Description
These boxes of Obsidian flakes and spalls are perfect for making arrowheads, blades and spear points. These are pieces ranging typically from 2 – 6″ long. Obsidian is volcanic glass and it already super heated to no heat treating is necessary. They are ready to knap right out of the box. Obsidian is a great choice for beginners because it is easier to flake than most other rocks. Experts love it as well for its recognizable beauty and popularity for beautiful knives and points.
Buyers should show caution. Obsidian is EXTREMELY sharp and will absolutely cut you. I do not recommend it for kids for this reason. I recommend hand and eye protection when handling and knapping, and knap in a well ventilated area because of the fine dust particles in creates.
We have Black and Mahogany Obsidian available. The Black is typically just a tiny bit more durable, where the mahogany has exceptional beauty. Both make fantastic points. The mahogany typically has a little more thickness to the spalls due to the nature of the cobbles that they have formed in.
Obsidian is quite literally nature’s glass. It was formed during volcanic eruptions that flowed across sand. Obsidian can be found in the western United States and Central America. Just some of the states/areas include Oregon, Utah, Mexico and the Yellowstone region. Most of our obsidian comes from an old stock pile from Glass Buttes, Oregon, or imported from Mexico. There are different variations of obsidian known by different names. Despite the color differences, they all work very similarly. From our experience the plain black obsidian flakes and spalls tend to be just a little better in workability, but really all obsidian is great. Obsidian is extremely sharp and can break an edge down to a single molecule. It is known to be the sharpest material on Earth. The downside to that edge is that it is more fragile than other knappable rocks. Obsidian is sharper than chert, but chert is stronger. When folks ask which rock is the better choice for projectiles and tools, there is no clear answer. It often depends on the job at hand. Both Obsidian and other premium cherts are phenomenal lithic resources. Just be careful when working obsidian. It doesn’t take much to get a serious and nasty cut! But that is also what makes it so deadly!
