Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Flintknapping => Topic started by: RidgeRunner on January 07, 2009, 01:09:04 pm

Title: Possible Knapping Material
Post by: RidgeRunner on January 07, 2009, 01:09:04 pm

Some of you may know that I work for a City owned Electric Company.
With a bit of "Dumpster Diving" I can get glass and porcelain insulators.
The glass insulators come in clear, light green, light blue and brown.
The porcelain ones are all white on the inside.

The glass should Knapp quite well but what about the porcelain??

Has anyone ever knapped a porcelain insulator??
Is it better or worse than johnstone?

I have yet to learn to Knapp so I cant answere these questions myself.

Thanks
David

Title: Re: Possible Knapping Material
Post by: JackCrafty on January 07, 2009, 01:16:02 pm

Pictures? ;D

They should all work fine.  I've tried glass and porcelain dinner plates (for knapping) and glass works much better IMO.  No experience with insulators, though.

Title: Re: Possible Knapping Material
Post by: stickbender on January 08, 2009, 02:20:14 am

     Like Jackcrafty, said.  But if you have Glass, why bother with the porcelien, unless you just want to experiment. :)

                                                                                   Wayne

Title: Re: Possible Knapping Material
Post by: El Destructo on January 08, 2009, 05:08:16 am

             What they said....the Porcelain should knapp just like ohnstone (toilet Tank) does....but the Glass will be better!!

Title: Re: Possible Knapping Material
Post by: mullet on January 08, 2009, 07:47:33 am

 The big porcelan insulators knap pretty good.

Title: Re: Possible Knapping Material
Post by: billy on January 08, 2009, 12:29:08 pm

I've got some porcelain insulators that I picked up near a hydroelectric dam in south Georgia and it knaps very well, much better than toilet porcelain.  The toilet porcelain I've worked tended to be tougher and grainier, making clean flake removal difficult.  Also, it seems easier to break.  The insulator porcelain I worked was black on the outside, but was snow-white on the inside and had a much finer texture.  I really like it!  I've made several points out of it as well as one knife blade.  It can be a somewhat brittle, so prep your edges well and grind them heavily, otherwise the edge can collapse.  Enjoy that porcelain!