- Joined
- Mar 4, 2011
- Messages
- 515
Does anyone here know about flintknapping? If you do not care about knapping, please don't read the following, I say that for your own good, because this is for people with an intense interest like me, anyone else would be bored by the first paragraph. If yes, or no, I will tutor you anyway with my vastly limited knowledge of it. As far as I know, flint knapping is the art of making implements and artistic objects, sculptures, fetishes, weapons, and more, from the age old practice of knapping flint, chert, obsidian, petrified wood, and other knappable stones. Knapping was originally done by applying percussive force via a rock, an antler point (Yay antlers, I like antlers), or other objects with tapered points or the structural integrity necessary to withstand the abuse of knapping a knappable rock.
Knapping itself is removing chunks of variable size from the surface of a knappable rock, such as obsidian, via pressure, percussive force, or abrading. Advantages of knapped implements are the cleanness of the edges. Obsidian for example, is so sharp and clean edged, when knapped properly, that it has been used for surgery instead of steel, as its edge ranges in the low nanometer range, and is so clean, it is only exceeded or rivaled by diamonds, corundum, and other minerals, creating minimal scar tissue, granulation, inflammation, and more. Also, and don't quote me on this, this is guesswork, but I am guessing that, because knapped implements are brittle enough to be knapped, that they are brittle enough to chip, and like a sea urchins teeth, sharpen themselves with use, though unfortunately, knapped implements do not regenerate like a sea urchins teeth do, a flaw that should be rectified by science someday.... Anyway, the Aztecs were famous for exploiting obsidian for their horrendously bloody sacrifices and for warfare, (did you know they wore the skins of their enemies? *shudders*).
But, as much as there is good about obsidian and its ilk, I am sure there is an equal amount of cons to it, as always. Because it is brittle, it probably cannot stand up to the rigors of steel implements. Because it is glassy (in obsidians case, at least), it is prone to fracturing and breaking into deadly shards that could harm or even kill the user (so, if you are using an obsidian or chert axe, I recommend you wear appropriate gear, or just buy a regular axe and use it instead because it could be very detrimental to your health if flying glass shrapnel, say, pierced your body *ow!*) Like diamond, knappable rocks are prone to fracturing, a serious con, and are not usually as hard as say, tempered steel, is. But, nonetheless, for delicate slicing, carving, and numerous other light tasks, as well as for looking pretty, flintknapping could very well be your go to thing.
There is probably a method to flint knapping that is most efficacious, but, I taught myself how to knap an arrow head out of an ordinary rock I found on a gravel place, and, let me tell you, first and foremost, if you like to, or would like to, knap, then PLEASE WEAR EYE PROTECTION! I cannot say how many times the wind blew intensely irritating granitic dust into my eyes that day, but it was, nonetheless, many times before I got smart and blocked the wind. But yeah, I would totally recommend one of those polycarbonate face shields or glasses, if you are experienced and have the right tools.
As you graduate from ordinary rocks to flint and obsidian, do not get cocky and stop wearing protection, especially for the vulnerable face and neck, even if it is just a turtleneck shirt with glasses for your eyes, that can save you the agony of an eye injury, or certain death from a sliced neck. Believe me, flying obsidian shards can go in virtually any possible trajectory, and you do NOT want to be the man or woman in its way.
I, as you all already probably know, am a very intense personality that tries to learn everything interesting about a topic before trying to sound official and scientific (my efforts are usually useless when compared to someone who has actually studied it thoroughly). So, I have compiled a list of knappable rocks you can find on eBay, Etsy, and numerous other web sites with a Google or Bing (I abhor Bing) search.
Okay, here it is: Obsidian, Petrified Wood, Mahogany Obsidian, Chert, Flint, Marble (not sure about that one or about the next one), Onyx, Chalcedony, SpiderWeb Obsidian, Silver sheen Obsidian, Aurora Borealis Obsidian (EXTREMELY BEAUTIFUL, a must get if you are into pretty colors en masse), Indian Painted Rock, Basalt, and much more, (that was all memory...somewhat impressive, but not good enough, in my opinion). Try looking for websites that sell it rough instead of polished. Some, like flint and chert, need to be heat treated to be knappable, while others are like obsidian, and come ready to knap out of the delivery box. Also, I would highly recommend looking around your area for native rock, because then, assuming your actions are not illegal to the area in question, you can acquire free knappable material! Yay, free!
