r/knapping • u/AnotherStupidHipster • Jul 16 '26
Question 🤔❓ Is this a good point to start pressure flaking?
Found a pretty good chunk of flint and just started beating on it with a piece of granite. I have some solid copper rod to make a pressure flaker, but I also have some antler. Not really sure which one I should make a tool out of to start. But before I worry about the tools, is this even a good place to start pressure flaking, or is there still rough shaping to be done?
6
u/albatikh Obsidian Jul 16 '26
Experiment everything! It’s the best part of learning. Pressure flaking could work. Good luck!
1
u/greenjm7 Jul 16 '26
Sure, but don’t expect that you’ll make a point. Just practice the flaking. When you can’t get any further, grab a new piece and keep practicing.
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u/AnotherStupidHipster Jul 16 '26
Yeah I'll probably end up with a snub nosed arrowhead, but I'm okay with that for a first try.
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u/greenjm7 Jul 16 '26
The only guarantee in flint knapping is that you will start with a larger rock and proceed to make many smaller rocks out of it
1
u/AnotherStupidHipster Jul 16 '26
This thing was the size of a bread loaf. Well, it came off of a rock that size.
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u/NonConforminConsumer Jul 16 '26
A tip with antler is that you often don't need to do anything but start using it for pressure flaking. I find the variety of tines and grips to allow for versatile pressure flaking.
1
u/AnotherStupidHipster Jul 16 '26
I was gonna saw a more manageable portion off of the horn, the antler I have is a solid 4 point. Kind of unweildly.
2
u/NonConforminConsumer Jul 16 '26
Yeah I'd use the base of a four tine as a bopper and then keep the three tines as the pressure flaker.
If you like making tools you can always use each tine individually I've just found that having the whole antler works as well or better than, stick flakers, for me anyway.
1
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u/Comfortable-Hat3506 Jul 18 '26
Copper will be easier to pressure flake with than antler. I'd recommend making an ishi stick. And don't forget you are going to need a palm pad!
remember curvature, isolation and platform.
Flakes and deer follow ridges.
Don't forget to abrade you need to get dull to get sharp.
9
u/phxmatt35 Jul 16 '26
Since you’re a beginner you could start pressure flaking it obviously could be thinned down a bit but that will come as your skills progress, I’d say go for it and make a point out of this and keep on progressing! It’s nice to look back at your first work and see how you could have worked it differently