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Arrowheads & Bacon Beetles

Me and Igor had an interesting conversation yesterday morning as he loafed and watched me flintknap this cute little Ross point. “Boss, there ees cockrroach on floorr. I should keel eet, no?” “No,” I said, “It’s not a cockroach. It’s a species of bug that looks like a cockroach and lives only in Michigan. We call them Bacon Beetles. If you chew them fresh they taste just like fried bacon.”
Igor hasn’t talked to me since. Even offered him one of my favorite micro-brewery beers last night to cleanse his pallet and bought him breakfast this morning …. to no avail. Definitely the most sensitive ruthless mercenary I have ever known. Either that or Bacon Beetles cause Lockjaw!

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The Stress of Flintknapping

You know, employing Igor, a ruthless Russian mercenary, has the advantage of providing good security for my high-security rock bunker and relieving worry about rock raiders stealing my rare, exotic rocks from all over the world.  Lately, however, it seems like a mistake.  But it’s my fault.  In a recent Facebook post I compared Igor to Clint Eastwood regarding the way he squints. Definitely my bad.

Since then he’s been watching Eastwood flicks nonstop, and has grown fond of addressing me as “punk”. At least several times a day he walks in to my workshop, squints and say’s, “You arrre punk! You wee’ll make my day, no?” I don’t know how much longer I can take this. Tried staring at the beauty of this Horse Creek Chert arrowhead for relief but to little avail. Does anyone know a good therapist?

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Waiting For The Flintknapping Rock Fairy

A friend told me that the Rock Fairy will bring me beautiful rock if I leave some money under my pillow in the morning before I leave for work, because the Rock Fairy only works the day shift, and that the Rock Fairy will leave the rock under my pillow, but sometimes it takes up to a week, but keep leaving money or the Rock Fairy gets depressed because you don’t trust him (or her?)   The money has been disappearing every day for 3 weeks now and my friend says he is envious of me because I’m going to get a bunch of killer rock.  Wow, I’m geeked! When I called today to let him know that the Rock Fairy forgot to take the money today, his answering machine said he is in Mexico on a long vacation!  In any case, I sure hope the Rock Fairy leaves me some Ocean Wave Jasper like this.

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Polychrome Jasper Spearpoint Versus Wild Hogs

It was an interesting day. The rock bunker alarms went off this morning and the next thing I know Igor and the boys came busting into my knapping studio with weapons hot. I casually inquired as to what the HECK was going on. “Geet down, boss!” he barked, “We weel keel the wild peegs!” I forgot to inform Igor that I was knapping raw Polychrome Jasper. He heard the grunts and snorting and assumed a herd of feral hogs had breached security. My bad!

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Secret Stash Flintknapping Rocks Rediscovered

Photo of Expert Flintknapper Mike Cook Doing Flintknapping Lessons in Michigan

Recently i did something that I really refrain from doing unless absolutely necessary. I re-organized my workshop and found one of my secret stash flintknapping rocks. It’s a painful thing to do when you want to be productive, but have to spend a couple of days going through everything and moving it around. Continue reading Secret Stash Flintknapping Rocks Rediscovered

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Indonesian Coral Arrowheads

Recently, I get more questions about Indonesian Coral and the striking and unique arrowheads that can be knapped from high quality material. I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that the supply has dried up. In other words, the deposit of this material that was discovered just a few years ago has been mined out. There is still some on the market but the supply will continue to dwindle and the high grade stuff is vanishing even faster.

The good news is that I have a small reserve of high quality coral that I will continue to work from. Naturaly, I will also continue to scour my resources for any good pieces I can yet acquire. Will any more be found in the future? My source tells me it’s possible but not very likely. Let’s hope that is not the case. There is nothing like Indonesian coral and the wild polyp patterns are a wonder of the natural world and of geology. It is also a wonder for a flintknapper to be able to knap into a beautiful creation, and no one wants more to be discovered than me. Maybe I should go on an exploratory expedition to Indonesia. Hmmmmm.

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Exotic Arrowheads Galore

Well, I am back from the Tucson Gem & Mineral show and as always I spent way too much on rocks and opal. The good news is that I am highly motivated to transform this rough material into beautiful arrowheads, flint knives and exquisitely beautiful opal arrowhead jewelry. There is something about gorgeous rock that gets me all geeked up to become a flintknapping monster. So I have been spending lots of time in my knapping cave, creating new and wonderfully unique points and knives. The problem is that I like them too much when done and then I have to look at them for a little while before I can post them. Worry not, I am saying good-bye to some as I write this. Stay tuned.

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Tuscon Gem & Mineral Show

The first two weeks of February is the greatest time of the year for people who love rocks, gems, minerals and fossils. I will be at the Tucson Gem & Mineral show hanging out with other rockheads. I often meet folks at the show, so if you are planning on being there and want to touch bases, just give me a holler. Will I have some opal arrowhead jewelry and gem quality agate and jasper arrowheads with me? I can’t leave home without some.

I am looking forward to seeing new materials that may be at the show and seeing old friends. There really is nothing like the Tucson show, so if you have ever wanted to go perhaps you should just plan on it this year. I can assure you that anything you can think of having to do with rocks, gems, minerals or fossils will be there. Have I ever regretted going to the Tucson show? Heck no, it’s too much fun.