Why such a debate over abo and copper?

[mullet]

I just try to chip points to hunt with. Actually, I do it when I get tired of working on bows, powder horns, walking canes, and etc. And this conversation comes up every three or four years when someone has an Epiphany. It is about as boring as, what is a "primitive" bow.

And when it comes to YouTube or having to hit a link to Photobucket,,I don't have the time.

[Mike_H]

Mullet, I'll fo photos as well posted here.  It's not an epiphany, just somthing I want to try and share.

[Bone pile]

I use copper for the most part but do my big spalling with hammerstones when i need the extra weight.I live in Fla and the use of bone/antler is tricky because of the humidity.I keep my bone boppers in the AC and it helps, outside and they get funky.I find that  copper has less shock to my ol' wore out elbow and at my age less pain is gain.Rock on with whatever gets it done
Bone pile

[Tower]

I agree, i began my knapping adventure all abo. now, I'm mostly all copper. I do use a little antler, & all my spalling with large stones. I think stone produces better( larger) spalls. I kinda like the back & forth between copperheads & the Neanderthals.   

[gstoneberg]

I agree, my spalling is much better with hammer stones than with copper.  Not sure why. With everything else I use copper. 

George

[Thesquirrelslinger]

steel
I just use whatever, I don't really care. I would happily use antler or copper.
I don't have either.

[bowtarist]

This may be off the subject or maybe not, but the other day I was in the pit w/ a Buddy and he likes to make preforms with an antler billet. That's as far as it goes. Then he hands me the biface/preform, whatever you call it. I really like knapping w/ the guy. anyway, he grabs up a big piece of Texas rhyolite and I tell him to use the ballpeen, he says, nah, and goes at it with his whitetail billet. I was amazed, he was drivin big ole flakes off that rhyolite.  I busted up a copper billet on it, and used the peen, but never drove flakes like he was doing. He spalled out two or three big chunks of rhyolite like they were blade cores. Got a bunch of blde/flakes from those rocks. Thought I'd put that out there for thought. Now I leave my high-speed connection. Good day and good night, dp