Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Flintknapping => Topic started by: billy on March 13, 2009, 11:58:44 am

Title: ugly points....
Post by: billy on March 13, 2009, 11:58:44 am
For those of you who've just started chipping arrowheads, don't be embarrassed if you make some points that aren't so pretty.  This is a place for you to proudly display your "ugly" points. If you've got some pics of some of your ugly points, post them here!   I've been chipping arrowheads for about 20 years, and guess what....I still make some absolutely UGLY points.  Below is a picture of some of them.  Most of them were made out of really questionable pieces of stone that were thick and small, not leaving me much room to "beautify" the point.  Instead, I just tried to make a point out of the stone I had, and to hell with how it looked.  As you can see, they're asymmetrical, with uneven notches, bases, or edges, but that doesn't matter because they are all sharp.   These are points that will one day end up on my arrows and hopefully bring home some game.  Enjoy, and don't be embarrassed if you made an ugly point....cause even ugly points can be pretty! (although the beauty is sometimes hard to find   :) )

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Title: Re: ugly points....
Post by: Woodland Roamer on March 13, 2009, 01:55:21 pm
Dang I'd be happy to make any of those points Billy. They look really authentic and I especially like the white quartz one. I have an original from Florida that is almost a dead ringer of the one second from the right on the top row. Nice work.

Alan
Title: Re: ugly points....
Post by: xin on March 13, 2009, 03:42:17 pm
There are at four,maybe more,  that aren't so ugly.  In fact some of them are quite pretty.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Wish most of mine came out that well.  Thanks for sharing.
Title: Re: ugly points....
Post by: Timo on March 14, 2009, 09:30:45 am
Looks very authentic! I've made lots of them. Whenever my nephew comes over, he always wants to look though my pile. Not sure how many he has now?

Title: Re: ugly points....
Post by: ricktrojanowski on March 14, 2009, 02:32:56 pm
I'm still chipping away hoping for an ugly one.  ;D.  I'm finally pretty close but I think it will be UUUUGLY.  If it makes it I'll post it.
Title: Re: ugly points....
Post by: nugget on March 14, 2009, 05:22:54 pm
If those are ugly mine must be hideous.  ;D I would be happy to have any of those.
TJ
Title: Re: ugly points....
Post by: Hillbilly on March 14, 2009, 07:03:51 pm
The biggest part of authentic points I find look pretty crude by today's standards, but they obviously got the job done. An ugly point will kill you just as dead as a purty one. I don't think the old ones were as worried about aesthetics of flintknapping as we are-they just wanted a point and a sharp edge. There are exceptions of course, like some of the paleo stuff, the big Ross blades, Sloan Daltons, or other grave goods.
Title: Re: ugly points....
Post by: huntertrapper on March 14, 2009, 07:28:06 pm
anyone a them be on one a my arrows.
Title: Re: ugly points....
Post by: DanaM on March 14, 2009, 08:03:24 pm
Hillbilly do you mean the ancients didn't utilize the FOG method :o
Title: Re: ugly points....
Post by: hawkbow on March 14, 2009, 09:48:57 pm
most of those look like they were made in the actual stone age.. wish I culd knap that good  ;) Hawk
Title: Re: ugly points....
Post by: mullet on March 16, 2009, 10:35:13 pm
  Dana, there is evidence, the ancients did a lot of flake over grind knapping. The Mayans, Egyptians, and Danes to name a few. And the Woodland tribes in Florida, heat treated Coral and grinded when they were making those thin Newnan's and Hillsboroughs.
Title: Re: ugly points....
Post by: Hillbilly on March 17, 2009, 09:00:52 am
Dana-Eddie's right about the FOG-those Egyptian Gerzian knives and a lot of the Danish stuff especially was FOG'ed. They didn't have diamond grinders and slab saws, but they would percussion flake a preform, then hand grind it smooth with a gritty rock and pressure flake it.
Title: Re: ugly points....
Post by: DanaM on March 17, 2009, 10:05:26 am
I guess a feller learns something new everyday eh, I guess without TV and Internet they had time to hand grind :D
Title: Re: ugly points....
Post by: Lobo69ss on March 17, 2009, 07:06:11 pm
   I`d be verrry happy if I could make a point that was that "ugly"  My gravel making attempts are a HUGE sucess tho...  :o
Title: Re: ugly points....
Post by: stickbender on March 17, 2009, 11:40:27 pm

     Dana that was long before liberation, and " Honey do's" ;D

                                         Wayne