Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Flintknapping => Topic started by: arappaho on September 10, 2010, 11:52:24 am
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There are so many different types of Rhyolite in NC that I never get tired of looking for it.
For example here's a sample of points I've found right around where I live in Northern
Wake County. There's about 10 different types represented here.
(http://www.varockhounder.com/uploads/20100910064442.jpg)
Now this ain't rhyolite but here's a close-up of the one you can't see well in that pic.
(http://www.varockhounder.com/uploads/2010091006475244.jpg)
So I had the time to get out and check a site that I haven't been to in a couple of years.
It's been dry around here and hunting season hasn't started yet, so it was a good time
to check it out. Each area or out-cropping of rhyolite will have maybe dozens of different
types of material. Not all of them are knappable. There are several different areas along
this powerline that you can find good, to great, material.
(http://www.varockhounder.com/uploads/2010091006545005.jpg)
One sure sign that you are in an area of good material is when you see the ground
littered with flakes and broken pieces. It's a good sign that the natives quarried the rock
and if it was good enough for them...............
(http://www.varockhounder.com/uploads/2010091006579651.jpg)
Close-up of edge of ditch. Kindof looks like some of y'alls backyard. ;)
(http://www.varockhounder.com/uploads/201009100659116.jpg)
Here's a piece that didn't pass the grade, so it's leaverite.
(http://www.varockhounder.com/uploads/2010091007029538.jpg)
Like a lot of the material east of the Appalachains, it has been warped and fractured
by ancient geologic episodes, but still might be good for making points under 2 inches.
(http://www.varockhounder.com/uploads/2010091007101243.jpg)
Here's another outcrop close by that was not good enough material to be quarried.
(http://www.varockhounder.com/uploads/201009100714426.jpg)
And a piece of leaverite from it.
(http://www.varockhounder.com/uploads/2010091007155397.jpg)
So it's not enough to just find rhyolite. You've got to pick thru it until you find
the good stuff. Here's a pic of what made it home with me to be busted up
and checked out further.
(http://www.varockhounder.com/uploads/2010091007185061.jpg)
Still need to find some new sources, but the NC Slate Belt is all rhyolite, so there's
plenty of ground to cover. Just got to find the time. ;)
Hope this helps some,
Joe
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Nice post. Here in WNC we have tons of leaverite, lots of Indian sex stones as well. Find a lot of quartzite heads here.
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that is so cool. Hey i live in fayetteville and plan to go to the NC knappin next weekend will you be there or if possilbe if i could get with you to get some rhyolite for myself. I got alot of paleo indian artifacts from Cumberland county too.
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I once found some rhyolite in a housing sub division near the asboro zoo. I need to get out and try to find some more but it just seems hard to find the time. Hope to see you at the N.C. Knap in.
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Oh yeah, warhawk, I'll be at the knap-in next weekend. I can't wait! :)
Look forward to meeting you, and yes, I'll be bringing quite a bit of the rhyolite.
I'll be there all three days and camping out Friday and Saturday nights.
I would love to see some pics of those paleo points you've found down there,
or bring a few with you for show and tell. ;)
Yeah, Justin, I used to think the good material must come from the mountains,
but I've come to realize it's either coming from the Uwharries, ie Slate Belt, or
Tennessee. That's why they used so much quartzite. It was their best local stone,
generally speaking.
Joe
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DANG Joe, that stuff you brought home looks awesome. I love to see other peoples paicking areas and what they find, we should have a area on here for that to see all states with members listed and what they find
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Geez. I hate norther IL.
haha
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I would love to find a honey hole like that of preety green rhyolite. I aint never had none of that stuff. I always get the speckled darker colors.
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My best rhyolite spots now have houses all over 'em or have been picked pretty clean. I showed Joe the mother of all rhyolite spots (that I ever found) back in the 80s and I didn't have sense enough to load up on it like I should have.
Another site right around the corner from my house did not have enough open ground to allow much picking. If that whole hillside was turned up, I'd have all I needed for years. Both sites were heavily utilized by the native populations for thousands of years accoring to the volume of debitage. I saw another site that got clearcut this summer, just a few miles from the house that is bound to have decent rock on it. I'll wait until after deer season to give it a good going over.
If you have an arrowhead field where you're finding a lot of big chips, expand your search for the quarry site, because you're close.
Jim
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Well Jim, that spot you showed me, many years ago, is still the best spot I've ever
collected from. Sweet material and a huge quarry site. We'll be going thru alot of it
next weekend. ;)
Nugget, the speckled dark stuff is usually found from Asheboro south, around Morrow Mtn.,
which is considered the heart of the Uwharries. I've mainly explored the Slate Belt north
of Asheboro, which is called the Virgilina District.
That pile I brought home with me all had good looking areas in them, but there was only
one piece that had the good stuff all the way thru. And I'd say there's a few points in
there somewhere.
(http://www.varockhounder.com/uploads/2010091013208076.jpg)
Thanks for looking,
Joe
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Wow that is pretty.
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think we could trade some rhyolite?
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Cool Pictures. I'd grab that pocket knife somebody left on that rock.
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that is some great looking rhyolite, never seen it that clean
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mmm the goiod green stuff
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Funny, mullet, but I kept that knife I 'found' there. ;D
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,
(http://www.varockhounder.com/uploads/2010091016537717.jpg)
(http://www.varockhounder.com/uploads/2010091016547803.jpg)
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. ;D
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
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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.
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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
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a257/hardawaypoints/2010%20NC%20Knap-In/InspectionPictures015.jpg)
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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Joe, that's some good looking rock. I'll try to be there next weekend, not positive yet but optimistic.
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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! ;D
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. ;D
Like this slab of crazy lace agate. Don't know if it will knap, but ought to be interesting to find out.
(http://www.varockhounder.com/uploads/2010091216534893.jpg)
(http://www.varockhounder.com/uploads/2010091216544811.jpg)
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
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Bribery will get you everywhere. ;D