Shoutout to that $25 book on flint knapping I picked up last month

I spent $25 on a used copy of "The Art of Flint Knapping" from some random seller online just out of curiosity. Figured I'd never actually try it, but I read through the whole thing in two nights. Then last week I found a chunk of obsidian on a dig site in Oregon that looked perfect for testing the basics. I managed to make one ugly little arrowhead that actually holds an edge, and now I'm hooked. Anyone else ever jump into a niche ancient craft after finding a random book or tool?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavin_kim31mo agoTop Commenter

You ever notice how most hobbies just kinda sneak up on you like that? I swear half the stuff I've gotten into started with some beat-up manual I found for cheap. Last year I grabbed a $10 book on whittling at a garage sale, figured I'd never use it, and now I've got a drawer full of lopsided wooden birds. Something about reading the theory first makes the actual trying feel less scary, like you already know what you're getting into.

skyler_anderson651mo ago

The lopsided birds sound like you're doing it right honestly. Not sure about that theory idea though, @gavin_kim3 reading about something helps but it can also make you overthink before you even start.