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My name is Mark Underwood - most friends call me Undy, hence the screen name. Those that really get to know me will refer to me as "Gabby" or "Rock Junkie", as I can't seem to stop talking about rocks or what I plan to do with one once I lay my hands on a particularly fine piece...How I'm going to cut it (checking all the grains & colors & patterns), cook it (if necessary), grind it (which I do to conserve...they don't grow on trees & no two are ever the same), knap it (some break after all this...and then there were two!), & display them...if they get that far.
I have lived in Orange, Texas for the past 30 odd years, but I was born and raised in Arizona. This was where I developed my love of collecting arrowheads. My Grandmother's home, just outside Tucson, sat smack dab in the middle of an ancient Indian village where we were constantly finding artifacts...mostly pieces, but every now and then a really nice point.
It wasn't till I started knapping around 1995 or 96 that I could really appreciate what went into making those points & tools. Unlike today's vast information and knowledge that is out there, when I first started out, I just couldn't find anything to help. It wasn't for lack of trying, I just didn't know where to look.
I met a friend one summer who had been deer hunting with arrowheads he found. Not wanting to lose any more authentic points...hunting's really hard on them, he began studying them to see if he could replicate them. About a year of trial and error produced a satisfactory hunting point...it wasn't pretty but it was sharp and flew straight. He got me started and all I could do was bust up rocks...my yard looked like a chain gang had been through there. I kind of got discouraged and lost interest till one day, quite by accident, I found an ad in the back of a Popular Mechanics, of all places, for a video about making arrowheads. It was produced by Mr. Howard R. Commons in Oregon (check out helpful books & videos topic). Check was in the mail and the rest is history. It was a very unique method of producing points and blades. He works from a slab with perpendicular sides that are ground square. While applying horizontal pressure to a piece of copper pipe or rod (different sizes for different size flakes), he would twist the slab, forcing flakes off of the piece. I must STRESS the importance for safety here. The flakes pop off in an upward direction, therefore eye & hand protection play an important role. I picked a lot of glass out of my face everytime I used this method that gave me a very intimate relationship with Band-Aids and Neosporin for a while. The video shows the use of glass & obsidian and although he mentions opals and heat treated stone, he doesn't use any in the video. I have produced some with heat treated jasper and flint, and although it's a very fast procedure...my first point was probably done in under 10 minutes...it still leaves a very flat shape. The video shows the use of platforms and previous flake ridges, but doesn't go into a great deal of detail about why. It made a believer out of me and gave me the basic knowledge to help me understand what I was trying to achieve.
A few months later a friend called to tell me about an article he read in an Austin paper. It announced that there was going to be a Knap-In at Chili Park in Maxdale, Texas (South of Killeen). He said, "You mean nuts really do sit around and beat on rocks? I wonder if they bleed as much as you do?" Well, I couldn't help but laugh and wonder.
That weekend I met some of the finest people in the world. They were from all walks of life with a common bond...the love of flint knapping. If you really want to learn the art of knapping then you must attend. The wealth of knowledge is astounding and shared by all.
That's the purpose of this site. To say or do anything to encourage others. There is a greater interest in flint knapping today than I would have ever thought possible...has been for years...and I pray for years to come. Anyone with ideas or information that they feel would better the Flintknapping Art in any way, and would like to add any videos, books or related links, please feel free to E-Mail.
Thanks again for stopping by! Have fun and by all means be safe.
Great knapping to you and yours,
Mark
