Making Arrowheads (and Small Knives) Out Of Trash: Broken Glass And More

In a true SHTF situation (or not), and if there is not enough fuel or time to “cook” rocks that are not knap-ready, you can quickly and easily make effective arrowheads and small knives from found objects in the trash: broken dishes, glasses, baking pans, thick bottoms of glass jars and bottles; pieces of a broken porcelain toilet, (or toilet water tank covers), and slag glass (hunks of glass that are used as ornaments in tropical fish tanks).

Here is a video that may inspire you: https://www.offgridweb.com/survival/trash-into-treasure-making-glass-arrowheads/

If you’re interested in learning the art of arrowhead making, primitive skills teacher Billy Berger recommends starting with glass, rather than flint.

“If you want to learn flintknapping but don’t have the right type of stone, don’t despair,” Berger says. “Glass is plentiful, free, and it flakes much easier than flint. Learning the basics of arrow-making on glass makes it easier to transfer those skills to flint."

https://returntonow.net/2018/05/13/how-to-make-an-arrowhead-from-a-glass-bottle/

No special equipment is needed to make the arrowheads. In the video, the guy uses what I use: deer antler and stone. If you don't have a deer antler point, you can use a thick rigid piece of copper wire or a large-ish nail as a pressure flaker.

Of course, to be functional, the arrowhead does not need to be as pretty as his (think of all the old misshapen Native American arrowheads we find today).

Because the same concepts that are used to make traditional arrowheads from rock can be applied to other materials such as glass and porcelain, you can learn from instructional videos and books that are directed towards traditional materials.


TIP: Before beginning a knapping session, lay down a large tarp on the ground to catch flying chips which won't be fun to find later...the hard way. Eye protection is not a bad idea. I would imagine there were more than a few one-eyed First Americans back in the day; blinded because of flying chips.


What about metal?

I am not a fan of homemade metal arrowheads unless I have a metal cutter or grinding tools to fashion a steel arrowhead to be at least this sharp: (This video is a real-world comparison test on a deer)

 

I do a little knapping a good arrow Head can be made out of a metal spoon also

 

I have never made an arrowhead out of metal. How did you make yours? What non-electric tools could one use in a SHTF situation?


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Are there some flint rocks that will not flake for making arrow heads ? I have tons of flint that I use to make fires with . I have found I can bust them open to get to the good insides that will spark to start fires . However trying to flake them to shape them to a desired shape has so far been futile . I have tried flaking them beating edges with a railroad spike and tried shaping them with a hammer and chisel to no avail .

 

You have to fire them and change there structure

 

If they don't produce a sharp edge when struck with another rock or a heavy piece of antler, it may need to be "cooked" (heat treated) first.

Here is a little more info on the whys and hows of that plus a nice video showing how to do it with a simple fire:

https://www.flintknappingtools.com/heattreating_temps.html

 

Thanks Grizz and Bishop , I have never heard of this before . I may try cooking some flint rocks .

 

It just occurred to me , if the rocks were heat treated to make them flake easier , would that make them less efficient to start fires with ?

 

I suspect that cooked rock will be too brittle. For flint and steel firemaking, it would be best to stick with "raw" rock.

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You can make quick arrow heads out of any sheat type metals. All you need is a hammer and cold chisel and a heavy piece of metal for an anvil. Cut the shape with the cold chisel and then sharpen it by hammering the edges down thin and sharp. I have seen arrowheads made from keys too.

Where I was raised there were no rocks so the Native Americans used the big scales off of Gar to make their arrowheads.