Week Three - Practice makes perfect

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This third week was planned to be a week to practice my newly learned skills.  As such, I made a number of arrowheads, but I also simply practiced flintknapping on some junk pieces.  Each arrowhead will be discussed below along with some other information.  Like the last post, this one may be long, but that's mainly because I have two weeks of flintknapping to cover.  Once again, donations of materials are welcome!  Thank you, Kaden, for your donation of glass bottles!

I realize it slipped my mind to cover safety in the previous post.  Perhaps that was for the best, though, as that post was almost too long.  The large leather patch is tied around your thigh.  It provides a solid place to pressure flake on, and it will prevent your thigh from getting sliced up.  The smaller leather patches are used to cover your palm.  A video demonstration of their use is seen on my first post.  You can flintknap on your hand or your thigh depending on what's easier and more comfortable.  Gloves are of course meant to protect your hands.  You could cut yourself with the flakes, the arrowhead, or gouge your hand with the pressure flaker if you aren't too careful.  A few thin flakes have gotten lodged in the gloves, which is better than my hand.  I wear glasses, so I won't be using the goggles shown, but some sort of eye protection should definitely be worn.  Flakes do fly, and a flake in the eye would be very painful and dangerous.

I also failed to explain how I will dispose of the flakes I create.  So far, I have been pressure flaking in the garage over a canvas tarp.  This makes it easy to get rid of the flakes as I can simply pick up the tarp and dump it in a nearby paper bag.  Flakes don't always land on the tarp, though, so I usually sweep up afterwards so no one cuts their foot open while barefoot.  My father said that there used to be a controversy in the flintknapping world about people dumping their flakes by archaeological sites.  Researchers combing the site for artifacts could find modern flakes and mistake them as ancient flakes.  As such, we will be sure to toss the flakes this project has created properly.

I am going to go over some of the practice I did to start even though most of it was done after the first arrowhead down below.  My father had a bunch of old Old Spice bottles he had been saving for flintknapping, so he broke them up so I could use the bottom of them.  They have a sort of ivory color to them, and I like their color better than the plate's color.  I decided to include a picture of one since many people probably have never seen one of these old bottles.  My father also mentioned that Clorox used to come in brown jugs and that the bottom of the jug was very useful material for an arrowhead.

I decided to save the good pieces of glass for arrowheads and use the pieces that were curved like the side of the bottle or frilly like the plate for practice.  While doing this, I realized what I was doing wrong.  To pressure flake, you push the pressure flaker both down and into the material.  I wasn't applying enough pressure inwards, so the flakes I created would not travel far.  I know what I am doing wrong now, but I still need to practice.  

On the left, you see a piece of an Old Spice bottle with a conchoidal fracture on it.  Note the visible lines.  I don't know why they occur, but it might be due to the force traveling through the material as a wave.  The right picture is of a flake I created while practicing.  It's about an inch long and a quarter of an inch wide.  It is the perfect flake.  If I am able to consistently make flakes like that, I will be able to create beautiful arrowheads.  So far, I have been able to get flakes similar to it, but they were smaller and broke in half, so I can't show them.  I don't expect to be able to create flakes like the one above consistently even after the next month or so of flintknapping.  Clicking each image should redirect you to a larger picture.

I made six arrowheads these two weeks.  Three a week is a good quota for me.  I included a ruler meant for crime scene photos this time.  The top measures inches and the bottom measures centimeters and should give you a better idea of scale.

This was my first arrowhead of the week.  It was made from the bottom of one of the aforementioned Old Spice bottles.  As you can see, I had a number of problems to work around.  First of all, there was the lettering.  If I failed to clean up the flat portions of the glass, then it would be very obvious.  The other issue is the hole I had to work around.  Luckily, I was able to completely avoid it due to the shape of the arrowhead I chose.  Unfortunately, the Old Spice bottle bottoms are curved.  This makes it harder for me to flintknap as I fear I could break the arrowhead if I apply to much pressure.  This, in turn, leads to an arrowhead that could be made thinner and cleaner.  There are still some flat portions on the other side. 

This arrowhead was made from the plate.  I was simply practicing on a junk piece, but as I was working at it, I saw a shape begin to form.  This was the result.  I don't know if it would be useful as an arrowhead, but it looks rather neat.  Due to the nature of the junk piece, the arrowhead was thicker in the middle.  I managed to remove nearly all of the flat portions from the glass.

This arrowhead is probably my favorite so far.  I made it from a small junk piece of the plate.  Since it was small, it was easier to thin as the flakes didn't need to be driven across a large surface.  The tip broke off twice, so it got smaller and smaller.  That was okay, though, as my father showed me a way to notch it from the book below.  I could see this arrowhead slicing through the air on the way to its target.

