Source for Blond French flints??

[robinghewitt]

Resists temptation to add severed fingers to the picture :crackup:

 

Gloves will prevent some of the injuries. Safety glasses should also be worn as the pieces will fly when the flint is struck to knock off blanks. Amongst making custom rifles and fowlers for a hobby, my brother Taylor also knapps flint/chert and obsidian arrow, atal-atal, spear and knife blades and heads.
: The flakes are very sharp, with some edges at the molecular level. The concoidal fracture is what allows them to be knapped into shape. No wonder obsidian blades are used in eye surgery. They cut deeply, very cleanly, and will heal quickly as well.- Just ask Musketman.

 

[robinghewitt]

A mask perhaps? Knappers tended to die younger than normal from lung disease, possibly silicosis :shocking:

 

[musketman]

Gloves will prevent some of the injuries. Safety glasses should also be worn as the pieces will fly when the flint is struck to knock off blanks.

Oh, I know that now...

I still have the scars across my fingers as a reminder of my learning curve...

Lessons don't come cheap... :haha:

You are right about obsidian blades are used in eye surgery, I read that a single flake of obsidian is 500 times sharper than surgical steel...

 

I learned that lesson on picking up a beautiful transparent flake off the floor. It came from a black lump, so you can imagine how thin it was.- I didn't even feel it penetrate until the slice was pumping. It merely parted the skin seemly, without any pressure.