:QUOTE [quotetype:personal] Every stone tool ever made started with a person holding a rock and another rock. You have both of those. :INFO What Flint Knapping Is Flint knapping is the process of shaping stone by striking or pressing to remove controlled flakes. Suitable stones — flint, chert, obsidian, quartzite, and glass — have a conchoidal fracture pattern: they break predictably from a point of percussion, sending a curved flake in a direction the knapper controls. The skill is material selection, angle, and pressure — not brute force. :COUNTER.half 60 to 70 Degrees | :COUNTER.half Chert or Obsidian :PATH Learn to Identify Knappable Stone Conchoidal fracture, glassy texture, no grain — feel the edge. | :INFO Learn to Identify Knappable Stone Knappable stone has no visible grain and fractures conchoidally — like glass. Tap it: it rings rather than thuds. The edge of a knapped piece is sharper than surgical steel. Test candidates by striking a corner: if it fractures with a curved, glassy surface, it is knappable. If it crumbles or fractures along planes, it is not. Obsidian, chert, and flint are the most accessible starting materials. :PATH Platform Preparation — The Critical First Step Grind a flat, 60 to 70 degree platform before every strike. | :INFO Platform Preparation — The Critical First Step A platform is the spot you strike to remove a flake. It must be flat (not curved) and at 60 to 70 degrees to the face from which the flake will detach. Prepare platforms by grinding or abrading with a rough stone or aluminum oxide block. An unprepared platform crushes rather than directing force — it produces step fractures, the most common beginner failure. :PATH Hard Hammer Percussion for Rough Shaping Strike a prepared platform with a rounded hammerstone to remove large flakes. | :INFO Hard Hammer Percussion for Rough Shaping Hold the core firmly against your leather lap pad. Strike the prepared platform at 60 to 70 degrees with a rounded hammerstone (quartzite, granite) using a glancing blow — not a straight-on impact. The strike should hit just inside the edge, not on the very edge. Follow through slightly. A correct strike sends a controlled flake across the face of the core. :PATH Pressure Flaking for Fine Shaping A copper or antler point pressed along the edge removes small, precise flakes. | :INFO Pressure Flaking for Fine Shaping Pressure flaking uses a pointed tool (copper nail set, antler tine) to press and lever small flakes off the edge for fine shaping. Support the piece on a leather lap pad. Place the pressure tool on a prepared platform and press inward and downward with a controlled levering motion. Small flakes detach. This stage refines the shape and sharpens the edge after rough shaping. :CHECKLIST Knapping Kit [ ] Safety glasses — stone flakes are razor sharp at high velocity [ ] Heavy leather lap pad — flakes will lacerate your legs without it [ ] Leather palm pad for holding the core [ ] Rounded hammerstone — quartzite or granite, 4 to 8 oz [ ] Copper bopper (rod) for soft hammer percussion [ ] Antler tine or copper nail set for pressure flaking [ ] Knappable chert, obsidian, or glass (glass is legal and forgiving) :NOTE Eye and Hand Protection Is Mandatory Stone flakes are sharper than any blade and travel at speed. A single flake to the eye causes permanent damage. Wear impact-rated safety glasses (not sunglasses) for every knapping session. Thick leather lap and palm pads are equally non-optional — flakes will land on your lap and hands repeatedly, and leather is the difference between a harmless scratch and a deep laceration. :QUOTE [quotetype:personal] The oldest known tools are 3.3 million years old. Whoever made them started exactly where you are starting. :LINK https://www.primitiveways.com/pt-knapping.html Primitive Ways — Flint Knapping Technique and Materials Guide