Flintknapping & Stone Tools
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Advanced Flintknapping
This specialty class is for those who have already learned to make a biface with at least a 5:1 width-to-thickness ratio. Learn advanced thinning techniques, Fluting technology, Prismatic Blade technology, Advanced Notching, and the production of Eccentrics. You will take your skills and understanding of how energy travels from a fundamental level to a virtual communion with the stone.
Equipment is provided, although Students may bring their own tool kits, and are encouraged to bring examples of previous knapping projects.
›› This class is not currently on the schedule, but we'll let you know the next time it's offered. ‹‹
Flintknapping Basics
The 9 Basic Steps of Flintknapping will take you step-by-step through the reduction process. Starting from the very beginning, you'll learn where and how to strike, and discover that by understanding your rock and chosing your platforms carefully you can turn your piece of dacite into a finished biface by the end of the day. A carefully crafted set of exercises will take you farther than you can imagine in such a short time, and ensure that you will be able to continue honing your knapping skills after you get home.
Whether you have never hit a rock before or have only had marginal success making little rocks out of big ones, your understanding of and appreciation for this ancient art will take your skills to a whole new place.
NOTE: In single-day versions of this workshop pressure flaking will not be covered — there just isn't enough time!
Equipment is provided, although Students may bring their own tool kits, and are encouraged to bring examples of previous knapping projects.
| May 28 | Shelton, WA | $125 | The dates for these classes have passed, but we'll let you know the next time it's offered. |
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| June 1 | Pope Valley, CA | $125 | |
| August 3-4 | King City, ON | $225 | Register Now! |
| August 24 | Toms River, NJ | $95 | Register Now! |
Intermediate Flintknapping
If you have learned the basics of knapping, are able to produce a biface of 3:1 or 4:1 on a regular basis, and are looking to bring your skills to the next level then this is the right course for you. Find out how to deal with those problem areas such as stacks and hinge fractures, and discover how to use a more complete understanding of how energy travels through stone to your advantage. Learn advanced thinning techniques that will allow you to produce a larger, more consistent biface, as well as advanced sharpening techniques, using both percussion and pressure, that will put a shaving-sharp edge on your points.
Equipment is provided, although Students may bring their own tool kits, and are encouraged to bring examples of previous knapping projects.
| September 13–14 | Toms River, NJ | $165 | Register Now! |
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Percussion Knapping
When working with stone, there are many different approaches you can use, depending on what you want to accomplish. This class will focus on direct percussion methods, including spalling, biface reduction, thinning, shaping, and sharpening. Through the hands-on experience in this workshop you will gain a broader understanding of both fracture mechanics and reduction strategy, and learn how to use these techniques to produce a variety of tools, from hand axes to projectile points.
Equipment is provided, although Students may bring their own tool kits, and are encouraged to bring examples of previous knapping projects.
| April 12 | Toms River, NJ | $95 | The date for this class has passed, but we'll let you know the next time it's offered. |
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Pressure Flaking
Often one of the most daunting aspects of Flintknapping to practice on your own, pressure flaking is the gateway to the world of the lithic arts. In this workshop you will get hands-on and explore the many aspects of pressure flaking that are used to produce a variety of tools, including arrow points and knife blades, of all sizes. You will learn notching strategies, fluting technology, production of prismatic blades, and micro-flaking, as well as applications for producing jewelry and other eccentric pieces.
Equipment is provided, although Students may bring their own tool kits, and are encouraged to bring examples of previous knapping projects.
| August 25 | Toms River, NJ | $95 | Register Now! |
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Stone Arrow Points
Understand the basics of working with stone and ready to move on to new projects? In this two-day workshop you will learn how to make functional stone arrow points using a variety of methods and materials. In addition, not only will you will learn multiple approaches to properly hafting your points onto wooden arrow shafts, but several techniques that will allow you to properly sharpen your points so that they will be ready for hunting season.
Equipment is provided, although Students may bring their own tool kits, and are encouraged to bring examples of previous knapping projects and/or arrow shafts ready for hafting.
| April 13 | Toms River, NJ | $95 | The date for this class has passed, but we'll let you know the next time it's offered. |
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Stone Tools Basics (Part of the Survival Essentials series)
Your "Silent Partner" in a survival situation, stone is one of your most important allies when it comes to living with the land. Understanding the fundamentals of the way rock works will make your time in the woods far more comfortable and infinitely safer. Here, you will receive plenty of hands-on experience in several of the available methods used to form stone into useable tools, including spalling, percussion, and pressure-flaking techniques. You will explore the principles involved in creating everything from simple flake tools, to elegant stone blades.
Equipment is provided, although students may bring their own tool kits, if desired.
| September 7 | Toms River, NJ | $85 | Sorry, but we had to cancel this workshop date in order to schedule the first weekend of our World of the Bow: The Ultimate Hunter apprenticeship program. We'll let you know the next time it's offered. |
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