stalled notches

[bubby]

I've been trying to work this brazillian agate, hard stuff and as you can see my side notches are nonexistant, HELP!!!,seriouslly I could use some input thank's, Bub

[cowboy]

bubby, that looks like some tough stuff! Normally if i'm dealing with a stalled notch I'll either call it good enough or try to punch it out. For notching I use a hand flaker with the copper hammered down flat and fairly thin. Make sure your platforms are below center and squeeze those flakes off back and forth into a notched rubber hand pad. when they stall try to get any kind of flake at all to come off to move that platform to the opposite side then correct your angle. Some of them just stall out and you can do nothing or wind up breaking it in half and sometimes you can save em. good luck .

[mullet]

Bubby, that Brazilian Agate works real good after it is heat treated.

[Tower]

Mullet is right . Heated is the only way I'd work that agate. Raw is hard on tools. Harder than most flints or chert's I've knapped.

[bubby]

cowboy, thank's I got the notches started again, wide and ugly but started
mullet, I heat treated it like you showed with charcoal, but only used one bag instead of two, maybe it didnt get hot enough or cook long enough?
Tower, you're right, it's even hard to cut without treating
thank's Bub

[JackCrafty]

Sometimes hard stone needs a hard tool for notching.  Try a steel pressure flaker (horse shoe nail, for example).  Also, the notches will always stall on thick, hard material.  The only way to get them going again is to "cheat" by using a diamond file or something similar.  You can file down one side of the stalled notch until the edge is below centerline.  Then you can push off a flake and be in business again.

[bubby]

I don't think it's that thick, just hard, where can ya get a diamond file,maybe a gem store, Bub

[iowabow]

I am so new so if this sound dumb don't laugh. I had difficulty with a notch the other day. The sharp horseshoe nail did not remove the flake it should have and rounded the platform. I took my copper point and reshaped it with a file. I made it the shape of a small screw driver and used it on its side. I was very surprised to see it remove a flake so that I could continue. I saw that the ends of your copper were rounded like mine were before I tried the nail that did not work. I have not made many notches so take this with a grain of salt.

[bubby]

thank's Iowa, I do have a piece of copper like ya said, wasn't gitting it soI just moved around till got some to pop of, and don't worry aboutsounding dumb, if ya offer up something and it's wrong these guy's will straighten ya out, and that just help's the learning curve, Bub

[bubby]

well I went as far as I'm gonna, wide, shallow and ugly but it's gonna work, might try cooking it again

[sailordad]

nothing wrong with that
just remember
shallow notches dont grab as much hair and such when penetrating
and are a lot easy to fill in with sinew when hafting to a shaft 

ya agate is real tuff stuff,even heated it canbe tuff
but once ya figure it out
it makes great eye candy points

[cowboy]

Looks good bubby! I've never tried any kind of agate that I know of. think i'd cook it a little better next time and those notches will go a lot better with your flat chipper..

[mullet]

That Brazilian Agate has to get hot from what I've been told. Somewhere around 600-800 dgs.

[bubby]

thank's guy's
Mullet had a thread on here showing how ya cook you're rock by covering with 2" of sand and 2 20# bags of charcoal, will that get it hot enough, when I cooked it I only used half as much charcoal? Bub

[jamie]

ya done good.