How to Flint Knap an Obsidian Arrowhead

Making an Arrowhead Pendant - Coming Soon!
I've been knapping a lot of arrowheads lately and started making arrow pendants, so today we'll be knapping an arrowhead out of a piece of mahogany obsidian from Central Oregon. I ended up getting two similar points out of the same piece plus a bunch of flakes for smaller points and blades.
Thanks for watching and enjoy!
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The Impossible Bow - www.amazon.com/dp/098324815X/?...
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Nicholas Tomihama
P.O. Box 354
Camas, WA 98607

[@biggles1024]

I was holding my breath as I watched you apply the finishing touches to the arrow head. The possibility that after all that work it might break was almost too much to bear. Glad it turned out as well as it did. Cheers, b.

[@BackyardBowyer]

Me too! Haha!

[@TuckerSP2011]

Nick, you are not only extremely talented, but a great teacher!

[@nathanhollenbeck1878]

Budy you are an artist! I'm not at all into knives or bowes and the like, however I am fascinated with your videos, you are an awsome teacher and make it look so fun! Keep up the great work.

[@BackyardBowyer]

Thanks for watching!

[@Banned_loI]

I'm wanting to try my hand at flint knapping and I'm doing a lot of research before I make my first attempt. I found this video very helpful. Thank you.

[@donwatson6865]

Hey Nick. I have done a few of your builds from your instructions. Your videos are always easy to follow and understand. I am rewatching all your knapping material now as I have decided to get into knapping. I have built my own tool set and am practicing. Thanks again for your no nonsense approach to instructions as well as inspiration.

[@jharrington2674]

Hey BackyardBowyer, you are my favorite KZbinr because your videos are so easy to follow along to. I made my own 40 pound bow based on you gull wing bow video. Thank you soooooo much, you are a great inspiration to me

[@BackyardBowyer]

Nice! I'm glad my videos have helped. Good job on the bow.

[@selenabeaulieu2361]

Beautiful work wow...! My grandfather was from Maine and was native Indian he made wicker baskets and birch canoes..

[@beginnerbushcraftertooley7095]

Love your channel and books. Thank you for your knowledge on flint napping and pvc as well as your traditional bows. Keep up the awesome work

[@eliminator7ful]

This is among the very best introductory videos on flintknapping I've seen so far.

[@spacedog2980]

Dude you are crazy talented and hard-working. I don't even like making bows and arrows and I've never even held a bow. Keep doing what you do, I love it.

[@mynxl]

Your skills never cease to amaze me. I think you will survive the apocalypse.

[@MUCKLEECH]

Dude that's so cool, I've never seen anyone do that before. You make it look pretty easy, good job bro:)

[@stevebuckskinner5482]

Outstanding Nick! Nicely done.

[@twatbrain]

Nick, your videos are fantastic. I always look forward to seeing a new video from yourself ! keep up the great work bud !

[@talexander7217]

Nice job Nick. You make it look easy.

[@Traderjoe]

Man, Nick, you have some amazing skills! Very nice work!

[@BackyardBowyer]

Thank you!

[@nicklemberger3101]

Wow, this is simply amazing. Very well done.

[@thezwerdz8560]

I think you explain everything that's going on here better than every other video I've watched from other people.

[@Hopewellmj]

Very nice Nick - I just finished several glass arrowheads for my penetration test and I know what your talking about, very sharp! I was not aware of your knapping skills, very impressive!

[@jamescarmean2701]

What a beautiful piece! You made this look so deceptively easy. I am sure when I start attempting this with bottoms from bottles I will break many before I would risk a great piece of obsidian like that. Wonderful work.

[@dnngskn62]

Very nice work Nick. Turned out beautiful.

[@justingould2020]

That's a beautiful piece of stone. Came out looking fantastic!

[@LeoDJCryzeezRodriguez]

This video is so relaxing to watch that I had to watch it 2 times.

[@larryfisher7056]

That's a beautiful piece of obsidian and very nice work, Nick...

[@zman7633]

You make it seem so easy man. Apreciate your experience!

[@mbhsug]

It looks like you know exactly what you're doing. Great work! Greetings Manfred

[@jcmorgan26]

+BackyardBowyer Hi Nick, i just wanted to say that you could use your stone more efficiently by shaping smaller flakes rather than big chunks. This way you can make more point per nodule.

[@Chris-sv7xq]

Fantastic video. Always enjoy them

[@macroplatinum6571]

Very informative, great video!

[@joellamolson4095]

This was awesome! I'm currently writing a sci-fi fantasy novel that involves a culture of people who evolved using obsidian tools, knives, spears and arrowheads. I had no idea how this work could be accomplished with simpler hand tools as opposed to cutting with diamond saws. This really helped fill in some blanks for me. Thank you.