On eBay, there is a pretty nifty little hammer called a Black Powder knapping hammer, and it looks and sounds like it is top notch stuff, and it comes with a pick that is very fine. That and a good solid hammerstone or antler billet would suit any aspiring knappers well. It is what the Native American's used for centuries and they were pretty good at what they knapped. If anyone is interested in finding their way through the knapping world without struggling through a load of rubbish, then contact me and I will point you in the right direction...hopefully.... I hope I have sparked (pun intended) the interest of someone in the Cantina. If not, I'll take the silence, roll with it, and close this thread. Well, peace, everyone.
David
Knapping itself is removing chunks of variable size from the surface of a knappable rock, such as obsidian, via pressure, percussive force, or abrading. Advantages of knapped implements are the cleanness of the edges. Obsidian for example, is so sharp and clean edged, when knapped properly, that it has been used for surgery instead of steel, as its edge ranges in the low nanometer range, and is so clean, it is only exceeded or rivaled by diamonds, corundum, and other minerals, creating minimal scar tissue, granulation, inflammation, and more. Also, and don't quote me on this, this is guesswork, but I am guessing that, because knapped implements are brittle enough to be knapped, that they are brittle enough to chip, and like a sea urchins teeth, sharpen themselves with use, though unfortunately, knapped implements do not regenerate like a sea urchins teeth do, a flaw that should be rectified by science someday.... Anyway, the Aztecs were famous for exploiting obsidian for their horrendously bloody sacrifices and for warfare, (did you know they wore the skins of their enemies? *shudders*).
But, as much as there is good about obsidian and its ilk, I am sure there is an equal amount of cons to it, as always. Because it is brittle, it probably cannot stand up to the rigors of steel implements. Because it is glassy (in obsidians case, at least), it is prone to fracturing and breaking into deadly shards that could harm or even kill the user (so, if you are using an obsidian or chert axe, I recommend you wear appropriate gear, or just buy a regular axe and use it instead because it could be very detrimental to your health if flying glass shrapnel, say, pierced your body *ow!*) Like diamond, knappable rocks are prone to fracturing, a serious con, and are not usually as hard as say, tempered steel, is. But, nonetheless, for delicate slicing, carving, and numerous other light tasks, as well as for looking pretty, flintknapping could very well be your go to thing.
There is probably a method to flint knapping that is most efficacious, but, I taught myself how to knap an arrow head out of an ordinary rock I found on a gravel place, and, let me tell you, first and foremost, if you like to, or would like to, knap, then PLEASE WEAR EYE PROTECTION! I cannot say how many times the wind blew intensely irritating granitic dust into my eyes that day, but it was, nonetheless, many times before I got smart and blocked the wind. But yeah, I would totally recommend one of those polycarbonate face shields or glasses, if you are experienced and have the right tools.
As you graduate from ordinary rocks to flint and obsidian, do not get cocky and stop wearing protection, especially for the vulnerable face and neck, even if it is just a turtleneck shirt with glasses for your eyes, that can save you the agony of an eye injury, or certain death from a sliced neck. Believe me, flying obsidian shards can go in virtually any possible trajectory, and you do NOT want to be the man or woman in its way.
I, as you all already probably know, am a very intense personality that tries to learn everything interesting about a topic before trying to sound official and scientific (my efforts are usually useless when compared to someone who has actually studied it thoroughly). So, I have compiled a list of knappable rocks you can find on eBay, Etsy, and numerous other web sites with a Google or Bing (I abhor Bing) search.
Okay, here it is: Obsidian, Petrified Wood, Mahogany Obsidian, Chert, Flint, Marble (not sure about that one or about the next one), Onyx, Chalcedony, SpiderWeb Obsidian, Silver sheen Obsidian, Aurora Borealis Obsidian (EXTREMELY BEAUTIFUL, a must get if you are into pretty colors en masse), Indian Painted Rock, Basalt, and much more, (that was all memory...somewhat impressive, but not good enough, in my opinion). Try looking for websites that sell it rough instead of polished. Some, like flint and chert, need to be heat treated to be knappable, while others are like obsidian, and come ready to knap out of the delivery box. Also, I would highly recommend looking around your area for native rock, because then, assuming your actions are not illegal to the area in question, you can acquire free knappable material! Yay, free!
On eBay, there is a pretty nifty little hammer called a Black Powder knapping hammer, and it looks and sounds like it is top notch stuff, and it comes with a pick that is very fine. That and a good solid hammerstone or antler billet would suit any aspiring knappers well. It is what the Native American's used for centuries and they were pretty good at what they knapped. If anyone is interested in finding their way through the knapping world without struggling through a load of rubbish, then contact me and I will point you in the right direction...hopefully.... I hope I have sparked (pun intended) the interest of someone in the Cantina. If not, I'll take the silence, roll with it, and close this thread. Well, peace, everyone.
David
