How to Chip Flint

Flint arrowheads are made by chipping larger pieces of flint.

Flint is a very hard stone that has traditionally been used to make blades and arrowheads. It is also used to spark fires when struck against a steel. Many American Indians used flint weapons that can still be found in archeological sites. To make a blade from a piece of flint it must be chipped in a process called "flintknapping." "Percussion flaking" refers to coarse work and "pressure flaking" refers to fine detail. It is possible to chip razor-sharp flint tools.

Things You'll Need

• Flint
• Copper billet
• Copper-flaking tool
• Flat platform
• Safety goggles
• Rubber pad

Instructions

Chipping Flint by Percussion Flaking

1. Heat-treat your flint by burying it under 2 inches of soil and building a fire above it. Keep the fire burning high for 15 hours; wait two days before digging up your flints. This process will make the flint easier to chip and will bring out colors in the material. You can also do this by heating the flint at 500 degrees in a pottery kiln.

2. Put on safety goggles and gloves. Pick up your flint in your non-dominant hand. Pick up a copper billet in your dominant hand or rest it on your leg. A billet is a copper handle with a round tip.

3. Tap the edges of the flint with the copper billet. This will knock loose any shards that would otherwise fly off when you hit the flint full-force.

4. Swing the billet hard with your dominant hand; strike the edge of the flint. This will knock off a chip off if done with enough force. Follow through with the swing and don't attempt to stop the billet as it hits the flint.

5. Chip all the way around the edges of the flint. Flip it over and do the same on the reverse side. This will form a core that you can thin and flatten with further blows from the copper billet. The final edge on most flint tools is achieved by pressure flaking.

Chipping Flint by Pressure Flaking

1. Place a rubber pad on a flat surface and set the flint on it. The ridges formed by percussion flaking should face upward.

2. Hold the flint down with your non-dominant hand and hold the copper flaker in your dominant one. This tool is a wooden handle with a thin copper tip at one end.

3. Press the copper tip of the pressure flaker into the flint, close to its edge. Continue pressing until you remove a small flake of the flint.

4. Turn the flint around in your hand, repeatedly pressing and flaking along its edges. Using a grinder to dull the platforms created by the percussion flaking process will allow you to take off bigger flakes.

5. Thin the center of the flint with your pressure tool. Continue refining the edges until you are satisfied with the results.

References

• Wildwood Survival: Basic Flintknappng Techniques
• The Flintknapper: Percussion Flaking
• The Flintknapper: Pressure Flaking
• The Flintknapper: Heat Treatment