flint

[mrmack]

can anyone help me ,i'm trying to find places in lancashire where i can collect some flint for knapping, appreciate any help at all....mack

[posie]

What is knapping ?

[cutecoot]

Don't know about flint in Lancashire, Mack? Loads around here in Sussex, and lots of old churches built from it.

[richnfamous]

Originally Posted by posie

What is knapping ?

It's when you take a snooze in the afternoon

Seriously, it's the art of shaping flint (and other stones).

Knapping - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[stigofthedump]

[quote=richnfamous;563949]It's when you take a snooze in the afternoon



Now that made a very hungover Vince smile!!

Vince

[posie]

We've got huge flints on our patch here in Hampshire, you're welcome to some if you arrange transport.FLINTS to LANCASHIRE, not Coals to NEWCASTLE.

[mrmack]

it's possible i will be in your sort of area in january, having said that my daughter who lives in reading has just informed me theres loads there....mack

[posie]

Okay Mack,that sounds convenient, tell her to get out there with the wheelbarrow and collect a carfull ready for your next visit HeHe Poe

[Jim Ford]

For 'proper' flint knapping you need the right kind of flint. A major centre for prehistoric flint working is at 'Grimes Graves' near Brandon in Norfolk:

BBC - Norfolk Fun Stuff - 360 views: Grimes Graves

It's well worth a visit.

The Neolithic flint miners dug down very deep to get the best quality 'tabular' flint.

Jim

[posie]

Well, I'm so sorry if our flints in Hampshire aren't good enough for the job, but then we can't be best at everything,only 99.999999999recurring% of things I suppose.. how's your SOH ? Poe

[david156]

Originally Posted by posie

Well, I'm so sorry if our flints in Hampshire aren't good enough for the job, but then we can't be best at everything,only 99.999999999recurring% of things I suppose.. how's your SOH ? Poe

Norfolk flint is ok but its just so slow and its got a funny accent!!

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by mrmack

can anyone help me ,i'm trying to find places in lancashire where i can collect some flint for knapping, appreciate any help at all....mack

There are two problems with surface collection - firstly you should have the land owners permission - certainly if you are going onto ploughed fields ensure that crops have not been planted before trapsing around. These days most agricultural practice sees ploughing and planting following in rapid succession so opportunities for ploughland fossicking are much reduced from what they once were. Secondly, the pieces of flint turned up by ploughing tend to be small and fractured, this is OK for creating microliths and burin type artefacts but not so good for making more sophicsticated tools.

There is a market for construction flint which prior to processing (turning into fist sized oblong blocks) is certainly of tool making quality, otherwise the free source of good sized nodules is sea washed chalk cliffs; the flint is much harder than the chalk and flint nodules collect at the cliff base. Check a geology map of the UK and see where the chalk hits the sea, there are various points on the South and East Coasts.The Devon/Dorset border, Sussex, Norfolk and Yorkshire all have extensive chalk cliffs.

CM

[ChrisJB]

As far as solid geology goes, we do not get flint in Lancs as it is confined to the Cretaceous rocks of the chalklands of the south and east. However, small bits of flint can occasionally be found in drift deposits, transported by ice.
Also, the South Pennines (including the Lancashire side) is one of the country's hotspots for flints on the moors, traces left by mostly Mesolithic man (with a bit of Neolithic and Bronze Age flint-work as well). In my neck of the woods, folk have been 'flinting' on the moors since the 1870's. These days there is not much to be found as a lot of the once bare areas on the moors have grassed over and accesibility to the subsoil beneath the peat where the flints are found is now difficult.
For flint knapping, check out John Lord's website. The bloke is awesome and runs courses on knapping.
Happy flinting and.....

Regards, Chris

[posie]

On our land we have picked up some quite big flint stones. Is it the middles that are used for knapping,'cos there seems to be a sort of outer layer of a different colour, I wonder if this is maybe a layer of a more chalky deposit, although we are on clay, clay that was used years ago by the local clay brickworks. . So have these big flint stones worked to the surface over the years coming originally from a layer of different material to clay lower down. I'm beginning to wonder if these stones of ours are not in fact flint, are there any others that look similar, has anyone got any images? .....Posie...

[mrmack]

good god there ain't half some clever bar-stewards, thanx for the input....

[mrmack]

Originally Posted by david156

Norfolk flint is ok but its just so slow and its got a funny accent!!

an its flat..........mack

[lol geoff]

I've always thought it strange that flint, being so hard and brittle, could be the fossilised remains of sponges.

I think for good knapping purposes you need freshly quarried flint, as surface gathered, weathered flint is unprodictable in how the flakes break off.

[sunnydale]

Hi Mack,

This is probably nothing like what you intend to do with your flint - but I thought I'd contribute to the thread anyway....being as I quite like the look/feel of flint in any form

A friend of mine has a fabulous collection of around 50 Neolithic flint tools, rather like these in the pic below......

http://www.askabba.com/Arrowheads.JPG

She and her husband were farmers and found the flints when they were ploughing their land near Arbor Low Stone Circle....

Arbor Low Stone Circle and Gib Hill Barrow : Derbyshire : East Midlands : Find a property by map : Properties : Days Out & Events : English Heritage

They have even had interest (a few times) from the British Museum - but they wont part with their collection!
To be honest, neither would I!

Tracey

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by posie

On our land we have picked up some quite big flint stones. Is it the middles that are used for knapping,'cos there seems to be a sort of outer layer of a different colour, I wonder if this is maybe a layer of a more chalky deposit, although we are on clay, clay that was used years ago by the local clay brickworks. . So have these big flint stones worked to the surface over the years coming originally from a layer of different material to clay lower down. I'm beginning to wonder if these stones of ours are not in fact flint, are there any others that look similar, has anyone got any images? .....Posie...

For images and info on flint formation etc: Flint formation, uses and fossils by Discovering Fossils

CM

[posie]

Thanks Chaps for the info , and where I can see images and info etc. much appreciated....Posie.

[Venger]

Mack, if you can't find flint you can always use glass (heavy green wine bottles work well - especially the base which is generally thicker, as long as its flat.)

It's easily available and you wont feel to bad if you mess it up

You might find this useful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh7pc2Q6XFI

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by Venger

You might find this useful

YouTube - Flintknapping: Arrow Points From Bottle Bottoms, Practical Primitive

Excellent video! There's so much bilge on youtube that it's refreshing to find an informative and well produced video like this - even if you're not interested in flint knapping.

Three points I noticed:

1) She wasn't, and didn't recommend wearing eye protection.
2) In spite of handing sharp splinters of glass, her hands were still nice.
3) She was left handed!

Jim

[posie]

What are the arrows used for? Nowadays I mean.

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by posie

What are the arrows used for? Nowadays I mean.

In America they use them for hunting. It's claimed that the sharp saw-like edges of a flint arrow head is more efficient at killing.

I believe that flint knives were traditionally used by Jews for circumcision. I don't know if they're still used now!

Jim

[mrmack]

thanx venger, excellent video, i've never thought of using glass, and its so readily available, as a beginner its perfect for practicing and cheap. Cant wait to try it out....mack