Stalking NC Rhyolite

[arappaho]

Funny, mullet, but I kept that knife I 'found' there.

Heck yeah, warhawk, I'll trade rhyolite for paleo points all day long!
Seriously tho, you'll be able to check out the rhyolite all you want next weekend.
Rhyolite is some tough stuff to work and takes a little getting used to. I've been
busting up pieces for several hours today and am now going to have to go out and
re-stock on hammerstones. You don't really 'spall' the stuff, because it's going to do
whatever it wants. And the real test is knapping on some rhyolite for an hour or two
and then switching to a piece of obsidian. Whoa!

But, Mr. leapingbare, , I have set aside a couple of pieces that I am calling
"Duck River Cache Blanks" like this one,





It's about 16" long and 8" wide of workable material. I don't know how much rhyolite
you've worked before, but this piece has got your name on it. All you have to do is come
to the NC knap-in next weekend and it's yours.

Sorry, I don't post more often on here guys, but I'm not much of a knapper. More of a
rockhound and cabber/lapidary. But I do love the rhyolite, and love looking at all of
your awesome works.

Thanks,  Joe

[leapingbare]

Joe i am a rhyolite baby. thats what i learned to knap on.
 I'm from Charlotte NC.

That would make a killer sword but i don't think i could make it to the NC knapin.
I'll have to see if i can get away from the army.

[Hardawaypoints]

This is the piece of banded Rhyolite I'm putting into the raffle at this year's Knap-In.  It is 15" long x 7"wide x 3" thick. It rings like a bell when you tap it.  There is probably a pretty nice long point in it too...(or in my case a few shorter ones).  It is probably one of the sweetest pieces of rhyolite I've had in a long time, though I do have a few other nice ones squirreled away.

Jim

[leapingbare]

I was at the flint ridge knap in last weekend and sunday after noon and Monday i went to the nethers flint quarry and tyred my hand at digging some flint ridge Wooo wee thats some hard work.
 After hours of hard work and sore cut hands i had about 100 lbs and but no color. everything i got was dark banded stuff. and a little pink stuff.
 Well i got home and cooked the rock. i opened the kiln today and to my suprise it had all changed color. there is tans and reds and dark black with blood red dots there is gray stuff with poca dors. The only stuff that did not change color is the pink stuff i had that i though was going to be my better stuff.
 Needless to say i am very happy and plane to make some dovetails and pine trees and e notch Thebes in the near future.

[Hardawaypoints]

The only things I don't like about Flint Ridge is running into quartz inclusions, hidden fracture lines, or running out of the stuff. I'm sure I will never get to see any of the real colorful stuff until I get up the the F.R. Knap-In. It is one of my favorite rock types.  Roger Warmuskerken made me a nice Flint Ridge dovetail that I framed & keep on the bookcase in by the front door so everybody can see it.

I have a dozen nice pieces of Flint Ridge I got from Bob Edens 6 or 7 years ago.  I also have about that same number of sweet coral spalls I got from jcinpc a few years back. Knapping-wise, I haven't gotten back to where I was before the wreck, but when I do, I'll be busting into that stuff.

Jim

[arappaho]

Well leapingbare, I'm glad to hear you have experiened NC rhyolite.
I knew you were up at the Flint Ridge last weekend and most likely wouldn't be able
to get away for next weekend, but had to dangle that carrot anyway. 
Maybe next year.

Rock and Gem magazine had a great little article about the colors you can get from heat
treating the Flint Ridge Flint. I don't remember the master knappers name in the article, but
he was probably at the knap in anyway. It was the April 2010 issue. Vol.40, Num.4.

Joe

[toms22]

Thanks for the pictures of the rhyolite fields. I plan on coming to the knap-in on Sat, I would like to try the rhyolite, I have been trying to knap for 2 years and the fellow who got me started said that if I could learn on rhyloite I could knap anything. The trouble I could not find any rhyolite.  Looking forward to meeting some of North Carolinas knappers. Tom

[Hillbilly]

Joe, that's some good looking rock. I'll try to be there next weekend, not positive yet but optimistic.

[arappaho]

Sounds Good Tom 
I think that fellow is probably right about rhyolite being the best material to learn on, because
most folks move on to other materials. But the guys I've seen that stick with the rhyolite can do
about anything they want with it. They're awful darn good!
It's kind of like learning to play on an old used high school band saxophone, where you have to work
and struggle for each note. Then after a year or two, you pick up a brand new one and blow into it,
and it's effortless! 
Anyway, I'll have a big pile of rhyolite for folks to help them selves to, and an even bigger pile of
some good quality stuff for sale.

Steve, I sure hope you can make it! There are going to be a lot of folks there that are just beginning
and looking to learn. And who better to learn from?!
I've got some nice pieces stuck back for you. Real pretty obsidian and rhyo.
And some pretty wild pieces for you to try your hand at.

Like this slab of crazy lace agate. Don't know if it will knap, but ought to be interesting to find out.





And that's just a sample.
Hope you can make it. The weather ought to be great and I think everyone is really
going to like this new spot.

Joe

[Hillbilly]

Bribery will get you everywhere.