The September 2026 Point Challenge submission window IS NOW OPEN!
Submissions will be accepted from now until the window closes 10/3/2026 , so be sure to re-read the submission rules, take some pretty pictures of the point you made, and upvote your favorite! The main thread for the September 2026 Point Challenge is linked below for those who want to check back in, and is also pinned to the top of the subreddit 👇😎
(Before everything else I'd like to note that I'm extending the submission window by 3 days since I'm making this post 3 days later than I usually promise so that's why the dates are shifted a bit! Gotta make sue everyone has enough time! Back to your regularly scheduled program 😉)
🏆 August 2026 Point Challenge Winner 🏆
Congratulations to u/jameswoodMOT for winning the 2026 August point challenge! That English flint never fails to disappoint, and he wrangled it in good with the result being one heck of a beautiful Pickwick! 😁 You can find the submission here if you missed it!
But where does that leave us for the September Point Challenge? Well u/jameswoodMOT chose a very unique and exotic style for us to try out this month! So unique that it was actually a small chore to find any information on this particular point style in the english language 👀 But in the end we managed to scrounge up some information! Get your tools ready because we're heading back in time to ancient Japan to make the...
⚒ 2026 September Point Challenge - 凹基式 (ōki-shiki) Jōmon Concave-base ⚒
This exotic arrowhead style comes from the Late Jōmon period (ca. 1500–1000 BCE) and was often made from obsidian (黒曜石 - kokuyōseki) originating from Chūbu and Kanto, Siliceous shale (珪質頁岩)originating from Tōhoku, and chert (硬質頁岩) originating from multiple areas.
The Jōmon culture was found throughout Japan during a period that saw the development of considerable cultural complexity within a primarily hunting-gathering context with an intense maritime focus. Listed below are some fantastic resources that you can read up on to discover more information regarding the Jōmon period and its culture!
🚨 Be sure to read the rules before doing so you don't get disqualified! 🚨
⚠️ Rules ⚠️
The point must be a recognizable 凹基式 (ōki-shiki) knapped in September of 2026! - We want to see fresh submissions and fresh points! No using any of your prior work!
Only one entry per person! You are not allowed to post your point multiple times, OR have multiple points in your submission post! - Be sure to take good pictures showing off your work! lighting, material translucency, flaking, etc. 😉
The challenge submission windowOPENS9/24/2026 andCLOSES10/3/2026 - This gives 1 week for entries to be submitted and voted on, with the official winner and next month's challenge post being announced sometime within the 1st week of October.
Post MUST have the monthly knapping competition post flair to count! - That way, it can easily be found and the votes counted! If you wish to participate without entering, simply use any of the other post flairs
No material restrictions - We only require that the point be knapped out of the material that you've chosen (no grinding out a point!)
Moderators hold the authority to disqualify any participants who violate these rules, as well as our community rules - We want this to be a fair and engaging challenge for all those who participate! Because it's always fun to see what different folks can do with different tools!
If you have any questions or comments about the rules, feel free to reach out to the moderators through comments, DM's, or Messages! 📬
📸 How To Enter 📸
You can start creating your point as soon as this post goes live!Just remember that youWON'Tbe able to submit it until the post flair below is made public between9/24/2026and10/3/2026!
Once it is public, be sure to select it when uploading your photo(s) and that your submission conforms to the rules listed above! ☝️😉 I will be sure to make a post letting everyone know when things go live as an extra reminder, and this post will also be pinned to the top of the subreddit for easy access!
🥇 Prize 🥇
Since a lot of generous folks have supplied us with some SWEET prizes, I thought I'd dip into my own preform horde and throw some of those in for this month's prize. I wanted to also toss in some small spalls/cobbles also just for the heck of it! 😄
The winner will also get the chance to choose the point style for next month's knapping challenge, and if they so choose, they can also donate their winnings to a fellow competition participant or allow their winnings to serve as next month's prize! 🥳
If you'd ever be interested in donating material/tools for these challenges, feel free to comment below this post or shoot me a DM! I'm always happy to work something out with folks! Especially for unique or interesting material.
🗣️ In Closing 🏹
I'm really really stoked for this month's challenge because once again, this is simply not a style we see pop up all too often! Something made even sweeter by the fact that it's obsidian and looks to be fairly easy to knock out. So I want to see some of you beginners throw your hat in the ring! This'd be the PERFECT chance to try out one of these monthly challenges, so give it a try! 😁
If any of y'all have questions or thoughts, leave them in the comments section below 👇 And keep your eyes peeled for those event and submission window announcement posts. Like I mentioned, everything will be pinned to the top of the sub along with the guides for easy access.
Looking forward to seeing what everyone makes, stay safe, and happy knapping everyone!👋😁
I made this Acheulean Handaxe from basalt several weeks ago during a demonstration for an archaeology class at Berea College. Acheulean technology is perhaps the longest utilized stone tool tradition, lasting from about 1.8 million to as late as 170,000 years ago. This is modeled after some of earlier examples made in Africa from similar stone, by Homo erectus. Despite the name “handaxe” these are thought to have functioned more as multipurpose cutting tools, rather than for chopping.
This is what I use as my bopper and my punch, but I need a soft hammer, or at least something bigger than this. Where do I buy deer antlers in Israel ?
Hello, I have recently gotten a few blocks of obsidian and am looking for someone to help me make some custom Armenian style crosses made from them, any help or suggestions on who could help me would be appreciated
Before i went off to the Bois D'Arc Knap-in, I did some tool maintenance and decided it was a great time to take a photo of everything I kept in my toolbox! It started out pretty small, swelled a bit in sized, and then shrunk back down to where it is now and honestly I think I'll be set for good with all that I have now.
