Which knapping kit is best?

[grovestone]

If one wanted to try their hand at knapping and get a decent set of tools for a good price, who sells the best starter kit? I dont neccesarily know if it will be something that I would eventually take up as a hobby but would like to try for minimal expenses. I dont want a 80 dollar kit to throw away in a few months ya know. Any suggestions?

[drdave514]

You will want a pad, bopper, pressure flaker and abrader at the very least.

You can used a pair of old jeans as a lap pad.

The cost of knapping is primarily in flint/chert so coming up with an inexpensive source of that is the real key to keeping costs down.

The Mini Flintknapping Kit

Caught Knapping Beginners Kit

[grovestone]

the caught knapping one looks like it has more in the description, it does say copper billet instead of copper bopper which would need new tips, plus it comes with material to work on. too bad they dont have a picture to kind of compare qaulity. Thanks Dr. Dave!!!!

[drdave514]

A bopper is easier to use for a beginner, in my opinion, and they don't need new tips at a rate which should be of concern. They will last for hundreds of hours of knapping. A billet is a bit more difficult to learn with because of the equal distribution of weight which inhibits the head speed you get with a bopper. That's been my limited experience.

That said, you can make a bopper pretty easily with a copper cap pounded out to a round head, filled with melted lead(like sinkers or tire balance weights) and epoxied onto a same size wooden dowel.

I'd look on ebay as well and maybe consider piecing together a kit.

[jmaduzia]

The only problem with copper boppers(lead filled copper caps) is that they wear out too fast and the lead filling starts showing and when that happens they're useless. The solid copper tipped billets will last indefinitely, I have some that I've used for years with very little wear on them.

[Tocobaga]

You might also consider skipping the copper stuff altogether and going strictly aboriginal, i.e., "only the tools they had".

To my way of thinking, there's not much satisfaction (to me) to successfully making a point if I'm using modern shortcuts. I use only antler and a sandstone hammerstone, and for an abrader I just use either the side of the hammerstone or a chunk of rough basalt.

I went to a knap-in a couple years ago and there was some hotshot there (he made some beautiful points, no disputing that) who had a setup that looked like a dentist's office with all the high-tech tools he had. I just kind of lifted an eyebrow looking at all that, standing there with my one antler tine.

I just think it's more than just discovering how, mechanically, knapping comes about.

--K

[knife river]

Lots of tools to choose from -- and that's a good thing! Tocobaga, I'm sure you know but it's worth mentioning for other readers that copper was used anciently for knapping, for both pressure flaking and percussion. It might not have been widespread, but it seems that if the old folks had access to it, they used it. I like hammerstones, too, but use copper 98% of the time.

[Flyjunkie]

Thank you for this Post.. I did not know there are Knapping Kits available (thought it really shouldn't surprise Me)..

I'll be thinking about purchasing one in the near Future..

[willybee]

arrowhead knapping is a lot like arrowhead hunting in that each person finds his own tools and techniques. some will argue that only aboriginal knapping techniques should be used and look down their nose at those who use modern tools.

i suppose it depends on your reasons for knapping. for me its art knapping-i enjoy making points from my minds eye and with exotic materials. consequently my modern made points will not end up in the authentic market. if i make authentic types its from non-local materials (clovis from australian jasper, or dalton from synthetic opal, etc.)

maybe you want to reproduce classic point types from local stone using aboriginal techniques and tools-thats cool also, but can have consequences you may not have considered. those points DO end up in the authentic market.

mostly its not intentional-you give johnny an alibates folsom you made. johnny dies and his collection gets sold. now your alibates folsom enters the market. authenticating is JUST AN OPINION-there is no irrefutable age authentication for artifacts. even the best authenticators have been fooled.

looking at it through that lens-why would you WANT to add to the problem by abo-knapping?

seems like a bad choice if you enjoy collecting through buying.

besides adding to the problem of the MILLIONS of fake points being passed off as authentic, abo knappers spend lots of time dressing their antler tools to the correct shape instead of actually knapping (pressure flaking, anyway). copper tools are more durable and by holding shape longer produce better final outcomes.

i do admire the abo-knapping skill set, but don't agree with its outcome-adding lots of real good looking fakes to the market. i met a world class knapper who only knaps art pieces-his points ALWAYS ended up in the authentic market, and he couldn't continue making/selling abo-knapped points. to this day the guy finds his abo-knapped points at EVERY artifact show he attends papered and for sale as real.

its just that he won't make any friends pointing this out and it was only intentional fraud if the person KNEW it was fake and sent it in for a certificate anyway. you can't really blame the authenticator, he is ONLY giving his opinion. authenticators DO NOT KNOW an artifacts age-they just guess based on experience and observation.

there are plenty of kits available-check ebay. you only need an abrading stone, a pressure flaking tool (copper or antler), and a leather pad (folded over multiple times if thin leather) to make bird points out of flakes. (beginners should use safety glasses until they gain experience).

DO NOT START ON GLASS OR OBSIDIAN unless you want to bleed a lot at first. get you some chips from your local indian camp-they are cheap and there's lots of them.

happy (non aboriginal) knapping
willy

[Marty]

knapping can be free. I enjoy abo knapping precisely because I couldn't find the artifacts I wanted in my collection, and making them with copper though what woody said is right just didn't do it for me. I do encourage abo knapping, not because I think it's better but because it's fun to have company to share projects with, and proficient abo knapping is such a minority in the community as a whole and I think point hunters all over the country are in a perfect position to unlock the secrets of how they did most of this stuff if they get into the hobby. To me it's always a great challenge and mystery most of the time.

I've got demo videos at youtube and my website. Home - Flintknappingtips

Stuff like the picture below is made with hammerstones, small antler punches and billets. billets and punches can be made quickly w/ an angle grinder and a masonry wheel. Just watch your knuckles.

There is a demo series on my website notching the corner notched point. The etley i just made with a creek rock hammerstone that worked pretty well and a deer brow tine. If you can find a shed or two and learn which hammerstones work you won't have to spend anything. If you just want to pressure flake hunting points or art pieces out of glass you can make your own copper tipped pressure tool with hammered copper wire set in a handle. You'll figure out pretty quickly I think that knapping is addictive, but in case you don't get the bug, no need to spend much or any money.

And of course it's important to represent your work always for what it is, mark it and enjoy knapping. marty

ps I really love looking and reading this site when I can get to it. It's a great resource for everybody, and the finds continually blow my mind. I wish I had picked a better handle than my name now. Just wanted something to remember.