![]() If you want to cut, use a large single flake. Stone knives are best used for purposes of ceremony or demonstration. That is why when the Native Americans had the opportunity to convert to steel they did so quickly. You cannot drop a stone knife on rocks, on logs, on the ground, or on most floors and expect it to survive. A stone knife should be used as if it were a scalpel. You must hold the knife handle in such a way as the sharp edge is presented to the cutting project, not just thrust at it. Even a moderate twist can break a stone blade, especially if it is thin. You cannot pry and lever away with a stone bladed knife the way you would with a steel blade. These range from the believably authentic aged antler and buffalo jawbone knives to exquisite parallel flaked art knives that only royalty would have had in ancient times. Today, there are a people making incredibly fine stone knives. For knappable stone material many modern flintknappers use copper tools, even though the American Indians probably never had access to enough raw copper to fashion tools. A flintknapper will use an antler baton or billet to do really fine work but even a round stone can be used to do basic flintknapping. Flintknapping is relatively easy to learn (with proper instruction and patience) and there are some good instructional books and videos available. Flint, chert or obsidian (volcanic glass) are the stones most often used for flintknapping, and can be used to make arrowheads, knife blades, tomahawk heads, spear points, or any chipped stone tool. Flintknapping is the process of making stone tools by flaking or chipping the stone to the proper shape and sharpness. To really appreciate stone bladed knives and where they fit in man's history one really needs to appreciate flint knapping. When a flake is struck from a piece of flint or obsidian it comes off as a nearly razor sharp blade with an edge that can hardly be improved upon with more chipping. Throughout prehistory, most cutting was probably done with a simple stone flake. ![]() When most people think of stone bladed knives they think of something like the one above with a classic blade and a handle to make it easy to hold. ![]()
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