Great job !! Will it chop ? I like it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Instead of knapping like flint/obsidian, with slate you grind. I just picked up a new grindstone and this was its first project actually. And when I say "pick up", I mean exactly that, it was a likely-looking rock I saw while walking around. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Pretty too, lots of mica in it. Once you grind the major shape out, you do the final sharpening and polishing with another piece of slate. I'm a little dissatisfied with how sharp the edge (doesn't) get doing this, I think there must be a trick to getting a better edge. Thinking bone maybe since it's fairly hard but fine grained.

I bought some flint knapping videos a while back, thinking it would be interesting to learn more about. I watched them and understand the basic techniques, but to get good at it, I'd need to devote a lot more time and effort to it than I'm willing to. There's basically a whole little sub-culture of people who devote themselves to primitive skills that most people don't know exists -- they have meets all over the US.