night
but i forgot to put the memory card in the camera 
i dont know how to transfer the pics from the internal memory to the card
but any how,no worries
i posted this same question over on PP
and a guy that i bought my dacite from offered to slab it for free
so i am just gonna mail it to him so he can cut it up for me
i would hate to waste/destroy such a pretty hunk of obsidion

not to mention i heard that peacock is kinda hard to come by,not sure
but it did cost more than the other types he had at the rock shop.
and i would hate to waste the money i spent on it

thanks again

[FlintWalker]

Sounds good Tim.
 I hope your rock shop has lower prices that the ones around here.
There's one about 30 miles from here that has huge chunks of Fenton glass.  They've had most of it for years, but won't price it low enough to sell.  A cantelope size piece is something like $30.  That might not be high to some people, but it is too me!

[sailordad]

his prices are good on somethings,better on others,and some just seem rediculous

this piece is almost football size,weighed 5.2 lbs and cost me $25
as cheap as i am,thats alot of money to spend on a piece of rock.
thats why i dont want to destroy it 

im as tight as frog, when it comes to money 
not to mention i had to take that out of my"new hunting blind" fund
so i really would hate to waste it