Some of the Stone I have destroyed:

OPALIZED WOOD

Opal is very crumbly and doesn't work well. It seems to be too "soft". I have not been able to make a decent point from the opal that I have worked with.

MAN MADE GLASS

Glass works very well, especially colored versions. Pressure flaking beer bottle bottoms is excellent practice, not to mention cheap! I started flinknapping this way.

OBSIDIAN

You either love it or you hate it. Some people call it obscene-ian! Personally, I like it, especially the clear, black varieties. I find that it has nice character and is easy to work. I have cut myself more on obsidian than on any other stone.

NOVACULITE

Arkansas Novaculite is fairly easy to work with IF it has been heat treated. Most varieties are white or grayish white. It is very glassy when heated. The black varieties do not need to be heat treated. I have made some good points from Novaculite.

HEAT TREATED TEXAS CHERTS

The various Texas cherts are the favorite of most of the people I know. My friend, Steve Behrnes, says that it has more "meat" to work with. Almost all of it needs to be heat treated for best results. The light, "peaches and cream" colored stuff is my favorite. There is also a variety known by knappers as "rootbeer" that is also exceptional. The Texas cherts are the closest thing to "true" flint that I have heard of.

AGATE and JASPER

Agates and Jaspers make some of the most beautiful points. There is a tremendous variety of color in these stones. The stone is hard, even after heat treating, but pressure flakes out real nicely.

DACITE

I haven't been able to figure this one out yet. It almost looks like obsidian, yet works like flint. It is generally opaque, gray to black. I like it a lot. It feels "soapy" or "waxy". Dacite requires no heat treatment.

PETRIFIED WOOD

Don't waste your time!

PORCELAIN

I have made some very crude points from broken coffee mugs and plates. Porcelain just doesn't seem to pressure flake well at all. It is also called Johnstone by some of the knappers that I know.

Agatized Coral

The few pieces of this material that I have worked have been very tough and grainy. I understand that heat treating improves the workability a lot. It has some really nice color, though, and sometimes you can even see the little fossils in it.

Silicified Volcanic Ash

Steve Behrnes gave me a few pieces of this stuff that he got from Nevada. It is probably the best flint that I have ever worked with and is also a beautiful, creamy white color with a very waxy texture. Requires heating for best results.

Flint Ridge:
Oh, how I love this stuff! Generally creamy white to pinkish color with great smooth texture. Requires heat treatment. From Ohio, this stuff is pretty expensive, but worth the cost.

Burlington:
Similar to Flint Ridge, but from Missouri, the "Show Me" State. Also creamy white to pinkish generally. I wish someone would "Show" me a gift of 100 pounds or so of this stuff!

English Flint:
Although you might hear that this stuff doesn't need to be heated, I found that bringing it to 435 deg. F really worked wonders on it. Dark gray to almost black, this is some really neat stuff!

Onondaga:
This stuff is tougher than a group of New York hoods! Can't be heat treated, but does benefit from water soaking a little. Nice grayish color though and does make nice points if you can work it.

Fiber Optic:
Now here's a "Space Age " one! Really, really soft, this stuff reminds me of Opal as far as its' texture is concerned. Comes in a variety of colors, and makes for a beautiful point.

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