Made a biface, now what point? Finished.

[gstoneberg]

While waiting for some wood to warm up in the house this morning so I could laminate a bow, I decided to do some knapping.  It struck me that I normally don't make bifaces.  I pick the point I want to make and go for that shape from the start.  So, for a change, I tried just to make a biface.  It worked out well, I can see why you're supposed to do it this way.







This was a spall that was real fat on one end and somewhat fat on the other but thinner in the middle.  It had some curve too, but not too bad.  It would have been about a half inch longer but I wanted to take just 1 more thinning flake on the end....    Now that I have this I'm not sure what point to make with it.  Lots of possibilities.

George

[Tower]

Good looking stone, nice preform. Thin it down & corner notch it.

[gstoneberg]

You would say corner notches....  OK, but you know I still need that notching lesson real bad.

George

[JackCrafty]

Just make a triangle.  No notches.  Traingular forms were common in Texas:  Kinney, Early Triangular, Tortugas and others.

[gstoneberg]

How would you haft an un-notched point on the shaft?  Wrap right over the edge, or just use pitch glue?

George

[JackCrafty]

Pitch only.  Wrap the shaft below the blade, not on the blade itself.  Asphaltum (similar to roofing tar) works better than pitch for this.

[Will H]

That looks real good George! I'd probably just try to make it the best point I could if I were you. Triangle, side notch, corner notch... What ever your most comfortable with, just a lil bigger than usual    
Merry Christmas!
~Will

[criveraville]

Nice job George. Pretty rock there.. Just make the best point you can a d send it my way 

Cipriano

[gstoneberg]

Thanks guys and  Merry Christmas!  I actually wondered if this was an obsidian spall when I picked it up it was so dark.  After the first flake I knew it wasn't, but still cool colored rock for sure.  With Christmas festivities I've had trouble getting back to the biface.  Might have some time before I head to church this morning.  What a wonderful day!

George

[cowboy]

Looks good so far George. Call it a ho ho ho .

[gstoneberg]

Good idea Paul.  I got a few minutes to work on it this morning before the church festivities began.  I got it thinner, one side is really flat and the other has nice convexity.  I prepared the flat side so I could pressure flake some convexity into it before I took pictures.  I think I'll do all the remaining work with pressure.  I got 1 real long pressure flake when I didn't expect it, thinning at the point end.  It's almost a narrow flute, really surprised me.  Wish I knew what I did.





After lunch I'll get after it again.  Hope you're all having a great Christmas day!

George

[gstoneberg]

I had a wonderful time pressure flaking.  Finally began to get flakes to run with pressure.  I wasn't pushing hard enough.  Who knew pressure flaking was going to be this tiring?  Anyway, things were going great until I got to the corner notches.  Even there, it started great and I had the thinnest notch going I'd ever made.  The other one wasn't quite so good.  I did a flake on that one and pow, the corner was gone.  Just like always.   But I figured I'd go ahead and finish the other nice notch so I could take a picture of doing at least 1 decent notch.  The next flake, pow - the other corner went.  I thought I might as well document my epic fail...then I noticed something was wrong with the side of the point as well.  Check it out...



Somehow the edge of the point was snapped off.  I couldn't figure out how I might have had pressure on that spot but then I flipped it over and...



It's an overshoot.  I must've had the notch still above centerline so when the flake came off the back it was huge, ruining the notch, then it did a 90 degree turn to run off the side and take off the edge.  Good grief.  Looks like this point will end up in sort of a pine tree shape.    I'll bet I'm doing that with every notch and the flake gets so large it knocks off the corner.  Doh...

George

[gstoneberg]

Here's the finished point.  It's a poor man's pine tree.  Stalled both notches so I quit while I was ahead.





It weighs in at 108 grains.

George

[criveraville]

I like that Christmas tree.

Cipriano

[gstoneberg]

Not sure we can call that one a real Christmas tree, but it was the best I could do with what I had left and my limited skill.  I was so disgusted with my failed corner notches that I made another point to try it again.  I still stink, but this one is a good weight for hunting, 125 grains.

George