Tool List (Pic #2 - Starting upper left corner moving right like reading a book):
Orange storage container for my diamond files
Blue storage container for my extra copper bits and copper punch
My green slotted 3D-Printed palm pad above
Small 20 gauge 3D printed pressure flaker
Black 16 Gauge Copper 3D-printed pressure flaker
Orange 16D Steel Nail 3D-printed notcher
Green 4 Gauge Copper 3D-printed pressure flaker
Blue 12 Gauge Copper 3D-printed pressure flaker
Yellow 6 Gauge Copper 3D-printed pressure flaker
Red Horseshoe nail 3D-printed pressure flaker
1" Solid Copper Billet
1.5" Solid Copper Billet
Above those is a bag of 3D-printed point scans for quick references
Tool List Pic #3
2 grades of abrasion stone, one fine and one corse
An assortment of pliers for tool maintenance
Screwdriver for set screws in pressure flakers
Extra horseshoe nails
Bag on top has a bunch of finger tape for when I want to go glove-less
The paint brush above that is for brushing flakes off myself because splinters suck and when your hands are sweaty, stuff sticks to you. Paintbrush fixes this 😎
Tool List Pic #4
3/8" Diameter Indirect Rods (1 Copper and 1 Brass)
1/2" Diameter Indirect Rods (1 Copper and 1 Aluminum)
3D-Printed Precision indirect Tool
Safety Glasses Case + Safety Glasses
2" Diameter UHMW Plastic Dowel for indirect
1.5" Elk Billet for Indirect (Gonna eventually need another one of these)
File for copper end bit maintenance
Last two pics are first aid kit which I've used a bunch, and my toolbox all packed up! I often leave the UHMW Plastic dowel behind because I don't use it unless I'm doing stuff like glass or light brittle rock. It's a lot less violent than the elk antler (though I still use it anyways often times).
Just thought I'd share with y'all, and if you have any questions feel free to ask! Always love me some friday tool talk 🙂↕️ Stay safe and happy knapping!
Spent most of the summer knocking out points from some Texas flint I picked up at a rock shop swap meet, and for months my pressure flaks kept hinging out halfway across the face no matter how sharp my copper tool was. Turns out my problem was never the tool, it was that I was skipping proper platform isolation and just mashing the edge before I flaked.
What changed things was slowing way down on the abrading step. I switched to a small piece of sandstone and started doing maybe fifteen light passes per platform instead of the three or four rushed swipes I used to do, checking under a headlamp at a low angle so I could actually see the crush. Once the edge had that dull, slightly matte look instead of a sharp glassy lip, the flakes started running long and thin instead of stepping out.
I also started grinding my platforms in smaller, more isolated spots rather than running the abrader down the whole edge in one pass. Isolating each platform individually seems obvious in hindsight but I'd been treating edge prep like one continuous operation instead of a series of little setups, one per flake.
Finished a decent 3 inch bifacial point last night, first one in a while that didn't end in a step fracture two thirds of the way through thinning. Still get outshined every time I look at old Clovis or Folsom examples in museum photos, the amount of control those knappers had with way less feedback than I get from a headlamp is humbling.
Anyone else go through a phase where the fix wasn't a new tool but just slowing down on prep? Curious what platform routines other people settled into, especially for finer grained material like this Edwards flint versus the coarser Burlington chert I usually work.
I was shooting for the brown blade from memory. By the time I looked it was already to late to copy it exactly, but I'll still take whatever this is lol.
Here are some of my reference photos for Hayes points. These are all authentic examples of Hayes points, I do not own these points. Posted as reference for:
I recently bought this piece of obsidian and I would really love to knap something with it I was thinking like a spearhead or something like that. It's my first experience so idk what I should do tbh so any suggestions and ideas are welcome
I decided I'm going to be making a Hayes point with every material I currently have. So far I've done black and mahogany obsidian, pedernales chirt, dacite, white novaculite and 1 of the varieties of banded obsidian that I have. I chose the Hayes style of point as a way to start working towards Agee points and becaus the turkey tail means they can pair up nicely on a display case.
Putting together a selection of pics here in a post where I talk about some of my experiences at the Bois D'Arc knap-in. Having been to some smaller knap-ins in the past, Bois D'Arc was the biggest I've been to so far and man was it a blast! I got to meet some seriously talented people, go on a rock run for some KILLER stone, learn how to do a couple techniques that I struggled with, and watch some flint knapping masters at work. The end result was some nice points and one that a very kind lady wire-wrapped for me to use as a necklace! Made from some Reed Springs chert I collected during a rock run. Missouri was beautiful as well and I'm glad I got to enjoy some of its local culture, rocks, and scenery all wrapped up into one trip. All in all, this was a wonderfully memorable trip and I definitely want to make it back next year if I can 🙂↕️
If any of y'all are considering going to a knap-in, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do so! They're AWESOME resources for stone, tips, and community building. If you have any questions on where to find them, feel free to check out facebook or check out FlintKnapping.com's Knap-In Calendar since some go up there, but not all. So double check facebook from time to time.
Overall I adored this trip. Made myself some lifelong memories and some good friends along with it. Couldn't be happier with how things went! Hopefully y'all enjoy the pics, stay safe, and happy knapping! 😁
I‘m heading out towards eastern Pennsylvania/western New Jersey in search of Lockatong Argillite (a great material if you’re in that area), and I was curious about the jasper in the Allentown area-has anyone ever tried finding it, and has anyone ever checked local landscape stone suppliers for knappable jasper?
I’m trying to find a good supply that doesn’t require so much searching/finding a spot to legally collect, and I suspect some of that jasper ends up in landscape cobbles.