This was also made from a small junk piece.  It isn't as clean as the other one.  While creating it, I got a number of step fractures.  I'll explain it better in the next post as I should have some photos and examples by then, but it's when a "step" forms on the surface of the arrowhead due to a flake being removed.  These can be difficult to deal with.  Despite the image being taken from above, you might be able to see how the left side is thicker than the right.  Those brown marks are from me trying to remove the step fracture with the copper tools.

This arrowhead is made from an Old Spice bottom, and I've included a side picture to show the curvature.  The main problems I had with this arrowhead is that, due to its width and curvature, I wasn't able to clean it up as well as I wanted.  As such, there are some flat sections and you can see how the thickness is uneven.  Also, the edge geometry suffered a bit. The notching I did was rather unique, but it was a pain to do.

The problems I came across with this arrowhead are the same as above.  I planned a bit better, though, and made the arrowhead wider so I would not have to fear snapping it in half and losing two hours of work.  I don't know if I will do these external notches again as they can break off or chip.  They also require a piece of glass that is much wider than the finished arrowhead.  This means a lot more work is needed to get the proper shape roughed out.

So far, I have been using the Overstreet Indian Arrowheads Identification and Price Guide for ideas.  The one above is the fourteenth edition and the other one I have been using is the third edition.  The fourteenth edition is about two to three times larger than the third!  Although there are some color photos, most of them are in black and white, not that color makes a difference.

On my previous post, Kyle asked about why some arrowheads are notched differently.  I wasn't able to give a good answer, so I asked my father.  He said that part of the reason had to do with its use.  Arrowheads with side notches, like the third arrowhead, would most likely be used as actual arrowheads.  Others with a sort of stem, like the fifth one, may have been used as spear points.  He also said that it was partly due to what the creator thought an arrowhead was.  Different tribes would have developed different notching techniques and then continued using them for centuries.  Some of the different notching styles may be due to experimentation.  Perhaps the flared notches on the sixth one would stick in a deer better.  My father knows an archaeologist at the BLM, so if you have any other questions, ask away.  I may be able to get an answer from an expert.

This week was mainly meant for practicing my newly learned skills, and I certainly did that.  I realized my mistakes and were able to correct them.  I also was sure to use the abraders much more as I mentioned in the previous post.  It won't be too difficult to improve.  I simply need to practice more to get better.  On a side note, I believe I took much better pictures this time, or a least my legs weren't in them.  The yellow envelope provides a decent background.

So far, I am on schedule as I was sure to give myself plenty of time to practice. Therefore, keeping up with my schedule hasn't been too difficult.  Besides that, I have been working at my arrowheads quite a bit, so that helps to keep me on track.  I plan to make some arrowheads from some cooler pieces of glass next week, so be sure to read the next post to see them.  I've been eyeing a piece of clear glass for a spear point.  There is also a red-orange and sparkly purple piece that will make great looking arrowheads.  After that, I plan to start working on stone arrowheads.  Whether or not I do, though, depends on whether or not I am ready.

Week Two - My first attempts

To start off this new week, my father introduced me to the tools and the techniques I will use.  I also made three arrowheads which I will discuss.  This post may be quite long due to the amount I will need to cover, but following posts will be more reasonable.  On a separate note, donations of materials are welcome!

As I mentioned before, my father has all the tools I need and then some.  Although some of these tools will probably not be used, I will still talk about their use to familiarize you before getting into my first attempts.

The round stones on the left are called hammerstones.  They'd be used in hard-hammer percussion flaking by striking the edge of the material at a nearly parallel angle to create flakes.  I won't be using them as hammerstones are typically reserved for axes and other large tools, not arrowheads.  It can't be seen in the picture, but the ends of the stones are indented and damaged, indicating they were once used for this purpose.  As such, you ought to look at the ends of any ovalish rocks you come across as it may be an Indian artifact!  The hammer on the right is the modern equivalent.

Often you will need to rough out the general shape of an arrowhead before you can move on to the pressure flakers.  These copper mallets and deer antler would be used by striking the edge of the piece to prepare the edge for pressure flaking.  If the edge is too smooth, too thick, or at a right angle, pressure flaking will be difficult.

These are the pressure flakers.  I will mainly be using the copper ones on the left as they are easier to work with, but the antler tines would have been used by the native populations.  Nonetheless, they are still used by flintknappers today.  It appears to be a matter of preference more than anything, but my father uses the copper pressure flakers as they do not need to be sharpened as much.  To remove flakes of material, the pressure flaker is pressed down and into the edge.  This causes the material to fracture conchoidally.

Made of sandstone, these abraders are rubbed against the edge of the arrowhead.  As you'd expect, it dulls the edge,  However, this is needed to prepare the platform, or the place the pressure flaker is pushed against.  If the edge remains super thin and sharp, it will simply crumble under the pressure.  Dulling the edge allows more pressure to be applied before it flakes, creating a longer and thinner flake.  You can see these have been used numerous times due to the indents present.

