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 flintknappers of all levels and expertise --- from novice, intermediate and advanced knappers. Anyone who is interested in the skill of making stone tools is more than welcome. We 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:
Check out the flintknapping videos by Marty Rueter. Access the link http://www.flintknappingtips.com/apps/videos/

Compilation of Knapping Tips


Update on the May 10 knapping get-together:
The sunny, spring weather brought out eight hibernating knappers. After a long winter hiatus and the threat of rains that never came, we finally got the opportunity to get-together for a session of flintknapping. Dino started out the morning with lessons on basic lithic reduction. After lunch, we worked on our individual stone project. Some of the beginnners were given some obsidian spalls to continue knapping at home.

 

Update on the June 21 knapping get-together:
The June knapping get-together was cancelled because the Karl Nordvik Park was closed due to renovations. The unexpected closure did not allow enough time to find a new suitable knapping site.

 

Photo Album


 

Information for the NEXT California Knappers Get-together

New Knapping Location

Date: July 20, 2014
Time: 10:00 am to 3:00
pm
Location: Beard Staging Area near the Alameda Creek Regional Trail, Fremont, CA
We'll meet at a new locaton called Beard Staging Area along the Alameda Creek Regional Trail in Fremont. It has a parking lot along with picnic tables, BBQ stands, a port-a-toilet and a drinking fountain. Here is a link to a map of the Alameda Creek Regional Trail: http://www.ebparks.org/parks/trails/alameda_creek#trailmap
Look for the Beard Staging Area on the map.
Information: Contact Dino Labiste via e-mail at kahikoarts@yahoo.com for any questions.
If you plan to attend, it is important that you let me know by sending me an e-mail. If no one is coming, I will not be there. Check this section of the webpage the night before the get-together for any last minute changes.

DIRECTIONS TO BEARD STAGING AREA IN FREMONT:
Heading I-880 south
, take the Fremont Blvd / Alvarado Blvd exit near Fremont. You'll encounter two exits with the name Alvarado on the freeway signs as you near Fremont. The first exit sign with that name is called "Alvarado-Niles". DO NOT take that exit. The next exit is called "Fremont Blvd / Alvarado Blvd", which is the correct exit. Turn left onto Fremont Boulevard at the stop light. Alvarado Boulevard becomes Fremont Boulevard at the light. Continue down Fremont Boulevard until you get to the stop light at the intersection of Paseo Padre Parkway and Fremont Boulevard. Make a U-turn at the light, going in the opposite direction on Fremont Boulevard. Turn right on Beard Road. If you go over the overpass of I-880, you've gone too far (you'll have to turn around to get to Beard Road again). Continue driving on Beard Road until it dead ends at the entrance to the Beard Staging Area. Drive pass the gate to the parking lot. Parking is also available along the street. We'll be located at the far end of the staging area, near the picnic table.
Heading I-880 north, take the Alvarado Blvd / Fremont Blvd exit near Fremont. Turn right onto Fremont Boulevard at the stop light. Continue down Fremont Boulevard until you get to the stop light at the intersection of Paseo Padre Parkway and Fremont Boulevard. Make a U-turn at the light, going in the opposite direction on Fremont Boulevard. Turn right on Beard Road. If you go over the overpass of I-880, you've gone too far (you'll have to turn around to get to Beard Road again). Continue driving on Beard Road until it dead ends at the entrance to the Beard Staging Area. Drive pass the gate to the parking lot. Parking is also available along the street.We'll be located at the far end of the staging area, near the picnic table.
Coming from the Dumbarton Bridge, headed towards Fremont. After the toll gate, continue driving until you come to the I-880 on-ramp heading north towards Oakland. Get onto I-880. Take the Alvarado Blvd / Fremont Blvd exit in Fremont. Turn right onto Fremont Boulevard at the stop light. Continue down Fremont Boulevard until you get to the stop light at the intersection of Paseo Padre Parkway and Fremont Boulevard. Make a U-turn at the light, going in the opposite direction on Fremont Boulevard. Turn right on Beard Road. If you go over the overpass of I-880, you've gone too far (you'll have to turn around to get to Beard Road again). Continue driving on Beard Road until it dead ends at the entrance to the Beard Staging Area. Drive pass the gate to the parking lot. Parking is also available along the street. We'll be located at the far end of the staging area, near the picnic table.

