Flintknapping is a type of tool manufacturing technology that is thousands of years old. By selecting materials that will fracture in a predictable fashion, such as obsidian, basalt, or chert, stones can be purposefully shaped into any number of useful tools, such as knives, scrapers, axe heads, or projectile points. Highly siliceous, Hertzian cones of force.
Obsidian core showing before and after fracture.
Traditional tools: hammerstone, antler billet, and antler tine pressure-flaker.
Flake cutting tool and projectile point.
The cutting edge of the obsidian flake is sharper than a surgical
scalpel, and slices effortlessly through tough rawhide leather.