Extreme Flintknapping: part one – Extreme  Notching

By Ray Harwood

intro photo 1, knapper Jake Webster.

One aspect of extreme flintknpping is deep notching into the body of the flint blade. Notching arrowheads is an art form in itself. Some flintknappers have perfcted notching to the extreme.  The notches can be replicated by pressure flaking with a soft iron nail, horse shoe nail or small copper punch.

Photos number 2   A group Mack Tussinger’s eccentric (Photo courtesy of  Peter Bostrom)

In the 1920s,  a Indian named Mack Tussinger  was able to formulate notching methods that allowed him to achieve  extremely complex designs in the flint, these points came to be known as eccentrics . It was in 1921 that Tussinger, a Wyandotte Indian, claimed to have discovered  a large cache of ancient eccentric flint points, he had sold as many as 3,500 to wealthy collectors over the fallowing decades before it was discovered he knapped the eccentrics blades himself.

Photos number 3   A group Mack Tussinger’s eccentric (Photo courtesy of  Larry Kinsella).

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Today there are several flinknappers  that have mastered   Tunnsinger’s eccentric notching styles, Emory Coons, a knapper whom is a local folk hero in the area of Glass Buttes, Oregon, a massive obsidian outcrop, where Emory knaps out massive blades and intricately notched obsidian eagles, he is known for knapping the sword in the movie Reddick 2015. The amazing obsidian eagles using deep notch techniques. A thin biface is knapped very thin, then a long notched ftom the top down and opened for eagle head area. Emory Coons was born in Burns Oregon in 1971 and started flintknapping at the age of five, 33 years ago. He has resided in Burns most of his life and attended Burns Union High School winning awards in the crafts department for jewlery two different years. He has been perfecting his skills as a artist ever since, flintknapping, silversmith, lapidary and teaching his craft to others. He has been on OPB on The Caveman at Glass Buttes and Channel 2 News Boise Idaho about the Nyssa rock and gem show multiple times. Several news paper articles  and magazines have been written on his art from gem and dozens of rock and mineral shows he has  taught classes in flintknapping at Indian Lake for the Umatilla tribe four years also the wild horse atl-atl demonstration as well as Pipestone Creek Alberta Canada and in Medicine Hat British Colombia Canada for the Jr. Forest Wardens, at Northern Lights out of Slocan Canada twice, also demonstrated flintknapping along the Oregon Wagon Train , Baker interruptive center, and Windows to the Past for the BLM and Forest Service.

Photo 4 obsidian eagles make by Emory Coons .

Ed Mosher flintknapps large intricate eccentrics similar to those found in South America, Ed is also prides himself on his beautiful Danish Daggers. Danish daggers are among the most difficult artifacts to replicate.

 Photo 5  ED Mosher of Monticello, Indiana Photo above.

Both of Ed's Grandparents had an artifact collections. He found his first arrowheads when he was 5.  He chipped his first arrowhead when I was in the 4th grade. Ed used a nail in a handle and a railroad spike as a hammer.  He didn'tt have any knappable material where he lived, so he used small flakes that he found in the fields. When he was in high school, he found DC Wldorf's book on flintknapping. " It Took off The bug bit me hard. In 1988 I meet Jeff Pig and Dan Lincoln at a show that I was knapping at. They gave my a few pointers and some larger chert."  He attended his first knapp-in in 1989 at the Jeff Pig farm.  Ed has been hitting it hard ever since. "I like to swing large antler. I really like to make large percussion points. Though I love a challenge."  Ed has been known to make eccentrics, fluted points, Danish daggers and now working on learning flake over grinding work. Ed  was also a member of the flintknappers Halls of fame for his outstanding contributions to the craft and advancement of the art and study of flintknapping.

Photo no. 6 Ghost point by Jake Webster.

Another knapper from the     Indiana area is a young and upcoming knapper that is becoming known for his extreme eccentric flint points and his well notched hunting points.  His name is Jake Webster and he calls his flint points “ghost points” for he often notches arrowhead images within his arrowheads. Jake is 27 and has been knapping since he was 12 years old. He credits Ed Mosher and Aaron Lincoln as his influences.  

Photo 7. of Anthony  R  extreme long thin notches. ( photo by Ray Harwood.).

. Another extreme notching style is known,  by flintknapper,s as long notching and by archaeologists as “Calf Creek” style notching.     Anthony Raimondi hails from Denard, Arkansas where he works for a local Timber Company. He and his son T.J are both flintknapping experts and have both won awards for their fantastic close entry and long notching styles. The Raimondis credit  “The Art of Flintknapping” by D.C. Waldorf, as their main influence fallowed by attending local knap-ins.

The third extreme notching style is “Ishi” or close entry notching.  The notch entry is very small and the notch opens into a tear drop.  Steve Alley of Sisters Oregon  has the current worlds record for close in notch entry at  this time. Steve is a master of many styles of flintknapping, . Steve also hunts with his hand made primitive archer equipment.

