Knapping Tips - great flint

FLINT KNAPPING TIPS

Q: I can’t seem to make the material thin enough. When I try to work a piece of material that is thick on onside and flat on the other. I can’t get rid of the material on the thick side. So I have one side flat and the other side humped up.(J.D.- South Dakota)

A: Good Question J.D., You may not be setting your platforms low enough. By this I mean removing material from one side of the edge bringing the edge lower or closer to the side that you wish to remove the flake from.

Q: Why do I get so many hinge fractures when I am pressure flaking? (B.K.- New Mexico)

A: Hinge fractures are the result of the flake snapping off rather than feathering out completely. A number of things can cause this. 1- Holding the piece too tightly against a hard pad will some time interrupt the flow of the flake. Try using a soft pad it has resistance or when using a hard pad there should be a slot cut in it into which the flake can fall. 2- Maybe your pressure angle is to steep. This can cause the flake to dive in.

Q: When pressure flaking, I seem to be unable to finish a thin point. I always break them in the middle.(Bob- Kansas )

A: Try some of these tips. Make sure you are using a sharp point on your flaker. It puts less stress on the blade. Support the piece with less pressure in the center. If you use a slotted pad the slot should not be to wide only wide enough to accommodate the flake

If it’s to wide there is not enough support for the blade

Q: When I am percussion flaking I can’t seem to thin the biface. It just keeps getting narrower not thinner (Jack – Wyoming)

A: Try this, set your platform lower. By this I mean, move the edge closer to the face that you want to remove the flake from.