WHAT TO BRING:
1. Bring your own knapping tools and stones to work on. Also, bring safety gear, like leather gloves, safety goggles or glasses, leather pads, etc. Other knappers sometime bring knapping rocks to share, but it's no guarentee. So, try to bring your own stones for your lithic project.
3. Do not wear shorts. Dress in long pants. Do not wear slippers, thongs, open-toed shoes or sandals. Wear shoes that cover your entire feet. Protect your legs and feet from sharp flakes of obsidian and other fragments of cryptocrystalline stone.
4. Bring a lunch and a water bottle. There are good places to eat nearby, if you decide to go out for lunch.
5. Dress for the weather. Be prepared.
6. Please remember to bring a chair, bucket or anything high to sit on. You cannot sit on the tarp due to the shards of volcanic glass and other sharp stone spalls on the tarp.
7. If you have a plastic or canvas tarp that you would like to bring to the knapping session, we can use it to cover the ground. Just be aware that your tarp might acquire small holes and cuts from all the obsidian and sharp stone flakes. I have a large tarp that I will bring for everyone to use.

NOTE: This knapping get-together is not sponsored by any park, organization or individual. This is only a get-together of fellow knappers. It is not a class or a workshop. Every person is responsible for any injuries and liabilities that he or she incur. Cuts and lesions from sharp flakes and tools are possible. You are accountable for your own actions. Be safe when handling obsidian, flint, chert or any sharp edged stone. Knapping tools can also cause injuries, if used improperly. Protect yourself, utilize safety gear and use common sense.

Beginners, who attend the flintknapping get-together for the first time and have no knapping experience, will be asked to only watch and ask questions. Before coming to the flintknapping get-together, I would recommend reviewing the following series of YouTube videos by Jim Winn and Jimmy Williams to acquaint yourself about this prehistoric lithic skill. Access: Flintknappers - Beginners by Jim Winn Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 and Flintknapping 101 Basics - Copper Boppin' by Jimmy Williams: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7. If you are still interested in flinknapping, after attending your first knapping get-together, come to your second get-together and we can get you started.

California Knappers serve as a source of information and as a means of communication among flintknappers, providing inspiration and friendship. The knapping get-together is open to the public. Come and work on your lithic project or practice the art of flintknapping and learn tips from fellow knappers. There is no fee to attend, unless you want to sign-up for the Knapping Lesson (see info below).


NEW: KNAPPING LESSON available during the knapping get-together
Dino Labiste will offer lessons on basic knapping techniques. The demonstration and lesson will be from 10:00 to noon. We'll take a lunch break from 12:00 to 12:30 (bring your own lunch). After lunch, students will get the opportunity to learn how to knock off a spall from an obsidian cobble. Dino will provide obsidian flakes for the participants to work on. The knappers can borrow a copper bopper, copper pressure flaker, leather pads, safety goggle and gloves during the lesson. Dino will help troubleshoot and assist students while they practice their knapping techniques. Lesson ends at 3:00.
Limit of 5 students.
Available to beginners or anyone who wants to refresh their knowledge of basic knapping concepts and techniques.
Fee: $10
Register by contacting Dino Labiste at kahikoarts@yahoo.com

 

 

If you don't want to receive any California Knappers e-mail notices, let me know and I'll take your e-mail address off the California Knappers list.

Keep on Rockin',
Dino
Labiste (has opposable thumbs, walks upright and makes stone tools)
kahikoarts@yahoo.com
PrimitiveWays.com

 

FLINTKNAPPING RELATED LINKS:
1. Flintknapping classes for beginners at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont
2. Flintknappers - Beginners (YouTube videos) by Jim Winn Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7
3. Flintknapping 101 Basics - Copper Boppin' (YouTube videos) by Jimmy Williams: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7
4. Flintknapping 101 Basics - Pressure Flaking Indian Style (YouTube videos) by Jimmy Williams: Part 1, Part 2
5. Flintknapping Tips by Wyatt Knapp
6. "How to" articles on flintknapping (Puget Sound Knappers)
7. From Beer Bottle to Arrowhead (Knappers Anonymous)
8. The Non-Abraded Platform (YouTube video) by Jimmy Williams
9. "Obsidian is Hot Stuff" by Jim Miller
10 . "California Knapping" by Paul D. Campbell
11. The Properties of Stone
12. Flint Knapping: Finding and Treating Knappable Stone
13. Heat Treating by Larry Kinsella
14. Heat Treating Guide with Temperature/Time/Thickness Table by Jim Miller
15. Flintknapping: Basic Concepts compiled & edited by Michael Lynn
16. Modern Flintknapping
17. PaleoPlanet (flintknapping forum)
18. "The Art of Flint Knapping" (book) by D.C. Waldorf
19. "Flintknapping: Making and Understanding Stone Tools" (book) by John C. Whittaker
20. "Caught Knapping" and "Lap Knapping" (videos for sale) by Craig Ratzat
21 . Lithics Casting Lab.com (quality casts of Stone Age artifacts)
22. Ishi Stick Pressure Flaking (YouTube video) by Jim Winn
23. Flintknapping Demonstration (YouTube videos) by Dr. Bruce Bradley
24. Notching Arrowheads (YouTube video) by Mike Cook
25. Lithic Technology
26. Flint Knapping: Articles, Tips, and Tutorials from the Internet compiled & edited by Michael Lynn

 


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