California Knappers

Monthly Flintknapping Get-Together

The California Knappers, which began in 2010, 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 novice, 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, jasper, agate, chert, quartzite, 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:
Indirect percussion is a technique that is seldom used in modern times, but widely practiced prehistorically. It involves the use of a bone or antler punch and a hammer. The physics of punch use allows more massive flakes to be removed than by using the antler billet or hammerstone as a percussion instrument. The accuracy allowed by the punch is also evident. Since indirect percussion can be so precisely placed, the punch and hammer make it possible to apply a large force to very small platforms of a stone tool than in other methods of flake removal.

Compilation of Knapping Tips

Update on the July 15 knapping get-together:
We only had two knappers attend the July flintknapping get-together. The sunny weather made it an enjoyable day to work on lithic projects and casually socialize. We switched back and forth between modern copper boppers to the more traditional antler billets and hammerstones on our preforms. Notice the Ishi style pressure flaker in the bottom right hand photograph. The metal is made from a soft iron spike that was specifically hand forged.

Photo Album

Information for the NEXT California Knappers Get-together

Date: August 5, 2012 (Sunday)
Time: 10:00 pm 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. From the parking lot, look towards the restroom and past the children's playground at the far end of the park. We will be located near a small pine tree. Parking is also available along the street.
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. From the parking lot, look towards the restroom and past the children's playground at the far end of the park. We will be located near a small pine tree. Parking is also available along the street.
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. From the parking lot, look towards the restroom and past the children's playground at the far end of the park. We will be located near a small pine tree. Parking is also available along the street.