[@BackyardBowyer]

That is very cool! Im glad it could help!

[@gt0915]

Absolutely mad skills....

[@jkiry]

Amazing Nick! I have a long way to go but this helps. Simple and easy to understand directions. Keep up the great work!! Thanks, John

[@BackyardBowyer]

+John Kiryanoff Awesome! I'm glad the video has been a help. Thanks for watching!

[@draven24372]

Great work nick your an inspiration ! you've got my kids off their xbox's an into making bows ect thankyou.

[@Ronnfre]

beautiful ! i love where this channel is going .. keep it up !

[@arthursutton832]

Beautiful job looks perfect I like that arrowhead well done.

[@NuManXplore]

Fascinating! Thanks for doing this!

[@jasonpettit5688]

wow you really have grown in your knowledge.it seems you have a wonderful teacher or elder.any the case you have surprised me in all of your vidios I've watched them all and thank you for showing the world your craft .I'm amazed.

[@JeffLafferty]

Excellent work!

[@dragontattooee]

liking this video . and would love the glass idea too

[@rickyburton4642]

That is really awesome! Thank you for the tips!😃👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@vincentgagnon7779]

this is actually so sick!!! i wanna make one now

[@Lothar445]

Looks really cool.

[@alexgelder5794]

I never knew that was how arrow heard where made, thanks for enlightening me

[@raywalter3992]

the material is beautiful. !!@ it's colors blew me away !!

[@BackyardBowyer]

Thanks! It's amazing how many different colors, patterns, and effects obsidian can have.

[@matheusmota134]

As a archaeologist that can't knap a single flake I'm impressed with your abillity

[@BackyardBowyer]

Thank you!

[@ratroddiesels1981]

that was excellent flintknapping can be tedious work but the outcome is fantastic , that was a beautiful stone , who knew a arrowhead was hiding inside .

[@mariogutierrez3432]

Wow that was badass you have some real talent , im still learning how to do this hopefully one day ill be as good as you are👍👍👍💎

[@Junjuncabral1976]

That's awesome! thanks for sharing.

[@dwaynesprospectingadventur4994]

that is a beautiful piece.

[@kimcurtis9366]

Very nice simple point! I have always loved points made from mahogany obsidian! They are beautiful in the colors hey produce as well as being very sharp as all obsidian points are! When I was a little boy in the 60s, our family and one or two of the other families in the small town I grew up in would go out onto the Red Desert and hunt for arrowheads, often finding Clovis as well as Solutrean style points and also, many of the super refined points from real scientists in their field! Much of what we did then would be a crime, nowadays but, back then, we were just being amateur Archaeologists as many of us got into studying the different types of points we found! We found a few of what, at that time, were known as Eden Points! Whether that terminology still exists, I don't know but, they were some of the most refined and well made points we ever found! Beautiful, long and extremely well crafted! Not to mention some of the sharpest of the points! When I was 9, my mother and I visited relatives in North Carolina and we checked out one of our cousin's tobacco patches after a rain! WOW! We found over 300 points in about 45 minutes! They ranged, in degree of workmanship/craftsmanship, from almost unrecognizable as an arrowhead to points that weren't quite as good as those from our area of Wyoming, but their technology was getting very close to that! Thanks for posting this video! I an always interested in the different techniques used by the many different knappers! One of our good friends is Tom Lucas, who has made a study of Native crafts for the last 50 years of his life! He is the first of several who figured out how to make the Big Horn Sheep horn bows that were used by the Sheep Eater Indians of the Wind River and Big Horn Mountain ranges in Wyoming! He also has been knapping chert and flint and obsidian for around 40 years and is a master that can easily equal the Eden Points! I have watched him make beautiful hunting points, spear points and knives, for almost 30 years and I have learned a lot! That said, I learn a bit more from each of you, when I watch your videos! Thanks, again and best wishes!

[@BackyardBowyer]

Kim Curtis Thank you for watching and for sharing! That is awesome!

[@Soviless99]

That clarified a lot of stuff including flint knapping terms. Just broke out a kit that i got for christmas 2 years ago... ive alwwys been concerned about durability of the arrowheads though

[@Spirit0Selvaggi0]

woww! it's fantastic, congratulations!

[@neanderthaloutdoors9202]

Good demo vid Nick, Native American Indians used Obsidian for arrow heads, nice one, atb, Paul.

[@StevoSwiss]

This was awesome! Thank you so much.

[@terrain-hardy]

Danm ... you are a man with a lot of talent's and skills ... many many thanks for showing ... and keep up the good works ;-))

[@jkabholat]

Beautiful work

[@gravitykillz924]

another great vid Thanks Nick!

[@rakkassan2187]

Thank you, clear,great detail.