Steve Allely is knapper who began breaking rocks in 1967 and hasn't slowed

down much in the last 40 plus odd years of working stone. He specializes

in beautiful high color points of the Western US although he can make many

styles of points and knives. He is also an accomplished flat work artist

in painting and illustration. Additionally, he is a bow maker specializing in the

subject of Native American archery for over 20 years and has illustrated a

number of books and written the periodic chapter on the subject in the well known s Bible book series with Jim Hamm of Bois d' Arc Press.  has taken a number of deer with his sinew backed bows obsidian tipped arrows and dressed them out with obsidian knives. He also replicates various Native American material culture items for museums and interpretive exhibits.When he's not breaking rock, scraping on bows or wielding paint brushes he periodically plays Celtic music and doodles with several kinds of bagpipes. Steve andhis wife make their home in central Oregon, a "rock rich" area for a westernknapper. Steve was also a member of the flintknappers Halls of fame for his outstanding contributions to the craft and advancement of the art and study of flintknapping.

Steve Allely is  also an expert on the Native Americans from the northern California area and into the entire North West coastal region. The Indian named ISHI who was the last survivor of the Yahi tribe in northern California. Steve has a collection of ISHI memorabilia that he shows and gives talks about; he has a collection Ishi related items.

Above photo 8     Ishi Point cast from Lithic Casting lap. (photo Ray Harwood)

Steve has replica items that he produces and will have seminars on the subject and will be available at his booth for questions. ISHI became a friend of Dr. Saxton Pope in San Francisco and Pope became one of the most famed archers of the early 20th Century who hunted all over the world with a Mr. Art Young and they authored some of the most famous and exciting books on archery ever, Steve can tell you all about it. Steve’s home is in Sisters, Oregon when he is not traveling the world giving talks on this subject (Jerry Dishion, Archery Expo).

Above photo 9.   World’s closest entry notch by Steve Alleley (Photo by: Ray Harwood)

Interview With Steve Allely: “A few helpful hints on narrow notching is that first you have to make the area of the point you're going to notch, very thin to begin with. That will solve a number of problems before you even start and is essential.  You'll need that part of your point thin so you're not fighting any thickness  which is highly helpful.   I use a filed down very flat and thin welding rod tip with the end having not a point but a tiny flat area as if one flattened off the end of a wooden popsicle stick but at a slight angle instead of at a 90 degree.  This flat and thin  tip is tiny and miniature is size and looks something like a tiny screwdriver tip for eyeglasses screws only its at a slight angle if that makes sense. You can use a horse shoe nail, regular nail or any other piece of mild steel or iron like Ishi did.  I used a 7 or even a 10 power jewelers hood when doing this (its really hard to see it!) and it took several attempts as its very hard to do.  I made a very tiny micro notch to start with using the flat thin flaker that I gradually went into the edge of the point a ways.  Then as I got  the notch started an in a ways from the edge maybe a 1/16" or so, I inserted the flat tool into the notch from the side, gently set up a little platform, and carefully pressed off a little crescent shaped notch flake to expand the notch outward and into the point but not too big, because if that flake is too large it circles back and tears open your tiny narrow notch entry and wrecks it.  One has to "micro narrow notch" a little ways into the point from the edge, and then start to take off larger flakes a bit more aggressively.  After you get away from the edge it gets much safer and a bit less of a risk to break it.  As you notch you have to set up your platforms to the next side you take your flakes off of.  I pop off a flake, very gently crunch my way in a ways but build the platform to the opposite side and very gently scrape (grind) it with my flaking tool which is setting up the platform for the next flake on the other side.  Then the process repeats if all goes well.  What you don't want is to get your edge to thicken up too much  in the mid line of the notch and then you can start to get "stuck" and spin your wheels in taking a flake off as your platform is too far from either side stuck in the middle and it starts to get too thick so your tool keeps slipping instead of taking off a flake. You can sometimes power through and pop off a large one but you can wreck it very easily at that point and will be heard quoting Homer Simpson with a loud "D'oh!"...or worse...  In short, it takes lots of practice and I've seen a number of Ishi's old points at the Hearst Museum that Ishi himself "messed up" and popped his notches out wider than he wanted or had planned.  That's essentially it, its just meticulous mirco notching.  Its not a deep dark secret nor rocket science, just very careful tiny flaking with lots of practice (and many failures) This is probably the smallest entry notched point I've ever managed to make with the notch openings less than

1 mm but I was pushing the envelope and it took several tries before I was successful.  When I notch this way I work on my knee on an old green chain leather apron and hold the tool straight down when I get to the 'insert it into the inner notch" stage if that makes sense.  The tiniest mistake of twisting your tool wrong can mess you up if you aren't super careful. Practice on glass or obsidian flakes a lot, the more you do it the better you'll get at it.”

Flintknapping  can be very dangerous, if you choose to do so, seek a mentor,  and use all necessary safety gear: Long pants, boots, leather lap cover, safety glasses and gloves.

www.pugetsoundknappers.com     for help. and information.

Beautiful eccentric by Brian Schuch of Juneau, Alaska 

 rejected  so I blogged it!!

"Ray:

After going over the article I am going to pass on it. About the only articles on flint

knapping that we publish are actual how-to types. The pieces you display in the -

article are beautiful, but making them would be well out of our readers range of

expertise. I'm sorry.

Charlie Richie, Sr.
Editor/Publisher | BACKWOODSMAN MAGAZINE"

RAY WITH HIS LITHIC ART AT MONTANA KNAP IN 2015