Knapping is something that has always interested me. A friend gave me a chunk of obsidian recently and it rekindled my interest.
I was wondering if any of you folks could point me the right direction as far as videos, literature, and a decent tool kit to order. Any info would be much appreciated.

I would strongly recommend trying to find a local knap-in to go to. There is so much that is "feel" in that art, it is very difficult to put into words or video.

You can practice on glass, flatter bottoms on beer bottles can make cool little arrowheads.

I used to knap as a kid. I didn't have good materials available, so I never progressed much. There should be knap-ins in your area.

https://flintknappers.com/events.php

There's some huge knap-ins in Ohio at Nether's Farm at Flint Ridge. For a small fee they let you dig flint at the site. People sell flint from there online, for pretty big money. Flint Ridge flint is the Ohio gemstone.

Obsidian is incredibly sharp, much sharper than surgical steel. Protect your eyes, hands and lap. Watch out for pieces on the ground too. I saw a video where I guy got flakes in his crocs, stood up and immediately regretted it. He embedded many tiny flakes in his feet and bled profusely.

Keith

Looks like you just missed one in MN, but maybe the contact here can help you out.




Knap In Calendar

I was always interested too, we don't have good stone here, the Indians used quartzite found in beach cobbles which is a difficult stone to work...after banging some rocks together I said no way is this possible, lol, did get some rudimentary sharp "flakes", mostly by accident though...

There was a university professor here that was good at it, but too busy working to figure out how to get a hold of him and see if he taught people...

We had limestone and limited amounts of shale at our house. They weren't any good. My grandparents had quartz, granite and a little slate. They were a little better, but not good. Quartz would put out impressive sparks when smashed.

I wish I had known about stone celts, axes and hammers being made of granite. I would of made those instead of points.

Keith

I actually made a Quartz beach rock "club", can't rightly call it a tomahawk, lol, rock was a perfect shape to mount on a split green stick, bound up it was tight and would definitely ruin someone's day, lol.... that was the extent of my stone age skills...

Thank you guys for the information.
K snow, I had no idea that knap-ins existed. I'll have to try to check one out.

Keith, I've played with obsidian just enough to know that it's likely to hurt me. It seems that most things that interest me have some way of causing me to bleed. Lol. I'll definitely take precautions. I wonder how many Indians were blinded back in the day when they were forming a cutting edge?

D.C. Waldorf google him

Ryan Gill's channel has a ton of knapping info. He is very good at it.

…I like to chew em down to a good point

… it doesn’t taste the best but gets the job done

Thank you, Otis, I believe I'll order his book.
Thanks k snow, I'll try to watch the video tomorrow, looks interesting.

After yotetrapper shot and killed Savell, I wasn't sure I'd like you.
Now that I've observed your posts, I've decided that you are ok. You're kinda like a "Great Value Savell".

I bought his video, on vhs so it's been a while. Lots of foundational information to get you started.

There's some really basic things you need to know, the way you prepare a platform to strike a flake off. You might get lucky and figure it out, but it's much better to be shown what to do.

Slim would say about trapping, that you miss out on the satisfaction and experience of figuring things out for yourself. But we ain't going to live forever, and sometimes a shortcut is the best decision.

If you can get to a knap in, you can buy tools and materials. Guys travel from all over to them selling things. I bought basault and obsidian from the west, chert from kansas, and I think some actual flint from England. I don't remember so good anymore, so don't remember exact details.

Lots of good advice here. Knapp-ins would be best, lots of YouTube stuff out there too. Play it safe, the eyes you save will be your own. Anyway, just practice practice practice. It’s a good little hobby.
Arthritis stopped me from knapping a few years back so I do have quite a bit of obsidian laying around and maybe 40 or 50 pounds of slabs I could be persuaded to sell at a reasonable price.
I also have 12 or so Osage bow staves I will sell also. 1/2 off sale. If you live in the spee Dee delivery area you can’t beat the price.
Pm me if interested.

In addition to eye protection, be sure to work in a well ventilated area, or outdoors in a breeze. Silicosis is very real.