[@stovepipe9232]

You are a true master!

[@TonyStrongman]

absolutely love it!

[@iamthatiamministries7772]

You make it look easy my friend

[@JohnSmith-nd8nr]

I love all your vids.

[@lockpickingbelfast]

pretty cool stuff, enjoyed this vid a lot.

[@manicheanwarrior8589]

Fascinating ! You really have a talent. Thanks.

[@BackyardBowyer]

Thank you sir!

[@CodyNeilPorter]

Great video as usual! Keep it up!

[@BackyardBowyer]

Thanks!

[@WV591]

truly an art requiring lotta patience and skill.

[@jarchdm]

that is some impressive work, I had no idea there was a whole new vernacular for knapping

[@chefgiovanni]

Cool demo dude.

[@knaptime]

Nice work!

[@Tnblues100]

great job🏹

[@wpatrick22744]

great stuff that nick.I've gotta try knapping sometime.

[@garrethollingsworth1515]

I use a dremel with diamond bit pieces to thin out my flint, chert, and everything that I can use

[@debandty1]

Major informative and what a cool think to do. What advise can you give a total amateur regarding acquiring knapping tools.?

[@willybee3056]

Oh Wow ,, great job,,, keep up the good work. ..

[@THEDRAGONBOOSTER8]

Fantastic job..

[@ethanthomas1180]

Hi Nicholas I really like your videos and they are awesome. I have started to get into flintknapping but I have no idea where to get the supplies for it. I would really appreciate if you could tell what to get and where to get it and where to get obsidian. Thank you and as always, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! (And flintknapping!)

[@robertoc.9099]

Sabía para que se usaba la Obsidiana pero nunca había visto como se trabaja en ella. Gracias.

[@canadianboyee]

You're a pretty talented guy!

[@Maxxon89]

Looks nice.

[@MrMkrill]

really nice piece man

[@BackyardBowyer]

Thank you!

[@BushImports]

That looks like mahogany obsidian, nice.

[@Olkv3D]

So rad.

[@jbojm9]

Great video.

[@jadekayak01]

very well done. this may seem like a stupid question but can you make an edge smooth enough to use as a razor. my daily shave is one of 3 dozen straight razors but I'd love an obsidian or glass razor

[@GameLifts]

this is amazing

[@netherdominater9960]

I mostly make myself steel arrowheads but I always like a refresher on flintknapping incase SHTF and I can't make anymore arrows with steel heads

[@bearbushcraftuk5848]

Great vid & skills 👍🏼😃

[@BackyardBowyer]

Thank you!

[@carlosvieira9370]

Very good.

[@edwardmarshall2035]

Beautiful marbling on that obsidian. Are there any pros/cons to using copper tools over traditional bone/antler ones, or is it just a matter of preference?

[@ana-ev8ur]

Great video! :)

[@---115]

Wau, sieht echt gut aus 👏🏻👍🏻

[@gadgetmantwincities]

Very nice

[@gerardosalazargarcia9977]

Wow,como podemos distinguir entre una realizada x usted a una realizada x un nativo hace 500 años jajaja va a ser dificil,felicidades es usted un artista

[@akivameola2558]

Hey nick! it's akiva,your friendly neighborhood blacksmith. so far you have really done wonders with steel and I'm impressed. there is one thing I wanted to tell you though. while the magnet test is useful, I would suggest a higher quenching temperature.

[@luchvk]

Why? What changes?

[@akivameola2558]

+luchvk the steel needs a higher temperature so when quenched, the shock of the oil produces a harder steel. if the steel isn't at a high enough temperature, the tempering process (typically when someone puts it in an oven until it is the color of wheat) will only make it soft again.

[@luchvk]

Akiva Meola Ok, cool to know. Thanks for the answer.

[@zuilok]

Now that is amazing, can I ask how much time did that take to make and for how long did you have to practice to be able to make something even close to it?

[@prismwashere]

beautiful

[@gregpryorhomestead]

great job! you've learned a lot in very little time, from what I can tell on your channel

[@BackyardBowyer]

gregpryorhomestead Thank you!

[@Whoozerdaddy]

Really nice work! And I envy your materials. In the Northeast, the best we have locally are cherts. Not to undersell cryptocrystalline quartz, but it's not obsidian....

[@Shredder212Films]

All I have is Quartz and I have found flint once but I had to dig for it but it was real flint and if had a fossil in it

[@frankmycek6546]

its hard for people that live in the eastern united states beyond the appalachian mountains because we ain't got any knappable stone,with the exception of quartzite

[@robertstaggs2578]

Hey Nick I've been watching your bow videos for a while now can you do a youth compound bow review please?

[@zoesdada8923]

I can't believe how perfect this piece is. How much is something like this worth?