How to Make Arrowheads With Natural Resources

Obsidian arrowheads. Made by Tony Stanfield of Obsidian Arts.

Making an arrowhead using natural resources is a great way to get in touch with your surroundings. It's also an opportunity to understand a culture and civilization that possibly existed and thrived on the land you're standing on, all while learning a new skill.

Traditionally, arrowheads are made out of stone: flint and chert being particularly popular. Though a hammer is the standard tool for making arrowheads today, it is still possible to do it with another bit of stone. Here's how.

Things You'll Need

• Hard rock (not soapstone, for example)
• Piece of flint, chert, obsidian or agate

Instructions

Making an Arrowhead with Natural Materials

1. Look through a book of arrowhead images, or search online. Pick one you like and study the shape and texture. This will give you some clues how to shape your arrowhead.

2. 

   Find two rocks--one that is quite hard and you can use as a hammer, and the other out of which you will make the arrowhead. The arrowhead should be made of a material that flakes easily when hit, preferably flint or chert, though obsidian and agate work well also. Stones that flake create sharp points, which is why they were used as tools in the Stone Age and beyond.

3. Using your hard rock, strike the flaking stone until a piece comes off that is the thickness of the arrowhead you'd like to make. The length and width can be larger, but the thickness must be right.

4. Visualize a vertical line marking the midline that will divide your arrowhead. Balance one half on a rock or other hard surface, like a log, and bang off pieces of flaking stone with your hard rock to create the arrowhead shape you desire. This is a bit like sculpting: You have a block of stone, and somewhere inside it, the object you want is waiting for you to chisel away the excess pieces.

5. Mimic the strikes you made on the first side of the arrowhead on the second side, so you create a symmetrical arrowhead.

Resources

• Swede's Flint Knapping Technique