How to Flint Knap Arrowheads
Flint knapping is an ancient way many hunters and gatherers formed arrowhead and spear points. These artifacts have been found in the American Southwest, particularly around the Colorado plateau where the Anasazi and Clovis people lived. The flint knapping method has remained the same throughout the centuries, although tools have changed slightly. Flint knapping an arrowhead is a simple process but may take time to perfect.
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Instructions
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Flint knapping arrowheads
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Find a rock typically used for making arrowheads such as obsidian or chert. Try to find a specimen of rock that is somewhat flat.
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Place a piece of thick leather or animal hide across your hand on top of your knee while sitting cross-legged. This will give you a comfortable position for flint knapping.
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3
Place the rock in your hand, holding the leather around it. Begin begin to strike the rock on the edge with a hammer stone, such as an oval river rock small enough to chip the chert or obsidian lightly and evenly from top to bottom along the edge of the stone. This knapping will initially chip off rough edges and form a straight edge.
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Once the edge has been formed, use a smaller hammer stone or blunt-edged piece of bone to sharpen the edge. Knap the edge to a fine point while forming ridges every half millimeter.
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Repeat this process until you have a rock that's a small rigid triangle sharp on both sides. Use the piece of leather as a strop to polish the stone and sharpen more. Strop the arrowhead by slightly pressing the rock on the leather while pulling away from the cutting edge with the stone.
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