Flintknapping can be a very challenging and rewarding hobby. It can also be frustrating, especially when you are learning. It took me five years of almost constant practice for me to be able to knap a six-inch spearpoint without breaking it. I had very little instruction, and no books to refer to. I mostly did it trial and error (more error than anything), but I learned from my mistakes. Then a friend of mine sent me a home video that he taped with his video camera. It was of a friend of his percussion flaking and pressure flaking. That was a major turning point for me, since all I had ever seen in person was very basic pressure flaking. I watched that video over and over, trying to predict what he would do next. I also practiced these techniques and eventually got the gist of it. I am no master by any means, and I am seldom impressed with what I make, but I enjoy the experience and still learn from it. You never stop learning until the day you die, and I'm not even convinced that it ends there.

    If you have less than a few months experience, I would suggest that you practice pressure flaking on flakes of flint or glass. Glass is easier to knap than most flints and cherts, and many authentic arrowheads from historic times were knapped from discarded glass. I learned by using beer bottle bottoms that I found while I was in college (and they are very common at trade schools like the one I attended!). Another form of glass that is all natural, is obsidian – volcanic glass. Obsidian is very common in areas with old volcanoes like the Pacific Northwest, and the Rocky Mountains. It can be bought for a lot less than most flints and cherts, and comes in large pieces. It also comes in a wide range of colors. Before I could do percussion flaking with a billet, I built a jig and slabbed obsidian with a lapidary saw and used the jig to pressure flake spears and knives. This jig used a lever system similar to the one used to make the Grey Ghost spearpoints. If you are working with any kind of glass or obsidian, be extra careful. I no longer work with it because I cut myself numerous times on it, although I learned a lot about knapping with it. A friend of mine was working with some obsidian at a flintknapping demonstration that we were conducting at a local state park. He cut his hand so severely that he had to go to the emergency room to get stitches. I would strongly recommend wearing leather gloves, be extra careful, and read the page on safety precautions and abide by them.

    If you have no experience, and are wanting to start out working flint, you should get some heat treated flakes to practice pressure flaking on. If you don’t have a source for flakes, you will have to learn how to make them by striking them off a large piece with a copper billet. When I was starting out, I would get a large piece of tabular root beer or Georgetown flint, and try to percussion flake a large spearpoint. I usually ended up breaking it, but I also got a few flat flakes that were good enough for pressure flaking small points. After some practice, you should be able to knap 1 inch to 2 inch arrow points, and at the same time, you will learn more about the proper angle or direction to apply pressure. These same angles apply for percussion flaking with a copper billet.

    The main focus of this tutorial is on techniques with copper tools on tabular flints and cherts. There are pages with illustrations of modern copper tools, and traditional antler and stone tools. Copper tools are less expensive, and require less maintenance than traditional antler tools. There is even a lot of talk about the Indians using copper tools where it was available.

    If possible, try to attend as many knap-ins as you can, there you can meet with experienced knappers who would be happy to show you the tricks of the trade. Many would also be glad to give you some stone or flakes to practice on. Also, I can’t stress this enough – buy as many videos as you can and watch them over and over. Videos are great, but nothing beats hands-on experience. If you have no experience at all, you should read this whole tutorial before starting. I hope you find this tutorial helpful, stick with it, and you will eventually figure it out. Happy knapping! - Tim Anderson 2001