Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Flintknapping => Topic started by: Ghost Knapper on July 17, 2015, 09:22:00 pm
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If at first you don't succeed try and try again. 4th time was the charm, finally finished a calfcreek/andice point.
Thanks to Outbackbob for showing me how he punch notches.
(http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b604/joelbookhammer/calfcreek_zpsjgxib2nd.jpg) (http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/joelbookhammer/media/calfcreek_zpsjgxib2nd.jpg.html)
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Joel, Very very nice. I knew that you could do it and they seem to get easier after a few whoops. Great lookin point.. I had to come back and look again and I see ya got the nice C shaped flakes thinning ahead for ya, Bob
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Well that was one thing I found interesting most of the flakes did not have the classic C shape to them. To get the most control I could from the punch I used a small vice with rubber on either side to hold the preform while I punched out the notches. So the whole time the base and both ears were not supported at all. I did have to take it out each time after removing a flake to clean up and square everything up so it wasn't the quickest method but it worked.
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Really nice Andice point,
I like it a lot
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That is awesome Ghost Knapper,
If you are looking for the deep C-bulb notches, I would suggest using the edge of a coarse stone biface as a punch. You can put the edge of the biface into the notch, and rap the back edge of the biface. It is better to use a really coarse grade biface, so as to minimize breakage of the biface. Also, I think that a small ovate biface works well for this type of punch. If the shape is ovate, there is less risk of burinating the tip, with a sharp blow.
I believe that there is another type of punch, in the archaeological record, that was used for the same effect. It looks like a small peg, with a beveled end that looks like a blunt screwdriver.
I have not yet tried the latter tool. But, I have seen it in archaeological reports, over the years.
Ancient Tech
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While I find the technique of using another biface as a notching tool intriging i think that it would be quite challanging to create a deep notches. Do you have a finished example of using that technique?