How to Flint Knapp Arrowheads
Flint knapping is an art and a skill as ancient as mankind. Knapping is the act of shaping one rock with other rocks, sticks and antlers to make a tool or utensil. Flint knapping takes practice, but once you've mastered the skill you always will have plenty of raw materials to make your tools. Making arrowheads from stone, flint, glass or obsidian is a time-honored tradition that can impress your friends, help feed your family or even save your life.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Flint core
- Large striking stone (baseball size)
- Piece of antler
- Heavy leather gloves
- Safety glasses
Instructions
-
-
1
Examine your flint core for natural breaking points and weaknesses. Strike the core with your striking stone to break off pieces of the core and obtain the general shape and size of the arrowhead.
-
2
Press into the core with your piece of antler to push loose smaller flakes of the flint. Work your way around both sides of the arrowhead to shape and create the sharpened edges of the flint.
-
-
3
Push the point of the antler into the base of the arrowhead to pop out a notch on both sides for the grooves necessary to attach the arrowhead to your arrow. Press and twist the antler to get a smooth rounded groove on each side of the arrowhead.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Hitting the core with your striking stone will break the flint at a 100 degree angle to the strike. Use this measurement when determining how you will hit the core.
Always wear heavy leather gloves and safety glasses when flint knapping to prevent injuries.
References
- Photo Credit indian arrowhead image by Jim Mills from Fotolia.com
