Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Flintknapping => Topic started by: Marc St Louis on August 03, 2011, 10:00:34 am

Title: Quartz
Post by: Marc St Louis on August 03, 2011, 10:00:34 am: My wife and I went to an Algonquin nation gathering a few weeks ago and on the way back home we saw this odd formation of rock, naturally we had to stop and have a look. Mixed into this odd looking stone deposit was a small quantity of some very nice and clean Quartz. I was only able to collect 1 piece but I was able to make this point out of it.

(https://i.imgur.com/yHd4HXr.jpg)

Quartz is hard to work but the finished product is sharp.

Still don't know what the other deposit is
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: Tower on August 03, 2011, 10:58:32 am: Sweet. That would make a nice necklace.
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: cowboy on August 03, 2011, 12:39:35 pm: That is some pure looking quartz Marc. Almost like salt. I have a big chunk i found in NC. Never tried to knap it, may have to now, hmm..
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: Lee Slikkers on August 03, 2011, 01:20:03 pm: Nice work Marc...I have a nice sized rock that I think is Quartz and I've always wondered if it was knappable. I'll have to snap a pic or two and see if you folks agree that is what it is or not. Thanks for sharing.
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: AncientArcher76 on August 04, 2011, 10:52:07 am: I forgot u knapp Marc... looks good for a tough material! As mentioned a necklace would look amazing at the same time would look just as good busting through some meat! Cheers!

Russ
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: Marc St Louis on August 04, 2011, 01:42:14 pm: Perhaps it would look good as a necklace but I wouldn't do that in its present shape, it's too sharp and pointy. I would dull the point and abrade the edge first. No it went on an arrow, part of a set I'm making for our chief.

(https://i.imgur.com/t8myhiE.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/9OeMph1.jpg)

As a side note. A archeologist recently found a site near me and after some cleaning and digging he found a vein of Quartz that you can plainly see had been worked on for tools but the abos of that region. I plan on going to have a look see and try and get permission from their chief to take samples back with me.
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: Lee Slikkers on August 04, 2011, 05:10:22 pm: Marc (or anyone else) can you tell from these photos if this is Quartz or not?

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tEktHjCp8nY/TjrjJCi2WmI/AAAAAAAADAw/t5E9eLg4CD8/s800/CIMG1765.JPG)

(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-K6VORYpRMjw/TjrklYAsqBI/AAAAAAAADA4/mIExV6D5qGI/s800/CIMG1766.JPG)

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-oyk3NodNVYU/Tjrlm5H8UDI/AAAAAAAADBA/GBr6VO-gN3o/s800/CIMG1767.JPG)

The edges do feel a bit "granular" and can be scraped off like grains of silica or sand.
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: Marc St Louis on August 05, 2011, 11:54:37 am: Looks like Quartz to me Lee. A lot of the Quartz up here is not suitable for tools but you do find some nice deposits sometimes.
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: Lee Slikkers on August 05, 2011, 12:50:11 pm: Thanks Marc...I split off a bunch of spals of this stuff so I guess now that I have a little rock to learn on I better read up and see if I can't make a decent head. The rock I got these from is about a 200lb rock so these is plenty more to practice on.
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: jamie on August 08, 2011, 08:35:14 am: great work marc. quartz is excellent material if you can keep the piece together to finish it. its as sharp as obsidian in my opinion .
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: mullet on August 08, 2011, 10:41:40 pm: That's a good looking set of arrows, Marc. I've made some pretty points from quartze crystals from North Carolina. And you are right, it is sharp.
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: beetlebailey1977 on August 08, 2011, 11:35:34 pm: It looks like a killer to me Marc. Good work.
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: Marc St Louis on August 09, 2011, 12:39:49 pm: Thanks guys.

That Quartz point is indeed sharp, not quite as sharp as Obsidian though. The other points are made from some rock I got from Paul.
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: cowboy on August 09, 2011, 05:30:55 pm: Oh, I didn't realize that was from some of my rock Marc - makes em look just that much better ;D. Good looking arrows! How did that stuff work out for you as far as some blades?
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: ordcorpdw on August 10, 2011, 11:13:45 pm: I have a large piece of quartz sitting on a shelf. Does it fracture like chert and obsidian? I also live near the town of Quartzsite. whole lotta quartz there. Never tried it.
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: CherokeeKC on August 12, 2011, 09:03:15 am: Lee I think what you have is quartzite, which was originally sandstone then became quartzite through heating and pressure over time. The more sandy it feels the harder it is to work. Look for smoother feeling milky or reddish colored quartz (quartzite). I have some authentic points made from quartzite found here in Virginia which were all made from these colors.
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: Marc St Louis on August 12, 2011, 10:14:07 am: Paul
I started working on a blade and had it close to finished then I snapped it in half, very annoying.

Lee: It could be Quartzite. I was given a piece several years ago by Paul Dolanski and it does look a bit like that.

Quartz is a lot harder to work than Chert or Obsidian
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: Lee Slikkers on August 12, 2011, 11:00:04 am: Ok, thanks for the better ID...is Quartzite knapp-able or am I better off looking for something else?
Title: Re: Quartz
Post by: CherokeeKC on August 14, 2011, 07:02:47 pm: It is very hard to knap along with quartz. I would try to find the best piece i could before i tried to knap it.