Knapping Class!!!!

[LeeNY]

I recently had a chance to attend a Flintknapping class at the Wilderness Way School in Owego, NY. Craig Ratzat was the instructor and owns Neolithics a knapping supply company. Craig is from Oregon, which makes it even more amazing that he would do a school in upstate NY on Flintknapping.

I started knapping 3 years ago after receiving the "Linc" short course on Knapping in the basement at the Martville Bowmaking and Flintknapping School in Martville,NY. I even treked to Western, NY to the Stone tools show at Letchworth State Park in the same year. I met Craig then and purchase a couple hundred pound of material from him then. I told him where I was at in the knapping world. He recomended going to his class in Owego. That was 2006, I said to myself "he's a pretty good salesman, but Linc taught me enough to do this knapping stuff!! ( pretty cockey, Huh!!)    

Well when you reduce a couple hundred pound of primo flint, chert, obsidian and dacite to large piles of rubble in short order you get humbled in a hurry!! All this time most of my knapping was using pre-forms, and as I found out ( to my dismay)kind of poorly. Linc had nothing to do with my poor preformance in spalling, it was my cockeyness (I'm 50+ yrs. old you ain't tellin me nothing)! I was still determined, so off to school I went Hi Ho Hi Ho!!!!    But in the fine print it does say " It's okay to hate Craig Ratzat, cause he makes flintknapping so easy"!

The second shows 3 point that I did in class. One isn't completed (larger of the 3). The cuts, the bad language, broken points and the friends that I gained in the 2 day class were worth it. Besides where else can you go and learn knapping with people from 3 countries and 5 states and be so close to home!              

 

[Billy]

COOL !! There's hope for me at 43...  :D  
Is there a place to find out where these classes locatede and scheduled?

[LeeNY]

If you look on the Neolthics web site Craig does a couple of courses every year. Linc is member here and used to do several build alongs, but as of late has been busy with work and hasn't posted much. The Martville Academy is what his friends called his basement.  

[Chris Surtees]

Craig is a first class guy. I hope to attend his course in Oregon and also get into a bow class with Ted Fry.

CS

[Dryfire]

I want to take a knapping course. I live in Oregon so it seems natural to want to attend one of Craig's classes. However, when I pull up his website it says he lives in Oklahoma, not Oregon. Did we get the O states mixed up? Also, I attended one of Ted Fry's bowmaking classes years ago and can recommend him highly.

[LeeNY]

Craigs mode of life, Oregon and Oklahoma and Colorado and not in any particular order.  

His classes are listed on his website. Glass Buttes is a 5 day class.

[Dano]

Those points don't look too bad. Where's Linc been hiding?

[LeeNY]

Dano, Linc's been working quite a bit, plus he's been doing a lot of home improvements. I haven't seen him myself in a long time, but we do exchange emails.

[MYSTIKBOW]

I heard from Linc the other day. He has been very busy do some long over do remodeling. he also just finished  refinishing inside and out a coal stove that he intends to use as his main source of heat in the house this winter.
he sent me some pics to see what I thought of his handy work.  Looks to me like he has a talent for just about anything he puts his mind to.
I'm also a graduate with a minor in knapping...no wait, flaking from the Martville academy.   LOL

[MYSTIKBOW]

BTW  Lee, nice job on those points. I wish I had heard about Craig giving a class down in Owego. I would have been there for sure. I haven't visited his web site in quite some time.  I won't make that mistake again.  

[Killdeer]

Nice points, Lee! Spending good money on an education is its wisest use. Glad to see that you had fun and learned something useful!

Killdeer  

[LeeNY]

John, Craig's there every year Monday and Tuesday after the Stone tool fest at Letchworth. I'm thinking about going again next year.

Killy, Thanks, that's someting I've been wanting to do for quite sometime.

[Linc]

Looking good buddy. I haven't done any knapping in almost a year. I have to start finding time to get back to what I love. Knapping,shooting,making selfbows,etc. Just a little insight but some of the better quality coal is or may be knappable.LOL.Almost like obsidian.I haven't tried it yet but one of these days maybe. LOL.

I would also like to go to one of Craig's classes if time and money allow. Craig was very helpful showing me how to spall at the Stone Tool Show 4 yrs ago. His videos helped me immensely.

Dinorocks sent me some copper welding rods that I still have to make some pressure flakers with. I will be putting them through the paces to see how well they perform and how well they hold up.

Dano, I still check in every now and then. Mostly as an observer.

[Tim Clark]

Hey, Linc. Sounds like we're in identical situations! I've only been able to get over here once or twice a month and then only for a few minutes to glance at the topics and maybe take a look at one or two. Today is the first day off (and the weather has made it an "off day") in a long time. So many things to get back to...

[ishiwannabe]

Nice points! I did not know there was a class in Oswego...every year?
Ya know you and Linc have both been HUGE helps to me and my knapping journey. I havent had time for anything but work and diapers lately, but I look forward to picking it up again soon. And I still have a majority of your rock if ya want some back.  
Good luck this season guys!

[LeeNY]

Thanks, Jamie you'll get back at it. Thanks for the rock offer I've got plenty. I stocked up at the class.