Chert

[Rock Home Isle]

Returned last night from Texas. The above image is of about 150 lbs of flint. It was so hot, over 100 degrees every day.

Not sure who it was, but someone asked to see images of the flint embedded in the limestone.

There is a previous post in this thread that shows a map of the limestone quarry.

The road through the northern edge of the quarry, cuts through the limestone ridge. On either side of the road, there’s a length of about 100 yrds where there is a continuous line of flint.

There’s several places where we picked up flint, but at this place…you get a great idea of how the flint is found in layers in the earth. It’s not randomly distributed.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Maybe this will help some others in the central Tx area. This is the PM I left Rock Home Isle.

"Hello. I just found your request for a map or information to some Texas flint. Here is a link to the Tx Georgetown rock quarry. There is supposed to be a vein of sorts with good Tx Chert. I can't say for sure because I haven't made it down there yet. The first thing I would do is visit this quarry and see if they will give/sell you some of the Chert. Its supposed to be a problem for them to grind and I bet they would give you a couple of 5 gallon buckets of it just to get rid of it. Heck maybe a truck bed full".

https://www.texascrushedstoneco.com/contact-us/map-directions/
https://texasbeyondhistory.net/plateaus/nature/images/georgetown.html

These links in the above post will take you to a map of the area. This is where I found some good pieces last time, and I found some large chunks just lying on the ground on this last trip. My son picked up a few pieces of flint that he found on the ground around the parking area where he works. The flint is black-grey…exactly what I’m looking for. He said he’d start picking up any that he found that was baseball sized or larger.

I’m trying to set up a pig hunt in January, with my dad, my son and my son’s friend. So in January I’ll be heading back and pick up some more flint…it would be nice if one day I learn how to efficiently bang these rocks together to make some good quality gun flints.

Here’s an image of some pieces of the type of flint my son finds all over where he works. He grabbed small pieces to show me what he finds.

 

[SlidePicker]

Wow! That looks good. Thanks for the pictures of it in the ground..

 

[Two Feathers]

Kind of recently, someone posted about a vendor that sold chert gun flints. I’ve looked around and can’t find the post. Can anybody help me out? Thx, E…

Gvilleddie:
Try this place on Etsy. elementalgemstones | Etsy
I got a killer deal on 10 pounds of Flint rock chunks from these folks about 3 years ago,. They're still in business, I checked before I commented.
Good luck. I hope this helps.
God bless:
Two Feathers

 

[Zutt-man]

If you head south through Kansas on Kansas 99 Highway it will take you through the Flinthills and it is a pretty drive through ranch country. There would be many places where you could pick up flint along the road through cuts. I would suggest bringing a fire steel and hammer or better yet a very hard rock such as granite. If you find what appears to be decent flint knap off a piece and try to strike a spark. Look for knapped pieces that are shiny. They seem harder and knap sharper.

It really is a pretty part of the Flint Hills. You must be a Frozen Butt attendee?

 

[Kansas Jake]

I have to confess I’ve just gotten back into formal group shooting this spring after about 35 years.

 

[Zutt-man]

I have to confess I’ve just gotten back into formal group shooting this spring after about 35 years.

I bet we don’t live too far away from each other (might even know each other). I haven’t been to a rendezvous in at least 15 years. My dad, grandfather and I belonged to a club by Beattie. Live north of Wamego now

 

[1BadDart]

I checked the creek near my house yesterday, what I thought might be chert was just shale rock.

 

[Snake Pleskin]

Gvilleddie:
Try this place on Etsy. elementalgemstones | Etsy
I got a killer deal on 10 pounds of Flint rock chunks from these folks about 3 years ago,. They're still in business, I checked before I commented.
Good luck. I hope this helps.
God bless:
Two Feathers

do they call it something else beside flint? I looked on the site and could not find any "flint"

 

[Rock Home Isle]

do they call it something else beside flint? I looked on the site and could not find any "flint"

It’s also called Chert.

 

[deerstalkert]

elemental just sells fancy stone.
Whole Rock . for whole georgetown.
also,

Flintknapping Supplies, LLC​

 

[bldtrailer]

Posted before chert forms in limestone, flint in chalk . same chem comp. flint is alittle glasser
to test
1can it scratch a glass bottle?
2take a file strike the flat side does it spark(on a sharp edge)
3 will it cleave/fracture in smooth lines /edges
4 make a flint size sample and see if it shatters in the lock(to brittle)

The grey rock is goergetown chert from texas the rock on top is also texas chert(river chert) is great at everything till the lock test way to glassy shatters on 3rd or 4th try

it will make wonderfull arrow heads /blades

this is what you want (unheat treated) sharp and long lasting (for me)

 

[45man]

Remember that flint has to be FRESH, dug from under ground. Even Indians dug pits to get it. Exposed to weather and it does not flake well.

 

[Brazos John]

Exposed to weather and it does not flake well.

New info! Thanks, from a potential chert hound.

 

[Two Feathers]

do they call it something else beside flint? I looked on the site and could not find any "flint"

Snake Pleskin:
??? I just sent a message to the owner asking if they stil sell the chunks of flint. As soon as I hear back, I'll let you know.
God bless:
Two Feathers

 

[Two Feathers]

Howdy guys:
Here's a link to a special sale the Lady at elementalgemstones set up for me and anyone who needs some Flint rocks.
Black Flint Lapidary Rough 2 Pound Lot - Etsy
She's a good seller and a nice lady. Help her out. Good luck guys. I hope this helps?
God bless:
Two Feathers

 

[M. De Land]

These links in the above post will take you to a map of the area. This is where I found some good pieces last time, and I found some large chunks just lying on the ground on this last trip. My son picked up a few pieces of flint that he found on the ground around the parking area where he works. The flint is black-grey…exactly what I’m looking for. He said he’d start picking up any that he found that was baseball sized or larger.

I’m trying to set up a pig hunt in January, with my dad, my son and my son’s friend. So in January I’ll be heading back and pick up some more flint…it would be nice if one day I learn how to efficiently bang these rocks together to make some good quality gun flints.

View attachment 146564
Here’s an image of some pieces of the type of flint my son finds all over where he works. He grabbed small pieces to show me what he finds.

How well does it spawl? Does it need heat treated?

 

[Rock Home Isle]

How well does it spawl? Does it need heat treated?

I found a chunk of flint the size of a cooler, maybe 400 lbs. I knocked a chunk off and it was pretty crystalline, so yeah that would’ve needed to be heat treated. That…and I’d need a forklift to get it off the ground.

I bet if I piled it with sand, and then built a bonfire on it…let it burn for 12-18 hours, then cool down for a week…it would be good to go. Or it would just explode while sitting in the bonfire.

The chunks I picked up this trip looked fairly good, a couple seemed to have sat on the surface for too long…making points would be hard. Gun flints, I’ll find out.

When I pick up a nodule, I look it over and hit it with the hammer to see how it flakes. Nice flakes…I keep. Most were pretty good.

When we sit down again and try to make gun flints, I’ll post again with an update to this thread.

 

[M. De Land]

Remember that flint has to be FRESH, dug from under ground. Even Indians dug pits to get it. Exposed to weather and it does not flake well.

Whattttttttttttt, I've not heard that before ?

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Whattttttttttttt, I've not heard that before ?

Yeah, it’s true…the best knapping flint is fresh dug out of the earth.