Couple of points I knapped

[Cannonman17]

I don't make many any more cuz my finger joints get to hurting but I still found these laying around. Green one with hole through it is made from slag from a gold mine in Canada, other two are obsidian.

[comanche]

Good looking Reproductions Cannonman////c

[Cannonman17]

Doh! Thanks comanche, didn't realize the pics were that bad though, I better go try one more time quick that big blade has some sweet flaking on it.

[Cannonman17]

Bout as good as I can manage at the moment for some reason

[comanche]

I'm sorry C-man
I am just not a fan of modern knapping...It would be good to learn.So to help me identify.But past that "There ain't nothing like the real thing"
It is the Really good knappers that steam me,,,unless they mark thier work somehow.
Way too many fakes on the market///c

[Mud Hawk]

Cannonman, beautiful work. I especially like the slag one for the material. Was that planned as far as hunting down the material?

I kind of sit on the fence on what Comanche is saying. On one side, you get a further/deeper understanding or lithic craftsmanship. What can and can't be done and why. It is also a survivor skill.

On the other hand, knap-ins freak me out. Talk about confusing the heck out of relic hunters in a few decades->centuries.

Back to the point, beautiful pieces. I haven't ruled out taking my hand at it for understanding. I have already played with a steel nail and flint flake...

[Cannonman17]

Well, I guess I can argue it either way as well. There is a certain danger in it but as with anything, it's a few bad apples that give the rest a bad name. I've been given a hard time about it so many times by a number of collectors that I stopped caring to some degree. Speaking just of the points that I make, if they fool somebody as being real then they deserve to be taken, I frequently will bench grind a small spot in the middle so it's obvious to all but a fool that it's new. I also used colored glass a lot, not because I can't knapp stone but because it reduces the chances of ever being confused as being real. When I do use stone I typically stay away from authentic designs and make up my own types, to those I give them to who don't collect it makes no difference because they find them to be cool and they really aren't a threat to those that do collect because they should be able to recognize them for what they are. One thing that can not be over stated is how much learning to flintknapp taught me about artifacts. You will be hard pressed to get a fake point by me, granted, there are people taking fake patina to a whole new level and I don't know as much about that but not counting that... Also, when I was much younger I used my stone points and knives for a number of tasks, I killed a white tail with an arrow and arrowhead that I made myself, butchered a wild turkey with a knife I made, threw atl-atl points at every concievable target you can imagine just to see what the wear patterns would be etc. I personally recommend all collectors learn the art, it's difficult to learn but it better arms you to spot the fakes. If you don't like it I can understand why but I'm not one of "those" types of knappers, I don't attend knapp ins and I don't make points from local materials to match local types etc. so please understand the difference.

[Gibby]

There is a big difference in someone knapping and someone trying to pass of fakes. I know alot of knappers and all of them mark their work.

But I have also been to knap ins inside state parks and some, we will call him a man tosses a nice freshly made biface over in the woods and says proudly " lets see what dumb*** picks that up and thinks he has a gold mine ). I could have cracked him with a closed fist. It is these people who give good knappers a very bad name.

Those are very nice points cannon.

[Neanderthal]

I've knapped around 30 years or so. I had to stop for a while due to health reasons, but am able to take up the billet again now.

Sometimes, you can easily tell on forums who hasn't had much experience in knapping themselves. The most important thing it teaches you is how to accurately identify scar patterns and flaking mechanics.

Knap-in's shouldn't freak you out, consider them a class-room where everyone is a potential teacher. I go to them whenever I can, I enjoy many of them far more than artifact shows.

I have noticed that many collectors get the misconception that knap-ins are full of crooks beating out points in hopes of fooling people. Nothing could be further from the truth. Stereotyping knappers as crooks is no better than the folks who stereotype artifact hunters as looters or grave robbers. Sure, there are crooked knappers out there, but there are far more crooked "collectors". Your average knapper does not beat out points and apply false patination in order to pull the wool over someone's eyes. I know for a fact that most of the fakes out there have had the patina applied by the people who purchased the points from the knappers, not the knappers themselves.

Sure, knappers should sign their work, but that still doesn't stop unscrupulous crooks. The names can be removed, or the points can be doctored up to hide scribed signatures (I won't go into the methods I have seen here), etc. Signed/scribed points does not guarantee a thing, not if the crook wants to push it bad enough.

Knapping won't stop, period...and it shouldn't. As mentioned, it's a wonderful tool!

There is only one tool that will protect you from buying fakes...education. There is no magical machine or person that will keep your money safe and protect you 100% from buying fakes, sorry. In my opinion, to rely only on authenticators to keep you safe from fakes is very, very foolish. I have personal witnessed pretty much every authenticator making flaws, some very major ones, some just plain stupid. We're all human, we're prone to flaws.

Any person who has purchased many points has inadvertently bought fakes. If they say they haven't then they are either 1. Luckiest person in the world 2. lying, or 3. Too ignorant to know the difference.

Educate yourselves, not only is it fun, it's the only insurance you have against fakes.

OK, I'm done.

Nice points Cannon! I have some novaculite (my fav material) and some brazilian agate outside in a bucket that's calling my name

[Mud Hawk]

Neanderthal, guess my comment was too vague. Knap-in's freak me out because of the inevitable lithic scatter which might be confusing to future hunters (falsely thinking they found a camp etc.) I didn't know such a stereotype was present and agree in the importance of understanding lithic material first hand.