Down through the years I've found points that had a waxy feel to them and some more of an oily or greasy feel, any explantations?

It's a light grey Pat and has a dark red lightning line thats almost vertical in it. Feels like it's been dipped in candle wax. It couldn't be animal fat, could it?

Hey Flinthunter

I live in Ohio Nd found alot of flint with that feeling. It feels kinda oily or waxy just like you say.Just today While digging In a newly Found Fire pit. I found some Broken blades and scrapers they have that funny texture. That puts my opinion toward the heat treating or heat tempering of the Items.

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Entered "WAXY FLINT"
Hundreds of returns, most of which we are better off
NOT knowing about. I clicked one site that really did the job. . . .[dont let the adress name deter you]

ABSOLUTEASTRONOMY.COM/TOPICS/FLINT
Left side of home page, click "CHANCEDONY"

. . . . . BINGO

Not only defines waxy flint but goes some into the
COLORATION of some flints.

The one that caught my attention was the color caused
by NICKEL OXIDE. Now where did that come from in
deep water limestone ? Meteors are rich in Nickel !

All nice flint but the waxy feel doesn't really come
through the screen, maybe repost when smell a vision and
touch a vision is invented !

Fortunatly, cool a vision already exists, Those
flintin & diggin shoes would dress up any drab old
midden, or are they stump stompers ?

" LUCKY SHOES ?" is that something like Dorothy's red shoes ?
The color looks like it would go great with the "lucky" digging shirt I am donating to the digfest
prize drawing, then all you would have to do is organise color coordinated in between undies and pantaloons !

I fogot [ punched post too quick ]. . . .

. . . . . . . . . .

I have a few pieces from European sources...i.e., France and Italy and the Russian steppes that have that same feel....waxy, like they were treated with candle wax. The books that I have read on European points and the "authorities" that be all claim that they heated their flint to make it easier to work...Maybe, Frank can try it out and come back with a definative answer...

Hey, Frank...the method that I've read about was real easy...place the flint in a fire like a cooking stone, let it get as hot as a boiling stone and then let it cool...being from South Texas tho, it might still be too hot to have a campfire...lol

I suggest you do some small scale testing before you accidentally wipe out a boyscout troop sitting around a campfire !
After washing some pebble size flint found at lake side, I put the pebbles on the electric stove ring and set on medium. WOW, what a NOISE ! The term "heat popped" is well named. Maybe larger cobbles pop [ split ] differently being a good thing to make a good start to flaking.
I have heard that some modern day knappers use a food broiler

I have been knapping for some time and heat treat all my flint before I use it. The waxy feel is from heat treating. Some flint takes to the heat treating better than others and as a result is easier to use. I use my oven to heat the flint (I do the cooking, so my wife doesnt complain). The safe way is to heat slowly so the rock dries out over a longer time. If it dries out quickly it might crack or pop. Sometimes it does this loudly and explosively, so be careful with experiments. Look up flint knapping and you will find a wealth of info.

Good info Brian. Moisture in solid rock causing
devasting "pops" reminds me of Polycarbonate sheet
plastic [ the very same that is publicised as being
"bullet proof" ]. If overheated with a hair dryer, the
internal moisture boils and grotesquely "boils"
destroying whatever you were creating.