California Knappers

Monthly Flintknapping Get-Together

The California Knappers is a knapping get-together of flintknappers who like to flake stones, learn from each other, trade for materials and meet fellow lithic knappers. The get-together is open to beginners, intermediate and advanced knappers. Anyone who is interested in the skill of making stone tools is more than welcome. We will meet one day in every month. Check this webpage for monthly dates.

Flintknapping:
Knapping is the shaping of flint, chert, obsidian or other conchoidal fracturing stone through the process of lithic reduction to manufacture Stone Age tools.

"The word knap means 'to snap or break by a smart blow'. The word flintknapping was coined to describe the manufacturing of gun flints. Not all stones that can be worked into tools are flints, but the label stuck. In present day, the term is commonly and broadly used to describe the prehistoric skill and ancient craft of making flaked stone points, arrowheads and tools."
Definition by Grog Verbeck

Knapping tip of the month:
After much practice, you have probably standardized your billet swing so that it is coming down at pretty much the same angle all the time. You are hitting your platforms pretty much the same way every time. Since this swing has become a constant, we have an opportunity to have some control over the thinning process and the length of the flakes we take off.
If you tilt your preform at different angles, you can control how long your flakes are and how much material you remove. Depending on how much material you are trying to get through, you may have to adjust the power of your strike as well or use a heavier billet. A lot can be accomplished by understanding how to use different angles.

Update on the July 31 knapping get-together:
Seven people attended the California Knappers get-together in July. A demonstration was done on how to remove a large spall for making a blade or arrowhead from a rough core. Also, how to thin out an odd shaped obsidian cobble was shown. A new knapper drove 2 hours from Sacramento to join our flintknapping group. Everyone enjoyed socializing on a nice sunny day.

No California Knappers get-together in August

Information for the NEXT California Knappers Get-together

Date: September 3, 2011 (Saturday)
For anyone who would like to do this project, on September 3rd we will discuss making an arrow during the October knapping get-together. You must knap your own arrowhead point before this project. We will also talk about what materials you will need to acquire or purchase for making the arrow (e.g. feathers for fletching, sinew, arrow shaft, etc.).
Time: 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Location: Karl Nordvik Park, 5850 Commerce Drive, Fremont, CA 94555
The park is on the corner of Commerce Dr. and Ardenwood Blvd. We will be located across the restrooms, on the far end of the park, near a small pine tree. Look towards the children's playground. Parking is free.
Information: Contact Dino Labiste via e-mail for any questions at kahikoarts@yahoo.com
Check this webpage the night before the get-together for any last minute changes.

DIRECTIONS TO KARL NORDVIK PARK:
Heading I-880 south, take the Decoto/Dumbarton Bridge/84 exit near Fremont. Turn right onto Highway 84 headed west. Take the Ardenwood Blvd./Newark Blvd. exit. Turn right at the end of the exit. When you get to the cross street called Commerce Dr., turn right (the park is on the corner). Park in the parking lot closest to the restrooms. Parking is also available along the street. Look toward the restrooms and past the children's playground at the far end of the park. We will be located near a small pine tree.
Heading I-880 north, take the Decoto Rd. exit near Fremont. Turn left, headed west. Take the Ardenwood Blvd./Newark Blvd. exit. Turn right at the end of the exit. When you get to the cross street called Commerce Dr., turn right (the park is on the corner). Park in the parking lot closest to the restrooms. Parking is also available along the street. Look toward the restrooms and past the children's playground at the far end of the park. We will be located near a small pine tree.
Coming from the Dumbarton Bridge, headed towards Fremont, take the Newark Blvd./Ardenwood Blvd. exit. Turn left at the end of the exit. When you get to the cross street called Commerce Dr., turn right (the park is on the corner). Park in the parking lot closest to the restrooms. Parking is also available along the street. Look toward the restrooms and past the children's playground at the far end of the park. We will be located near a small pine tree.