Modern Flint Knapping

Tela, I pressure flake the knives. I've been asked this before and here's a copy of my detailed response.


These knives were worked from slabs which give you a continuous platform. I use an Ishi stick with a quarter inch copper tip to work the edge on my first pass. Position each flake on the first pass appx 1/4 inch apart. I use both of my legs to steady and lock my wrists into and use my right leg to help push the flake out. Make sure to position the tip of the Ishi stick almost straight into and very close to the edge but not too far into the slab. This will keep the force near the surface of the slab instead of taking a deeper and much shorter flake by sending the energy into the rock instead of across it. Push real hard into that slab and use that right leg to push it off.

Many people will go down an entire edge of a slab then try to join up the opposite edge next. I don't do this. when I take a flake off of the right edge, I will switch over to the left edge and then join it together. This is done because if I have a short flake or error on one edge, I can use more force on the opposite edge to reach it. I try to join and overlap them a little which helps give you a clean surface. Sometimes you will get a slight step where the flakes join but when you make the second and last pass they can be cleaned up. This lets me go through an entire side with very little if any flat spots on the surface that need to be cleaned up on the second pass. I do this on both sides of the slab.

Before the second pass all of the ridges produced need to be heavily abraded down to get you back to a continuous platform. I don't use an Ishi stick for this second pass unless there is an issue way into the slab that needs more force to reach it. I have a smaller pressure flaker and do exactly what I did above except this time the edge is more narrow so I position the tip of the flaker close but not past the center of the edge, dig in and push off a flake using my right leg. The second pass is narrower at about 1/8 inch or a little more apart. After all edges are done I start at the tip and work my way down both edges, feathering in and sharpening.

Tools used:
Notched leather hand pad (a notched pad lets the flakes travel longer)
Ishi stick
Pressure flaker
abrading stone

I'm the proud owner of one of Rick's creations. He's a humble master of the art.

He's pressure flaking with an ishi stick. What I do is similar but my technique is different from his. He's also using large biface preforms that have been
knapped using direct and probably some indirect pressure. I start with smaller slabs and use a tighter parallel pattern like I mentioned above. A
little more finess is involved to achieve what I'm doing.

Chad, obsidian is the easiest to try working because it chips so easy. Only problem with that is that "it chips so easy" causing breakage where you don't want it.
You have to finess it and control where those flakes go. I started off knapping by using percussion (hitting the rock with a billet or hammerstone). Then I went
to pressure flaking (with flakers and ishi stick) to direct the flakes a little better. For years I went back and forth or combined both methods to make a finished
point. I'm almost 78 now and had to really cut back on percussion due to the wear and tear it can do to your body. I've concentrated mostly on controlled pressure
flaking these days which can produce nice thin blades. There is a nice gray flint that comes in nodules out in Texas called Georgetown which would be my second
choice when beginning. It doesn't need heat treating to knap and many beginners use it. I've been experimenting with heat treating some of this lately so I
can pressure flake slabs. I am getting good results and will post some photos of a few blades/knives soon.