Some Little Tricks and Techniques

Thinning:

Getting a good, thin preform is the initial goal of every project. There ARE some ways to achieve this without making a lot of gravel. The bottom line to getting that skinny ole preform is to ABRADE those platforms. I prefer a broken grinding wheel for small points, and a concrete cinder block for large ones.  You really have to try this! Instead of rubbing the abrader on the point, try holding the point in your hand and rubbing IT on the abrading stone.  This really works well, and has allowed me to get much thinner points, especially on the larger spears and blades. Once you've established a good platform, don't be afraid to tilt that baby up a good bit. Something like 30 degrees seems about right for me. Then, whack it! Don't be afraid to break it. After all, "It ain't nothing but a rock!" Try to get those large, thinning flakes to go at least halfway across the preform or it will get small on you in a hurry before it gets thin.

Pressure Flaking:

Pressure flaking can either be random (to get a good smooth surface), or have some type of pattern to make the point look good. Whatever you want to do is fine but I have discovered a couple of tricks that might help. First, you MUST push INTO the stone before you try to pop off a flake. Many people pry on the stone and end up either breaking it, or getting a very short flake to come off. Try tilting the preform so that the edge you want to flake is straight up. Then you have no choice BUT to push into the stone. This little technique has improved my pressure flaking tremendously. Remember to keep that flaker SHARP!

Notching:

Notching is probably the part of flintknapping where the most headaches, heartbreaks, and bad language falls. You can avoid a lot of this with a couple of little tricks that I've picked up. First of all, make sure to thin that base as much as possible. A good, thin base makes notching SO much easier. Next, try using a piece of a wide fan belt (the kind that comes on cars) to support the piece. Place the point to be notched on the belt with the notch area over one of the depressions. This really cuts down on breakage for me. Here's where the old horshoe nail comes in. It MUST be kept sharp! I like to have one filed to a point and another filed into the shape of a screwdriver. Start on the thicker side of the point first. Crush the tool into the place where you want to start the notch.  Turn the preform over and take out a flake from this area. The technique is more straight up and down. A half cone shaped flake should come off. Turn the preform over and use the platform from the first flake to pop off another. Continue until you have reached the desired depth of the notch. Now relax for a minute and do the same thing on the other side!

Indirect Percussion:

The use of punches definitetly has a place in my flintknapping kit. Using a punch gives you more control over the point of impact. This can come in handy in a tight spot where a mis-strike might destroy the preform. I use this method for notching, removal of step fractures, and fluting small points. For notching, I use a 16d nail mounted in a 2 in. section of 3/4 in. hardwood dowel and a 6d nail similarly mounted. They must be kept very sharp and about 1 in. long. The procedure is simple. First, start notching the point with a couple of pressure flakes to establish some platforms. Then place the punch on the edge and give it a good blow. Try to hit just hard enough to remove a flake. Flip the piece over and continue. With a little practice, you can get some pretty deep notches this way, especially on larger points. For removing step fractures, I use a 2 in. section of horshoe nail mounted in a slightly longer section of dowel and a small allen wrench ground down to a chisel shape and mounted similarly. The technique here is basic. Place the preform in a soft leather pad in the hand, holding it tightly. Seat the tool against the step at a very slight angle, and whack away, preferably with an antler percussor. If the angle is too steep the flake will dive into the preform and ruin it. This technique works best with steps that are close to the edge and can't be pressure flaked off. For fluting small points, the base is prepared the same as for those who use direct percussion or lever devices. I lay the preform on the leg pad at a slight angle, with the point facing down, and supported WELL. The punch in this case is a 1 in. section of 3/16 copper ground wire mounted in a 2 in. long section of 1 in. diameter dowel. It is filed to a very slightly rounded edge. The punch is then placed on the platform at the correct angle, and WHAM! You HAVE to hit it pretty hard, or hardly anything will come off. The second flute is prepared the same way. By the way, the first flute usually comes off very good. It's the second one that usually causes me to say bad things!

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