Banded & Mahogany Obsidian

[CMD]

Great work, Ron. I really admire the skill all you guys have, and the lithics are wild and beautiful. Only thing I can personally relate to is the photography and angling pieces in the light to show flaking. That I have some practice in , and you do a great job there as well.

[sneakygroundbuzzard]

i knew you could do it
nice work
you learn fast grass hopper  :rolf:
now if you really want to make a point smooth
take and set up small platforms on top of the deltas(the ridge left from taking a flake) and then remove another flake so that the delta runs down the middle of the flake.
doing this wont leave much of a delta on either side of the new flake and makes a point feel real slick and smooth

[2ndoldman]

A few more of those practice pieces and your work will be as gorgeous as that material.

[Kyflintguy]

Great work Ron on some beautiful material!  Your making some big nice stuff! Thanks for the show!

[Ron Kelley]

:laugh: I will take more pictures in tomorrows sunlight.  :laugh:

Edit: As I reduced the spall it was a struggle to keep the S in the point.

[Ron Kelley]

Here are a few more points. I did some knapping today.

[OnewiththewilD]

do you hunt with a bow at all Mr.Kelley? i can see a primitive small game hunt in yer future this fall, you could use all the primitive stuff you've made and clean yer quarry with the stone tools too.

[Ron Kelley]

Hey Jay, I have used six different bows over the last fifty years. Most of my bow hunting has been for whitetail deer. Over the years I have been able to harvest more deer in michigan by taking advantage of all the different seasons: (Bow, Muzzleloader, and rifle.) In recent years I had to switch to a crossbow because of the arthritis in my shoulders. When I couldn't keep every arrow in the three inch bullseye at fifteen yards I made the switch to the crossbow. I have been very successful in recovering my whitetail deer; usually within a hundred yards. The last buck I shot with a compound bow took two of us several hours to recover. It was a bad shot and that bothered me. Well I kinda got off subject there. This latest point is far too big for a bow but still deadly.

Edit: Here's another picture to show the flaking. This 4 1/4 inch point is extremely sharp.

[OnewiththewilD]

maybe small game will be a way to continue bow hunting? you wouldnt need a 50# bow for S.G., probably just a 30#, i know alot of states have a minimum poundage to hunt deer with but it doesnt say how much for smaller animals.maybe a self made 30-35# longbow made with stone tools and self made arrows with stone tips?.....     that turkey tail is killer btw, looks like a great knife blade!

[Ron Kelley]

That's an interesting idea Jay. I will have to give it some serious thought. BTW Yesterday I did some scouting to locate milkweed that I will harvest in the fall. I found plenty of plants but I want to wait until the seeds are mature befor I gather the stems.

[OnewiththewilD]

Wow! that 2nd. pic really shows it off nice! you've done it bud! you can totally call yerself a knapper now!

[Ron Kelley]

OnewiththewilD wrote: Wow! that 2nd. pic really shows it off nice! you've done it bud! you can totally call yerself a knapper now!

  Well thanks Jay, I have made a little progress but there is still lots of room for improvement: Believe me I have not been totally satisfied with any of my flintknapping at this point.

[sneakygroundbuzzard]

Ron,as a knapper you never will be totally satisfied with what you make
its all part of the game
  nice point by the way  B)

[Ron Kelley]

This morning I made a 4 1/4 inch blade from banded obsidian. This is a hefty one  :laugh: . Half an inch thick. I haven't figured out how to get the larger pieces as thin as I would like. Every time I push it I break them. Any tips?

[Hoss]

Ron Kelley wrote: This latest point is only 1.75 inches long but I was able to cover the entire point with flakes from my ishi stick. I see this as a victory and am happy with this little point.

Edit: I purposely used the lighting to show the flaking. You really have to tilt and look intently to see all of this flaking. The point is actually quite smooth.

Nice job Ron