Garrett asked if materials for flintknapping could be found in the surrounding area and the answer is yes.  The gray and red rocks are porcelanite and can be found here in Montana.  The blackish-brown rock is flint from the Knife River in North Dakota.  The shiny, black rock is obsidian, also referred to as natural glass due to its characteristics.  As a result of its characteristics, obsidian was highly prized among native populations.  It can be found in Yellowstone, and there is evidence that obsidian was traded among different tribes.  Finally, the yellow rock on the far right is Yellowstone agate from the Yellowstone River.  Although there are sources of natural materials for flintknapping in the area, it is important to note that only rocks that produce conchoidal fractures can be used.

These are the materials I started with this week.  The top piece is a glass plate while the bottom piece is blue glass from a bottle.  As mentioned before, I will be working with glass for a few weeks until I become comfortable with the techniques needed.

To start off the week, my father showed me the tools and gave me a demonstration of their use.  Afterwards, I gave it a shot.

These are my first three arrowheads.  Sorry if they are hard to see.  I should be able to take better photos next time.

This was my first arrowhead.  It was made from a piece of the bottle glass and has a triangular shape with a notched bottom.  It actually looks pretty good, but it does have quite a bit of room for improvement.  The side facing the camera is thicker than the opposing edge, and a flat portion wasn't removed on the other side.  Both of these problems will be resolved as I get better and become able to drive the flakes across the surface of the material, thinning it.  Glass has two parallel and flat sections to it.  If they aren't removed, the arrowhead doesn't look natural.  This piece was originally larger, but I accidentally broke the tip off and had to shorten it.  This arrowhead took me three hours.

The second arrowhead was made from the glass plate.  Unfortunately, I had problems breaking the plate into usable sections and then roughing out the shape of the arrowhead.  As a result, this arrowhead is smaller than I would have liked.  Similar to the other arrowhead, I had trouble removing the flat section of the glass on one side and one side was thicker than the other.  I spent an hour on this arrowhead as it was smaller and I was more confident in my skills.  My dad recommended notching it and showed me a similar looking arrowhead in a book.  Notching it was difficult, though,  due to the thickness of the material.  This book will be where I get most of my ideas for arrowhead designs.

Despite being my third arrowhead, this one is my worst.  I was unable to remove the flat sections on both sides of the arrowhead and it is still quite thick.  As such, it isn't sharp at all.  In retrospect, I should have worked slower and took more time with it as only an hour was spent working on it.  I do plan on returning to it when I am more skilled to finish it.

Overall, the problems I encountered can only be fixed with more experience.  As I become better at flintknapping, I will be able to remove flakes that are longer and thinner.  Most of the flakes I create are thick and short, so it is difficult to thin a piece and remove the flat section.   Natural stone won't have those unnatural flat sections, but I still need to learn the skills.  After watching my father work an obsidian point for a while, I noticed that he uses the abrader after nearly every flake he removes.  I will try to use the abraders more often as I am certain I am not preparing the platform well enough.  My father also works at a point on and off.  Maybe producing an arrowhead in a single session is not a good idea.

Despite the troubles I came across, I am on schedule as I gave myself a few weeks to learn the skills on the glass.  I will also try to spend more time on each point instead of rushing it.  Perhaps I will bring my materials and tools to school towards the end of the project, but for now, I'll just read one of the books my father has or work on my blog.  Lugging all the tools to school so I can work for a half hour isn't too attractive of an idea.  The main thing I need to do to get better is to practice.

Week One - Planning

Making arrowheads was chosen as my project because my father has made arrowheads in the past as a hobby.  As such, he will not only be able to give me hands-on demonstrations, he will be able to supply me with the tools and the materials needed.  Consequently, he will make learning this unique skill far easier than it would be on my own.  Furthermore, my father has a selection of books that can give me helpful insight and inspiration.  It will also be a chance for father-son bonding.

For the first several weeks of my project, I will mainly be trying to learn how to use the tools necessary to make an arrowhead as well as getting a feel for how the material flakes and breaks.  Glass is, from what I have heard and read, the easiest material to flintknap with.  Due to this, and glass's relative abundance and cheap cost, I will try to learn the skills needed on the glass.  I hope to be able to use these skills to make a variety of arrowheads from stone at the end of the eight week period and have some finished arrowheads I am proud to show off.

The specific method I plan on using is referred to as pressure flaking.  This is when a hard point, like a dowel with a copper rod in it or the tine of an antler, is pressed forcefully against the side of the material.  This causes the material to flake, which can form a conchoidal fracture with a razor edge only a few molecules thick!  At about 1:50, this technique is shown in the video.

My plans could very well change, though.  If pressure flaking is more difficult than I thought, I may not be able to try making an arrowhead from stone, or it will be of poor quality.  I doubt I will master this skill in an eight week period, but I hope to at least make something that looks good and functions.  Thankfully, my father should be able to help me along the way.

The following pictures are some of my father's arrowheads.  The first image is of glass arrowheads and the second of stone arrowheads.  Pardon the glare.