The Art & Science of Flintknapping

Have you ever wondered how arrow points are made? Come learn the art of making stone tools using traditional techniques, aka flintknapping!

Jeanne Day Binning, Ph.D., Senior Cultural Resources Specialist, California Department of Transportation. Dr. Binning has been a professional archaeologist for over 50 years and has been flintknapping for over 40 years and has received flintknapping instruction from Jeff Flenniken, Jacques Tixier, Jacques Pelegrin, Mark Newcomer, Errett Callahan, Gene Titmus, and Tim Dillard.

This is a weekend learning experience for those who want to make stone tools using traditional techniques and/or want to understand the waste products of the flint knapping process. The class is taught by Jeanne Day Binning and Ph.D. Brian Barbier, M.A. at the California State University Desert Studies Center (Zzyzx) near Baker, California. The class is limited to 12 students.

Planned activities include heat treatment of chert, basic percussion biface reduction (with hammerstone and billet), basic pressure flaking (including notching), the use of an atlatl, and the use of a single stave “self-bow”. Each participant has the opportunity to create a handle for an arrow point, dart point, or knife. Ground-stone manufacture is also covered. Rock samples and different types of debitage are available for students to study during the class. 

Required items participants need to bring for your course: daypack, 10 desert essentials, gloves, shoes that completely cover feet. Optional Equipment (all tools needed for knapping will be supplied for the duration of the class; however, if you have your own kit, bring it) leather shammy, larger piece of leather that will cover the lap when folded over at least once, bastard file, camera.

Photo credit: Desert Institute Volunteer