Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,455
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Post by Sabre52 on Mar 21, 2022 13:42:48 GMT -5
Howdy folks, Just a few of my recent finds here on the ranch. Just all brokes but I do like finding bases as then I can identify types. The blackish one is made of what we call " Austin Blue Flint" which is actually a black to dark gray chert that occurs in veins in one of our creeks. The point just to the left of it really broke my heart as it was buried and everything that showed made me think it was an entire big dart point. The big block of chert was picked up right on the campsite area and is "Pedernales Chert" one of the favored material here. It too is a vein material rather than nodular like the rootbeer chert on our hilltop quarry. Piece just left and below the black point is a small drill or graver with just one small flaked point on it. broke artifacts by lonerider652000, on Flickr
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Post by RickB on Mar 21, 2022 15:35:23 GMT -5
Broken but keepers. I have a five gallon bucket of Texas rootbeer chert I bought a few years ago from Curtis Smith of (Curt's Cherts). Have yet to try and make a point from it. It's real nice and clean looking knapping grade rock. Do you have some rootbeer points whole/broken you've found that you could post a photo of?
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,455
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Post by Sabre52 on Mar 21, 2022 22:45:34 GMT -5
Howdy Rick, I posted a drill and a huge, thin Pedernales point here back in May of 2019. I suck at knapping but have tried some rootbeer chert and without heat treating it is really tough stuff to pressure flake. I have my best luck working heat treated flakes I find on the campsites. Color doesn't change a lot though some get pretty colors but those flakes pressure flake much easier. Even the Amerinds seem to prefer using percussion techniques on the un-heat-treated stuff.
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Post by jasoninsd on Mar 21, 2022 22:56:06 GMT -5
Mel, thanks for posting these!
I know my father-in-law has found points on his ranch/property, but I've never gone and looked for them...
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Post by RickB on Mar 23, 2022 12:23:34 GMT -5
Howdy Rick, I posted a drill and a huge, thin Pedernales point here back in May of 2019. I suck at knapping but have tried some rootbeer chert and without heat treating it is really tough stuff to pressure flake. I have my best luck working heat treated flakes I find on the campsites. Color doesn't change a lot though some get pretty colors but those flakes pressure flake much easier. Even the Amerinds seem to prefer using percussion techniques on the un-heat-treated stuff. Mel, that's some pretty rock you have in Texas. I went to the back yard and pulled out my crate of Texas Rootbeer Chert. It's a nice translucent brown rock and produces a great conchoidal fracture when hit on the edge with a hammer. Excellent for flint knapping. Some of the best rock I've ever worked is the grey Georgetown Flint nodules that also come from Texas.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Mar 23, 2022 14:02:09 GMT -5
Nice finds Sabre52. Whole or half they are still amazing artifacts made by our ancient forefathers and send goosebumps up youe spine when you consider the history behind those findings. By the way there was an incredible variety of cherts at the Rio Grande. Many of then were cab grade and beautiful material.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,455
|
Post by Sabre52 on Mar 23, 2022 17:18:49 GMT -5
Rick, We too have the black flint/chert but most is vein material, though we find nodules. Most of our nodules contain a chert that is more gray colored with occasional fossils. We do own a six acre hill near our home with an old Amerind flint quarry where they dug and gathered rootbeer flint nodules and made them into trade blanks. Have never found a complete point there yet. The rootbeer material in the quarry is quite translucent and often contains orbs, bands, or whorls or even sometimes lacy effects. I wish patterns had better contrast as it sometimes resembles that beautiful Polish flint but the Amerinds sure did work a lot of it. Unfortunately, the real campsite with completed stuff is just off the edge of our property. Drat! Boy I would like to do a little dig there as on the surface it looks real good.
James: You are right about the Rio Grande chert. Comes in wonderful colors and patterns and is often extremely solid stuff too. Very cool orbicular rhyolite types there too.
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