western clovis punch chapter 5

[Flintknappingtips]

Thanks! I do make folsom points. I do them a couple different ways and I'm not sure how close I am on them. I'll get to filming one, one of these days. In the meantime I have some more videos at .flintknappingtipsdotcom if you're interested. Thanks again, I'm glad the videos have helped you with your knapping. That's what I like to hear! Marty

[falsomknapper]

would it be possible to get a full lenth vid of you I would not care how long it is.I want to see evreything that you do.It has helped me so much thank you from the bottom of my flint knapping bucket. Also have you made any folsompoints if not i want to request one i will look you up and see.your like watching through a time machine.

[smellanalan]

what do you use as your punch? is that just an antler with a little curve to it. that overshot technique is pretty sick

[fly2000jtb]

You said it looked dumb?!!? To all of us out here it looks like the Mona Lisa!!!! I only wish I had that much skill, (just getting into knapping Clovis points) Thanks for your videos! Joseph T (fly2000jtb)

[Flintknappingtips]

That's Ok. Old points are identified by material, workmanship, the story about proveniance and minerals, wear and polish that's visible under high magnification. There are new pieces which fool all the experts as well as prehistoric pieces which are labeled as modern because they appear modern so it's not exact science.

[goodygrant]

sweet. how much would a real paleo-era clovis like this one be worth?

[Flintknappingtips]

no telling. It depends on if it's real, or a fake that most people think is real. Prehistoric artifacts that are rare and exceptional are under valued because of the huge numbers of fakes on the market that many people believe to be authentic. Monetary value changes daily though. I have no idea. between 35-100,000 US maybe? If I had any money I certainly wouldnt' buy "genuine indian relics" though. I could get burned so fast, and I know something about the rocks.

[goodygrant]

sorry to keep bothering you, but you are the single most knowlegeable person i know to ask. how do the real pieces get identified as such; can they be identified and aged by the wear & tear on the edges and ridges?

[paleo17]

I was told a boatstone was used as Atlatl weight and also some of the real deep grooved ones were used as cerimonial objects.If a Indian has a sickness a small effigie was carved{made} of what they thought the ailment was,and it was placed in the boatstone ,wrapped up with sinew and thrown in a river or lake. Thus getting rid of the sickness.

[Flintknappingtips]

Interesting Brad, thanks for the info.

[wweeccoo]

ok- thanks

[wweeccoo]

you are awesom. I have found hundreds of arrowheads over the years with my uncle. He also has a -boatstone- we are not sure what it was used for. He had someone tell him it was part of a laddle addle or something. Anyway I will be watching all of your videos. It is beyond intrigueing. I actually live in South Arkansas. Can I use Ouachita river gravel rocks to learn?

[Flintknappingtips]

A boatstone is probably an atlatl weight. Search atlatl on youtube for some videos that show how they work. You find some good material in rivers, and also upstream where the rocks will be bigger. Get a hammerstone and start breaking them! You will learn quick which ones are good and which ones are junk. Thank you.

[jasonjmj]

Sorry I phrased that question a little awkwardly! You are fantastic, I could tell you are very experienced. Practice must truly make perfect with this skill. I have read that starting with obsidian is the best for beginners, how do you feel about this? I have a few large chunks of it I happened upon from a rock collector.

[Flintknappingtips]

I was just kidding with the(me)stuff. I say for percussion learning that tough, but good raw stone is the best for teaching ablity. After 6 mos. of chipping raw stone you can pick up heat treated, or obsidean and flake it like a pro. I would knap what ever you have for practice, but keep in mind that the raw chert teaches about stout holding and striking practices which are necessary to learn.

[jasonjmj]

Should I look online for sellers of rock? I am not sure what to start with. I live in Southwest Missouri, and have heard there is lots of rock around to find that could work well. Burlington Chert maybe??

[Flintknappingtips]

You are surrounded by good rock and you can start by looking in creeks or at construction sites or road cuts where it is exposed. There is a knap-in in Booneville, MO this weekend righ off hwy 70 by the flea market grounds on the south side of 70.

[jasonjmj]

Thanks for the tip. I might check out the knap-in. Where do you live, if you don't mind me asking.

[Flintknappingtips]

I live in N. central arkansas

[jasonjmj]

So you might attend the thing in Boonville? How did you start in knapping? Sorry for all the questions, but I am very intrigued.

[Flintknappingtips]

send me a pm please w/ all your questions and I wll answer. There's a 400 character limit here. Thanks. knap in is off exit 111 on hwy 70

[jasonjmj]

Does anyone know how long this guy has been doing this? He handles everything like he has been doing it for many, many years! He is amazing. I attended a seminar on knapping, and am hooked already. I am going to try this out, hopefully I can produce something!

[Flintknappingtips]

This guy (me) has been knapping for almost 20 years, but don't let that fool you into thinking you can't do it as well. Many techniques that I practice which are new are awkward even to me. It takes some adjustment to learn any new skill. It is reasonable to assume that 2 years training in any 1 skill can yield very much proficiency.

[TeamBambi27]

Hey I'm a highschool student and my school has a Primitive Skills club that I'm in and my favorite thing to do is knapp besides making bone fish hooks. This method i really interesting I might have to try it soon.

[Flintknappingtips]

You should try it. May I suggest that you make a video if you do? That would be neat. Focus on making some nice flakes with the punch and update us please.

[radermma]

Where did you get your raw materials? Should I explore for some nice chert sources or maybe make a trip out to North Dakota for some knife river flint? How did you start doing it and getting material?

[Flintknappingtips]

Knife river is excellent, but it's hard to get and not very good beginning knapper material because it's rare. What state are you in? There are many stone dealers on the internet. If you need just modest quantities of good raw stone for practice I can prob. help if you send a pm.

[radermma]

very interesting but fluting was typically done prior to most of the shaping of the point due to high risks of breakage

[Flintknappingtips]

exactly. That's why I explained that in chapter 4 before I removed the last flakes. It's probably why I also didn't break the piece. Shape has nothing to do with it. The practice has more to do with cross section for balance and removing flakes later for additional tools which is common practice in some varieties of clovis. Where did you read that?

[Wahunganganshapunck]

You talked alot about theory of method. Could you divulge your sources? It sounds like good stuff to know.

[Flintknappingtips]

Most clovis info. I get from personal communication w/ other knappers and studying old pieces. There's a lot of misinformation in print in my opinion, because there aren't many academic knappers who do much beyond knapping with large billets and often describe fluting as a separate technique to bifacial flaking. I dont' see it that way.

[radermma]

I'm an archaeology major so I'm kinda of familiar with it. I wish they would offer class that involved knapping and pottery making, etc. I've always wanted to mess around with it.

[Flintknappingtips]

You can teach yourself knapping and pottery making. It will benefit you greatly, and you can learn a ton on the experimental side from others outside the classroom. You will know a lot more about the flakes and artifacts you dig up if you do some knapping.

[Sandhillcowboy1]

Nice work Marty! Great way to share info.

Rick

[Flintknappingtips]

thanks Rick. Feel free to make a video response knapping some of your krf!