Flint source

Hello all. I've been super busy so I've been away from the forum for a while!

Just wondering where people are getting there flint from these days as my supply is getting dangerously low! Last year I traveled to ingham quarry but it seems to have vanished! Has it closed down?

Best wishes

James

Yup, Ingham's been gone a couple of years now. The local council didn't like the place.

Most people go to Castle Acre these days, I prefer to go to Caistor.

This document lists every working flint quarry in the UK
http://www.bgs.ac.uk/mineralsuk/mines/dmq.html

If you do check out any other than the two listed above, let us know th results.

Thanks Grendel.

That's a real shame about ingham! Is there a reason you prefer to go to caistor? Is the flint better quality?

Best wishes

James

Ps any idea which quarries the Lords use?

I find Caister has better quality larger nodules and Castle Acre better quality medium size ones.

The Lords have been to both Caistor and Castle Acre, a little birdie told me.

Hello all.

Is this the right address for caister quarry? http://www.agg-net.com/aggregates/caister-st-edmund-quarry

I'm hoping to visit tomorrow!

Yep, that's the one, also ask for what they call "the brown flint" round the back... We've got lumps of it.
Enjoy all the chalk that is going to coat you and your car, especially the boot. Also beware of the chalk covered dog, he'll try to put more even chalk on you.

I believe the brown flint come from their quarry near Saffron Walden.

look forward to seeing how you get on and the quality go the flint - not been to that one but feel a trip coming on.

Successful mision ! Really varied quality, but lots of it! A good ringing to the stones that I've collected, but as we all know, that can be deseptive!

I'll add some photos when I've worked out how to upload photos!

Did you get all the flint from out front or did they let you out back.

Out the back... I mainly collected the 'brown' flint. There was someone else's debetage there too and half a biface!

My friend Alex happy with our flint!

Not sure why we picked those nodules on top... the quality looks a bit rubbish! A bit of a heat treat will help!

That is awesome, did the dog get you? I know a good deal of the flint is quite "cloudy", with those lighter tough inclusions (but good for functional axes!), rather than the glassy black stuff. As the quarry gets deeper I think the quality will get better, but there is a shit load of flint to pick over, thankfully.
It may be a good plan to harvest some big primary and secondary flakes from just below the cortex where the good stuff is for any thin bifaces and heat the spotty stuff.
Happy knapping my man, looks like you may be busy this summer.

That pretty amazing, I guess they let you take the car out back. To collect that amount. That's not always possible.

Yes fortunately it's been so dry I was able to drive right up! Dry weather makes flint collecting in a chalk quarry, so much more pleasurable!  
Unfortunately I didn't get to meet the dog, but the guys were really nice and helpful! 

The flint on the left of the car is interesting, I took a couple of test flakes and it's brown/ iron rick... be interested to see what's inside as I haven't seen nodules that big with that colouration!

Just back from there today. Total success and complete disaster. Got some beautiful black flint nodules, best I've seen since Ingham closed. The manager showed me his meteor he found in the quarry just back from IDing at the museum. Huge, the size of 1 litre bucket of yogurt and all metal. Then on the way home a lorry overturned on the M11 and I spent 6 hours going from one junction to the next.

Oohh, was the black flint from the chalk? Sad times about the traffic, six hours is a heck of a long time to sit around staring at the back of the car in front.

Yup, black chalky nodules.

result and bad news about the traffic, - once was in a 9 hour holdup on the m5 with the family wanting the toilet, i feel your pain, - interesting about the meteor - wonder when it landed? did he say if it was in a certain layer or is it glacial deposit?

2nd time it's happened to me with the traffic coming back from a quarry. I only go up to Norfolk once a year. What's the odds.

I think the the meteor came out the chalk and was discovered while fossil hunting, so is extremely old.