Editing Knapping (section)

== Method ==
{{main article|Lithic reduction}}
[[File:Knapping.JPG|thumb|upright|A leather leg guard protects the knapper from being injured by the edges of the flint.]]
Flintknapping or knapping is done in a variety of ways depending on the purpose of the final product. For stone tools and flintlock strikers, chert is worked using a fabricator such as a [[hammerstone]] to remove [[lithic flake]]s from a nucleus or [[lithic core|core]] of [[tool stone]]. Stone tools can then be further refined using wood, bone, and antler tools to perform [[pressure flaking]].

For building work a hammer or pick is used to split chert nodules supported on the lap. Often the chert nodule will be split in half to create two cherts with a flat circular face for use in walls constructed of lime. More sophisticated knapping is employed to produce near-perfect cubes which are used as bricks.

=== Tools ===
There are many different methods of shaping stone into useful tools. Early knappers could have used simple hammers made of wood or antler to shape stone tools. The factors that contribute to the knapping results are varied, but the EPA (exterior platform angle) indeed influences many attributes, such as length, thickness and termination of flakes.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Dibble|first1=Harold|last2=Whittaker|first2=John|title=New Experimental Evidence on the Relation Between Percussion Flaking and Flake Variation|journal=Journal of Archaeological Science|date=1981|volume=8|issue=3|pages=283–296|doi=10.1016/0305-4403(81)90004-2}}</ref>

''Hard hammer'' techniques are used to remove large flakes of stone. Early knappers and hobbyists replicating their methods often use cobbles of very hard stone, such as quartzite. This technique can be used by flintknappers to remove broad flakes that can be made into smaller tools. This method of manufacture is believed to have been used to make some of the earliest stone tools ever found, some of which date from over 2 million years ago.
[[File:Soft Hammer.jpg|thumb|left|Soft hammer knapping]]
''Soft hammer'' techniques are more precise than hard hammer methods of shaping stone. Soft hammer techniques allow a knapper to shape a stone into many different kinds of cutting, scraping, and projectile tools. These "soft hammer" techniques also produce longer, thinner flakes, potentially allowing for material conservation or a lighter lithic tool kit to be carried by mobile societies.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Peclin|first=Andrew|title=The Effect of Indentor Type on Flake Attributes: Evidence from a Controlled Experiment|journal=Journal of Archaeological Science|date=1997|volume=24|issue=7|pages=613–621|doi=10.1006/jasc.1996.0145|doi-access=free}}</ref>

''Pressure flaking'' involves removing narrow flakes along the edge of a stone tool. This technique is often used to do detailed thinning and shaping of a stone tool. Pressure flaking involves putting a large amount of force across a region on the edge of the tool and (when successful) causing a narrow flake to come off of the stone. Modern hobbyists often use pressure flaking tools with a copper or brass tip, but early knappers could have used antler tines or a pointed wooden punch; traditionalist knappers still use antler tines and copper-tipped tools. The major advantage of using soft metals rather than wood or bone is that the metal punches wear down less and are less likely to break under pressure.