finding flint?

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This was the last piece I picked up, and this was the one I kissed! well it is rather sexy!

ooh la la - very nice, looks like you will get a nice axe and many arrows with that,

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This is what became of that piece of flint, it was on it's way to being a danish dagger. School boy error, didn't watch the support whilst puching in the handle. I have learnt...

ouch, some nice big flakes have be taken off they tool

Bummer....

This flintknapping can be so frustrating.

True, but it makes it feel so much better when it works though. have to zen about the blunders...

[img][/img]Ah well, was able to get this beaker dagger out of the unbroken part!

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This rather good looking flint came from a demolition site, Mrs. Hertzian cone was kind enough give me and the flint a lift home! she is a kind (or understanding) lady indeed.
Time to find a massive hammerstone to spall it all... or is it quarter it all?

And Mrs Hertzian Cone won't be complaining about all the chalk dust in her car?

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A useful map of flint outcrops in North-West Europe, bear this in mind when booking a holiday.

interesting map - so we should have flint in the midlands.

Nice map though it shows London has no flint, however the part of London I come from is all chalk hills, was mostly chalk mining pits in Victorian times and famous for its flint, early knappers used to come here to get their flint, though you can't get at it these days as it's all housed over.

I'm not sure where this map came from, Just found it browsing one day and thought it looked useful. As to how accurate this is maybe up for debate!
This is interesting also though its not a complete map of outcrops: http://www.ukgeohazards.info/pages/eng_geol/subsidence_geohazard/eng_geol_subsidence_chalk_occur.htm

the barnacle wrote:interesting map - so we should have flint in the midlands.

Looks like it, though this maybe glacial outwash flints and the quality may not be all that good. Let us know if you find good flint according to this map.

I have found flint in worcestershire that shouldnt be there which i was thinking was glacial but all is weathered,

mr.hertzian cone wrote:I'm not sure where this map came from, Just found it browsing one day and thought it looked useful. As to how accurate this is maybe up for debate!
This is interesting also though its not a complete map of outcrops: http://www.ukgeohazards.info/pages/eng_geol/subsidence_geohazard/eng_geol_subsidence_chalk_occur.htm

"There are no mines recorded in the Chalk of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Southwards in East Anglia the chalk mines tend to be located in and around major urban centres such as Norwich. The rural mines are associated with flint extraction such as Grimes Graves, near Thetford and Lingheath, near Brandon. To the southwest, across the Chiltern Hills, the chalk has been mined to provide building Stone (e.g. Totternhoe), to make whiting (e.g. Kintbury), for lime burning (e.g. Hatfield) and for use in the manufacture of bricks, tiles and pottery (e.g. Reading). In the west in Wiltshire and Salisbury Plain almost no mines are known. Hampshire contains small numbers of mines (e.g. Andover) and also Devon (e.g. Beer). Eastwards along the South Downs are concentrations of flint mines associated with ancient hill forts (e.g. Cissbury Ring). South of London, along the Hog’s Back, a few mines are associated with urban centres (e.g. Guildford). Others occur within certain parts of London, especially Bexley, Blackheath, Bromley, Pinner and Woolwich. Large numbers of chalkwells and deneholes are found along the North Downs to the Isle of Thanet, and in Essex (e.g. Grays)"





Can't comment on Pinner but the rest of the London bit seems accurate. It mentions Woolwich. The centre of this pic is chalk hills, where Woolwich Dockyard station is now. To the right is a massive crop of chalk hills where Charlton Athletic's football ground is now (aptly named the Valley) on top of one of the remaining hills is an Iron Age Hill Fort. The whole area is now under housing though, so the flint not of much use. 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Nicholas_Pocock_-_Woolwich_Dockyard.jpg

Here's those same hills on the right in Victorian times

http://www.charltonparks.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Charlton-Sandpit.jpg

Wow! Sad times, that's actually on your doorstep. Hooray for urbanisation

As I've a Knapping demo coming up on Sunday the 1st March at the Castle Museum in Norwich I'm in need of some new flint to abuse, so if I can get permission I'll try this place: http://www.caistor.ukfossils.co.uk/
Looks like there isn't a great deal of flint but who knows? Stand by for a review of the quarry!

They also do igneous and metamorphic rocks, you may be able to get hold of some decent hammerstones.

nice bit of fossil hunting as well.

An interesting place, it looks rather promising, it looks like a prehistoric and geological fun land to me (geek!).
I spoke to one of the workers there today on the phone and explained what I'm after and why and he seemed to have no problems with that at all, I asked about Saturday visits and he would rather I came in the week, though I gather they are open Sat mornings. I'll get some photos to show y'all.

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Well today was well worth the effort, Caistor St. Edmunds quarry has a good amount of flint as you can see. I had a guided tour by Mike and Curtis who where rather amused that I turned up on foot with a large backpack to stuff some samples of flint into. This is just one of the piles of the black flint pulled from the chalk, those of you who have gone to the quarry at Castle Acre to get flint will be surprised to learn that most of what they stock there actually comes from this quarry!

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Pile number two, I think Mike said that there is about 600 tons in this heap.

" />This was all I could carry I got two pieces of the brown flint that I was told Herr Lord was keen on, and two of the more black flint, this should keep me busy on Sunday.

wow great looking pile - i wonder what the commercial cost is for this flint?