22" Basalt Biface - Field spalling stage 1, Part 1

[111fishkiller]

Are U trying to get workable pieces off the big piece,or are U actually trying to transform the big rock,into a giant point/blade?

[zekeyo37]

hey jim i live in austin and a short drive from perdenales and i was wondering how u got that flint in your "Collecting Texas Flint" video thx

zekeyo37

[paleomanjim]

Austin is surrounded by flint! Head south or east and check roads that cross creeks and rivers, or try to ask for permisssion from landowners....jim

[lebaronr]

hey jim,

i had never heard of knappable basalt until this video.

just wondering the difference in workability to dacite...

it almost seems as though there is some kind of stage sequence of toughness between obsidian dacite and basalt.

anyways... later,

reuben

[paleomanjim]

Yeah, they are all volcanic and work about the same except in the final stages where the basalt is more prone to step fracture. With care even basalt can be knapped thin though....jim

[paleomanjim]

I dont think there is any workable basalt around phoenix, most basalt is very tough to work. There are some obsidian sources close to phoenix, but mostly very small....

[82f150]

what type of knappable stone is around pheonix

[paleomanjim]

There are obsidian sources near Phoenix. The north part of the state has petrified wood, basalt and dacite....

[82f150]

hey jim i got an uncle that lives in arizona, he lives in phenix. is there any basalt around that area?

[DeVic123]

question i colect a hudge collection of rocks and was wondering were is the Basalt from like what Start and Country can you please tell me??

[paleomanjim]

Arizona, USA

[tobigforyou]

That's pretty cool, I didnt know you could flint knab bassalt.

BTW Jim does the points you make really cut? It would be cool if you could do for us a cutting test, with like a piece of meet or something like that

[HiwayHauler68]

great vid!ty for doing the "in the field" work.

[paleomanjim]

Hi Jeremy. I got the copper from a friend a few years ago. Its a solid copper piece 2 1/4" diameter by about 7" long and weighs about 9#'s. I have a larger one I got on ebay from a guy who was casting them for knappers...

[DiggerJeremy]

Hi Jim, I'm trying to find a light weight nodule spalling tool like the one you use in this video. Is that just a copper rod? Where did you get it?

Thanks!