Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Flintknapping => Topic started by: Youngboyer2(billyf) on August 22, 2012, 11:27:58 pm
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I can make some darn good blades, but I am not driving my notches deep enough to mount an arrow well, are the heads too thick or something? . I had a great point going but I stalled the notches early and threw it in the woods! How can I stop this from happening?
-Billy
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Diamond files. Practice, practice, practice!
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The best practice I know of is on debitage flakes. Run them as deep & close to each other as you can! Tower
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When in the pit @ the Classic this spring, flintwalker said something I found helpful. He said, "You don't have to make a point everytime you work in the pit". Meaning, you can work on flakeing or notching on pieces that arn't quite right for a point. Like Don said, get a piece of debitage and drive some flakes or make some notches. Don has made some really cool looking pieces with a lot of notches all the way around. Good luck, and don't throw them into the woods, throw them back in the pit, someday you may find it again and realize it wasn;t so bad after all. ;) dpgratz
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I dont want my hunting notches deep at all. The deep notches can make a point weak. I try to stall a notch so it wont cut my sinew. Sounds like you have half of the process down. Think of notching like knappin prepare the platform and then take the flake. The reason mine stalled as a new knapper was do to poor platforms leading to an edge that would colapse rather than allow a large flake to be removed. The best way to learn notching without frustration is to practice on flakes till you get the hang of things. This will help reduce that pile of "almost" points
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Yes.
I knap with a guy who has ZERO tolerance for stalled notches, steps, and crushed platforms. He's got one answer: hand-held rotary tool with grinding wheel attachment. Without shame, he will grind all obstacles into submission with great enthusiasm. >:D
My technique to let most of the "obstacles" remain and just try to minimize the ugliness. I will make a notch as wide as I have to to get the depth I need, I will pick at steps until they are minimized, and I will loose as much width as I need to to clear away crushed edges.
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Worst case scenario: I watched an expert knapper in the pit at the Classic three years ago pull out a folding narrow round diamond file and go to work on a stall! ??? So I had to give that a try with a tool that only cost a few bucks. My opinion is that it works and I will only use it if the point is worth saving. There has been some good advise about initial preping and practice on spalls. A very long time ago I started finishing my points and blades on the top of a padded 8" diameter log and that enabled me to increase the quality of my efforts. Good Luck! A/Ho Joe
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Thanks guys, I may try a diamond file.
-Billy