Flint Knapping
Flint Knapping is the chipping of stone arrow points & things....
Basically this page is about my hobby of Flint Knapping and the turkey interaction-for they are social and curious animals.....
Well for me, turkeys, History and the hobby of flintknapping all blend together into one fascinating intertwined schematic. A three way addiction you might say...
And often while chipping out an arrowhead or knife, the turkeys, every curious are my companions, chirping with inquisitiveness and scratching at flakes and tools.
Or sometimes they just sit and watch.
YouTube: me working (pressure flaking) a piece of obsidian
Soft antler hammer used to knock off flakes during the Flint Knapping process
Butterball inspecting a blade made from Florida Coral
Video clip: Butterball flinging an arrowhead I chipped
Lilac at sun rise inspecting a coral blade
Video clip: Lilac grabbing a spear point I chipped at the Archaeologist for Autism event
Tomahawk and cat (on my You Tube channel)
Florida petrified Coral and Agate blades
Heat treating flint and agates under a fire pit
Florida coral and Butterball
Wood I picked up on the Suwannee River Kayak trip with Paddle Florida
Arkansas Chert with Caribou antler handle
Burlington Chert from Missouri
Honeybird and Agate blade I chipped
Flintknapping (the manufacture of flaked stone tools) perhaps predates nearly everything in human culture. Predating even the use of fire.
In fact most of what we know of the story of early man and many cultures or civilizations around the world is based on the enduring stone tools created by our ancestors and 'not quite' ancestors.
Georgia Flint River Chert (red) and an agate blade
Obsidian blade and Pine hound
Petrified coral chipped into a "Dovetail" point
Before modern science with accurate dating methods and DNA analysis, scientist and historians had to rely on the study of stone stones to speculate on cultures of long dead people. Ancient stone tools litter the dry lands of east and northern Africa; stone tools are still used to follow the ancient trade routes of Europe and India, the island jumping colonization of the Pacific Ocean, Caribbean and Mediterranean can be traced through the spread of stone tools. And of course the settlement of the Americas, Australia and Siberia.
The appearance of stone tools in California coincided with the extinction of the original California turkey. Connection? Who knows.
Flintknapping also has art and religious connotations. Many examples of spectacular stone tools were created that had no practicable purpose, except perhaps to satisfy the creativity of the flint knapper. Other examples were created only to be buried with someone for the afterlife. Thousands of flint arrowheads have been buried with persons of importance and tiny arrowheads too small for actual use have been buried with young children.
Florida Coral blade I chipped.
The Tom in the photo is the offspring of an Eastern Wild Tom and a Spanish Black Hen. He was once Alpha male of the flock. Now he is my flint knapping companion because the "New" king will not tolerate him by the hens.
Spanish Black turkey-also called a Norfolk Black (We call him Inky) and a branch I picked up that resembled an alligator, so my 'gator knife'
Lilac telling me what she thinks of this arrowhead!
Lilac critique: Material is from Arkansas
Florida petrified coral
Florida petrified coral is one of my favorite materials to work with
Butterball "Inspection"
Flint knapping tools: Antler, rocks, leather...
Obsidian knives donated to the Irish Wolfhound benefit auction.
The "Owl knife" the "Wolf knife" & the "American knife" were donated to the Archaeologists for Autism benefit auction. Great cause!!
Blades donated for the second annual Archaeologists for Autism benefit auction.
Blade I created as a demonstration of flint knapping during the Archaeologists for Autism event.
Surprised it was not broken as 'talking' and chipping does not bode well for the artifact.
Inky
Butterball
Lilac--Disapproving of a poor quality pre-form
My atlatl-atlatl spear thrower made of Osage orange wood.
Dart is made of palmetto with turkey feather fletching.
Eagle knife
Agate point
Obsidian & the relationship to the Aztec Turkey God
Honey-bird inspects a coral point. (We have two "Honeybirds")
Tarp companions
Because of the sharp flakes, Flint Knapping has to be done on a tarp and the flakes tossed in a trash can or there are little razor blades lying around.
(Tarp Companions vary day to day)
Tiny Razors!
Interested in Flintknapping? If you live in central Florida, consider the "2022 Silver River Knap-In" Ocala, at the Silver River Park (every year around mid February) (I did not include the link because some of the 2019 information is still listed)
A Saturday and Sunday event of various living history events, archery, pot making, tanning hides, but mostly people chipping arrowheads, selling raw material and finished products. And mid feb is about the best time of the year in Florida!
(I will be there buying material)
If you do not live in Florida, most every state has some type of "Knap In" that can be found by quickly searching the internet for a "Knap-In"
Do you need the perfect gift?
For pet lovers around the globe, "It's a Matter of Luck" is a collection of heart warming stories of horse rescues from the slaughterhouse.
Available on Amazon:
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Warning: This book may cause your eyes to water -in a good way. (speaking from experience after reading it)
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Author Bruce Ryba at Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39B & Artemis 1. "We are going to the Moon!"
Author's discussion (that's me) on You Tube of a book review on Amazon
My Facebook page Pet Turkeys You can always check in and say hello!
For the video versions of information, please check out my YouTube Channel (Turkeys, KSC, Flintknapping, dive stories etc.)
Book One of Florida History:
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Fiction & language warning.
Available on Amazon
Desperate times call for bold action.
In a desperate move to retain Florida and protect the treasure-laden galleons on their dangerous return journey to Europe, the King of Spain issues a royal decree offering refuge to all English slaves who escape Florida and pick up a musket to defend the coquina walls of Saint Augustine.
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Book Two: Available on Amazon
