Collecting the raw material was easily half the work. Combing stream beds for fist sized rocks. The chert material around here is not the same large nodule, easy to knap stuff as the best flint and is also quite tough and inconsistent. I would strike spells or blades in the stream to save weight as more than 75% of the material was waste.
I did consider purchasing tons of rock from Arkansas but this was meant to be a fun hobby or pastime that just paid for my longrifle related expenses. Turning to production would have to wait for regiment or job loss. But anyone wanting to do their own like mine should look for Burlington chert, which is what the chert around here is classified as.
