First blood (mine!)

[jthompson1995]

I got my first cut (probably of many) from a flying flake today; not huge but I was surprised how much it bled.

A few weeks ago I went to the Oregon Ridge Primitive Tech weekend/knap in and got some stone to try my hand at knapping. I gathered some antler billets and hammer stones and decided to try my hand at breaking rock today.

I grabbed a spall of novaculite and a hammer stone and got hitting. Got a couple decent flakes but mainly crushed the edge of the stone or broke chunk off the side. I decided to try an axis antler billet and man what a difference. My second hit with the antler took off a nice flake about an inch wide that went 3/4 of the way across the spall and took out a hinge I had made with the hammer stone. A few flakes later I felt a flake nick my knuckle as I hit the stone and the blood started flowing. Not to be deterred, I wiped the blood and kept on going. I was able to get a bunch more flakes before I needed to stop to take care of other obligations (kids) but I can't wait to get back to it. I feel like I actually was able to plan out some of my flakes and actually get them to go kind of where I wanted.

I haven't made anything yet, just getting the hang of breaking rock. Hopefully soon I'll be able to post something that actually looks like something.

I'm pretty psyched about making some progress and needed to share with like minded folk here on PA. Thanks for looking.

I've attached a pic of the spall, some of the flakes I got and the bloody paper towel just to prove it actually did happen. 

[attachment deleted by admin]

[mullet]

 Yep! Looks like blood. Where's the point?

[cowboy]

I get a leak practically every time I spall, might as well get used to it. I only put a bandaid on the ornery ones that won't stop just so's not to bloody up the piece I'm working on. I've use super glue a time or two but just don't like the idea of putting the chemicals into the blood stream . Looks like some good novac - let's see some points soon..

[xin]

Superglue,cyanoacrylate.  The cyano is cyanide, a carcinogin.  Good thinking Cowboy.

[mullet]

 If the blood is pumping out the glue isn't going in.

[jthompson1995]

I got back to it a little later but still no point yet. I actually was able to plan out some thinning flakes that worked. It's funny that I actually felt like I hit a home run or something when I got a flake to go where I planned. I can definitely see why this can be addicting.

I think I was getting a little tired cause I started to cause more problems than get flakes and now the stone is quite a bit smaller than it was but only slightly thinner. I'll get some rest and see if I can get a point out of this piece. Or I'll end up breaking it and trying another. I'll make sure to post when I get a point made.

Oh yeah, I got three more cuts on my hands and one on my ankle (maybe I shouldn't knap in shorts and crocs). No bandaids needed for these, though (or glue).

[mullet]

 It's cool when something works out. You have to be pateint, learn the basics , then it's natural.

You're right, get rid of the Crocs, they'll gather chips. Get you some flip flops. Then you can just let the chips fall out the bottom.

[jcinpc]

haha, it happens all the time, I was spalling some coral and working down a piece to cab and looked down and saw this, I thought a deerfly got me

[xin]

Mullet, The glue is an effective hemastatic agent,therefore, the blood stops coming out and the glue goes into the wound.  Back in 1969 I was part of a research team  at Walter Reed Army Medical Center studying the bactericidal properties, if any, and toxicity of superglue as a hemastatic agent  They used it in a spray can, designed by a friend of mine, on eviscerated troops in Vietnam.  A little future toxicity beats the crap out of immediate death from blood loss.

[AncientArcher76]

Blood is all part of the excitiement!
rUSS

[sailordad]

well ya know what the ysay about bows, if ya breaking them ya aint making them
well when it comes to learning to knapp,if ya aint bleeding ya aint trying hard enough 
i dont bleed as pften as i used to,but when i do bleed know its usually a good un' 

[El Destructo]

Superglue,cyanoacrylate.  The cyano is cyanide, a carcinogin.  Good thinking Cowboy.

I have to disagree with this Statement...Cyanoacrylate is not Potassium Cyanide(the killer cyanide) based. Rather Cyanide is a chemical form rather than a chemical in itself... So yes, Super Glue's base is in cyanide form, so its not nearly as worrying as the idea of putting potassium cynide in your harmonica

I have used it dozens of time on my own...and all of the Coral used to replace the missing bone in my damaged Leg ...was glued together with cyanoacrylate glues

Cyanoacrylates were first manufactured in 1949. ...N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate, which was developed in the 1970s, was the first adhesive to have good bonding strength, as well as acceptable wound cosmesis.

Superglue was in veterinary use for mending bone, hide, and tortoise shell by at least the early 1970s.[citation needed] The inventor of cyanoacrylates, Harry Coover, said in 1966 that a superglue spray was used in the Vietnam War to retard bleeding in wounded soldiers until they could be brought to a hospital.

cyanoacrylate has been used in cartilage and bone grafting, coating of corneal ulcers in ophthalmology..... Plastic Surgery is a place that this Glue Shines


Dermabond is a cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive that forms a strong bond across apposed wound edges, allowing normal healing to occur below..... It is marketed to replace sutures  for incision or laceration repairs..... This adhesive has been shown to save time during wound repair, to provide a flexible water-resistant protective coating and to eliminate the need for suture removal. The long-term cosmetic outcome with Dermabond is comparable to that of traditional methods of repair. Best suited for small, superficial lacerations, it may also be used with confidence on larger wounds where subcutaneous sutures are needed. This adhesive is relatively easy to use following appropriate wound preparation. Patients, especially children, readily accept the idea of being "glued" over traditional methods of repair

[xin]

Holy bat crap Batman,  I didn't mean to set off a debate on the dangers or lack of dangers of superglue.  First of all I'd like to point out that nothing was mentioned about potassium cyanide.  That, KCN, would ruin your entire day.  The reason being that KCNwould ionize into  the positive cation K and the negative anion  CN.  It is the negative anion CN that is carcinogenic.  Unionized compounds of CN are not .  That being said, I don't think superglue is going to kill anyone; however, why put chemicals in your body if you don't have to do so.  Destructo, I can see why you have a vested interest in the hopefully benign aspects of cyanoacrylates.   Cowboy, there you have it.  Glue yourself up and if you find a big toe growing off your middle finger wave it at Destructo.

[Hillbilly]

If you're not leakin', you're not knappin'.

[cowboy]

Hehe, that's a good one Steve . No debate needed on the superglue thing. I know a lot of knappers use it and I have a couple of times. I used to work with a lot of chems in a Trinity plant which would make your skin crawl "literally". So I decided to just steer clear of as many of em as I could. Heck, I don't even like taking prescription meds unless I'm dying .