Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Flintknapping => Topic started by: raalf on August 01, 2018, 02:37:55 am
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Okay so the primitives use bone and antler as knapping tools.
The modern use copper.
What is the disadvantage of using hardened steel tools in flint knapping, other than its historical inaccuracy?
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Pressure:
The hardness of steel makes it very slippery. There’s a noticable difference between steel and even the hardest copper you can buy. Steel will tend to slip when applying more pressure to pop a big flake. Although, you can use a mild steel like the ones for horse shoe nails for notching and serrating. This is because steel has the strength to be very thin and not wear down as quickly. The thinness gives you the ability to be very precise.
Percusion:
This is where steel is normally found being used. Small ball peen hammers can be used to quickly flake some tough rock. I’ve also seen people use sledge hammers to spall massive boulders as nothing else besides another really big rock would work.
That’s what I know in a nutshell
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Can I replace my hammer stone or antler billet with a ball hammer and get the same results out of the flint?
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Can I replace my hammer stone or antler billet with a ball hammer and get the same results out of the flint?
No, steel is way to hard and will damage the internal structure of the stone by putting to much shock into it. the reason why softer materials are used it that they absorb some of the shock when they contact the material while also deforming a bit in order to "grab" the flake. if you try to knap with hardened steel you will end up with lots of internal fractures, cones, and crushed platform edges. :-K
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Ryan and Blitz nailed it.
WA
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Read the content and feel that this is a very good thing. I like it very much.
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Yup I concur, I'm made some pressure flakers from one nail and a tent spike, (fail) it's very hard to run a good flake.