NC rhyolite

[Zuma]

Mullet,
I would call your hunt a success x2.
I hope to do some hog hunting up in the Alabama Delta soon. Boat hunting.

Snipe, All is good. My phone always let's me down. A friend called me from back in Virginia.
He told me he worked at a zoo in the town of Ashboro back in the 90's. lol
I may go back that way after I reduce the Sheephead and redfish population down here on the Gulf Coast.
Zuma

[Zuma]

Well I tested my big chunk of rhyolite.
I hope there are 200 more left in the chunk. This stuff spalls very nicely.

[caveman2533]

Zuma great point, that must be good rhyolite.  Lucky you.
Steve

[Zuma]

Hey, thanks Steve. I would have never known it was rhyolite with out bustin a hunk off.
The cortex is pretty thick and chalky. Not a pretty point but sharp and durable.
Have you had any luck with the thin agate slabs I gave you at Pete's
last summer? lol
cheers. Zuma

[caveman2533]

I have them in the kiln now and will be grinding them soon as it warms up a bit.
PM sent

[nclonghunter]

Looks good to me

[Zuma]

Steve, we are letting the water drizzle here in the Gulf tonight. (exposed pipes) I did get to knap in the sun this afternoon.
 Atlanta was 7 degrees at 8pm.
Looks like you may have to wait a bit to get out comfortably. We got no hogs, any fox?

Thanks longhunter
That may be the best of the lot. lol
The material really is diverse. The blank on the left is similar to the point I made. The blank on the right is way different in color and texture The hunk at the bottom is loaded with crystals and what looks like gold. Pyrite I guess.
Sorry about the tiny photo.

[caveman2533]

No fox started that freezing rain  just as I was getting ready to leave and the roads got ugly fast. So stayed home and ground some blades.  The rhyolite I have seen from down there seems to come in all different grades. Even from the same rock, one side good and one side not so.

[Zuma]

If this photo comes out ok you will be able to see the stark difference.
At least in the one hunk of rhyolite I found. The one on the left leaves a scale like look
almost like quartzite. (More greenish)
The one on the right is way smoother and gray. The (flow lines ?) are present in each but are more visible in the smooth gray. The flow lines can cause quite a chattering effect. Especially the white ones.
You-all stay snug and warm,Zuma

[Zuma]

Had a Chance before the rain this morning to snap this Perkiomen out of one of the preforms.
With a very primitive copper bopper. Works great. lol
For some reason when I resize lately the photos are way smaller than I would like.
Zuma
ps well that one came out fine.

[caveman2533]

Nice point, but straiten the base and it will be perfect, and with copper no less, Must really be some good rhyolite. It looks nice and smooth.

[Hillbilly]

Nice Hardaway point there! Rhyolite is the sweet nectar of the gods. There is no better material on earth for hunting points. Except the rhyolite gods frown on hitting their wonderful creation with a copper bopper.

[Zuma]

Thanks Steve. That is one of the better pieces of the big chunk. About 10- 15  percent of the chunk is sweet and smooth. It flakes with almost any type billet but the flexy handle copper worked best.

I hear you Hillbilly. I would give this piece a higher  sharp/durable rating than any other chert I have knapped.
Although most of the chunk would rate just a 6-8. I will post a photo of a stemmed point I made from the 6-8 variety. I have knapped some nice green rhyolite but I prefer this banded gray.

[caveman2533]

Looks almost like the green Normanskill with the black striping in it.


"rhyolite gods frown on hitting their wonderful creation with a copper bopper."   

[Zuma]

Hey Steve. I am sure you have seen a few of this style at Pete's.
Perhaps in a tougher man rock.
 Normanskill, in my opinion is sweeter and more lustrous. (waxy)
Although I think I got lucky with the hunk I am whackin at .