I was not happy with my first knapping class and here is why: I felt
we were not getting enough instruction on wise use of the obsidian
rocks we had to buy.

The instruction was basically to smash up the obsidian and when we
saw a piece that vaguely looked triangular, to use that piece to try
to make an arrowhead. We were introduced to hammerstones, Ishi
sticks, and abraders.

But, despite what were apparently annoying questions on my part about
how to best use the material, how to look at the rocks and devise a
plan to use as much as possible to make multiple tools, etc. no such
information was forthcoming.

"Oh, that's a good piece, you can use that one!" Why is it good, it
doesn't look anything like an arrowhead, what and how would you use
it for? Hello, hello? [Etc., etc.]

So, I apparently recovered some ancestral memory from my ancient
group, the Cheap White Bastards. They strongly disapproved of just
smashing obsidian rocks some four inches (4") in diameter to make one
(1) arrowhead a little over one inch (1") long. One of our charter
members, Og, mentioned that Mrs. Og would give him heck if he spent
the afternoon ignoring her shopping list for a scraper, three small
replacement blades for her knives, and a small saw to cut tendons and
ligaments – as well as whatever points he could make – from the
precious obsidian for which she had to trade her favorite necklace.

After viewing several hours of YouTube videos, I begin to see that
there are knappers who study their "rocks" and plan what they can try
to knap out of them. I want to learn more about how to "see" this
potential and how to try to maximize the resource.

I am working with a few others to do an obsidian harvesting trip in a
couple months so I can get rocks with which to learn. Between now
and then, I would like to get better educated. I may take another
class, but I am most likely to try to get some private sessions with
some relatively charitable knapper.

Am I off-base? Suggestions?

I don't think that your off base at all, when you sign up for a class, then you expect to learn things, and have someone smart enough to answer your questions as an instructor!

lol...yeah, but he didn't necessarily say he wanted to learn it to save his life, maybe he just wants to learn it for fun?

-jace

+1 on what Ace is saying. Garbage is everywhere. That being said though it is possible to use knapping to turn a broken bottle into a more practical knife.

The flint knapping I've seen done (which is only a little) usually starts with a large piece and the person doing it would try to hit it in such a way that a piece would cleave off the right size for what he was making (in the examples I saw it was an Ulu style knife both times)...I imagine this takes a ton of experience and a little luck.

Though just to play devils advocate with myself, the natives of these lands of ours made a LOT of arrow heads in sizes as small as a dime. They were traded so much it was practically a form of currency. Maybe smashing the obsidian was a valid technique? Use what was there to make appropriately sized arrow heads? Somehow I don't think it was in their nature to be wasteful but then again I've been to Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump here in Alberta and that wasn't exactly the most frugal use of buffalo.

I think the same applies to all primitive skills. Hundreds of years ago the poor b******s had no other choice but to become good at these skills, but we have the option of being able to do more. You will need to devote a LOT of time at these skills to become really good and that’s time I can utilize better doing something more practical. I would much rather spend an hour practicing navigation, Field first aid, or emergency signaling (like how to properly use a signal mirror) than flint knapping. I made a bow drill once and after a few hours of cursing and swearing I managed to get a small ember to light my tinder pile. I was happy that I could do it once but I have no intentions on spending countless hours of my life becoming an expert at it. When I go in the field I take plenty of fire making stuff and although anything is possible, it is highly unlikely that I will use up all my matches, lighters and sparking tools leaving me at the mercy of a bow drill. If so I at least have a very basic working knowledge of one. Same applies to flint knapping, as I bet there are lots of other materials available I could use for a spearhead or knife in an emergency. I would call it nice to know, but not really necessary.

That being said Dweste. If you like flint knapping then flint knap away and to hell with what anyone like me thinks of it.

Just be sure to keep us updated on how your classes are going

dweste,
I took a class last summer for archeaological field work, one of the things we did was called 'experimental archaeology.' We learned how to find the right material for stone tool use and a very basic way of reading the ridges of the stone and how to hit along the ridge to get a good basic core.
In that session of the class I never got beyond getting that first good core, so I know your frustration. I really wanted to learn more about going from core, to "blanks", to an actual tool.
If you don't want to keep buying obsidian, learn what the local material is around the area you live. I know that for the area I live in, Northern Colorado, the easiest material to gather is chert.
There are books that help to give instruction on what to look for in the material and how to get the most use. Flintknapping: Making and Understanding Stone Tools by John C. Whittaker is a good book and so is Old Tools-New Eyes: A Primal Primer of Flintknapping by Bob Patten. I have used both of those books as reference myself.
Good Luck

There is a Nor Cal web-site that offers Flintknapping supplies and instruction:

http://www.obsidiandesigns.com/index.html

They might be worth a look. Their location is not far from the Sacramento area.

They also list meetings and workshops which they are participating in that might be of use. (many are in the Grass Valley area)

"...can get rocks with which to learn..."

I once read that porcelain is an acceptable substitute for obsidian when practicing, you might look around for an old broken toilet and what a chuck off of it.

We have a 55 pound chunk of pure black obsidian at home, once debated breaking a piece off to work with, but just couldn't do it.

If you are anywhere near central CA or western NV, there is a place, called Obsidian Dome, near June Lake. Not pure obsidian, it has what looks like granite in it, but you can take all you want...

Thanks as always for the replies.

My survival interest in knapping is because: (1) there is so much garbage typically available, including porcelain and glass, and (2) enough knappable rock (flint, chert, obsidian, sandstone, agate, chalcedony, etc.) enough places that, (3) it seems as sensible to learn to identify and use it in the field, as it does to learn to identify and work with edible and useful plants and animals.

Field expedient tools and weapons could make the difference, yes?

I personally have had very good luck with the book Naked Into the Wilderness. They have a charpter on tools and IIRC just on flintknapping. I finally got around to actually doing it with 'just some rocks' that I found by the RxR tracks near my station. When you read the material, you find yourself 'looking' at the stones differently....you start to look at them and think about "HOW" they would split when struck.

I was able to cleave quite a few stones and even managed to use one to cut apart a leather boot.....I was impressed and I wasn't even 'really trying' to get really good results....just playing to see what I could do.

Hope it helps.