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- Jan 10, 2010
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This knife was made from native float copper..copper that was scoured by glaciers and deposited in various places in Northern Wisconsin. This copper was used extensively by the 'Old Copper' culture some 3,000 to 5,000 years ago for weapons, tools and jewelry in the Great Lakes region. It somehow got traded great distances and has even showed in up in Northern Africa. The copper was heated, annealed, pounded flat, chiseled and forged to shape. It was hardened by 'work hardening'.. a process of physical hardening achieved by very careful forging at very thin thicknesses. This blade shape is a common type found among Copper Culture archaeological sites and the handles were known to be bone, antler or wood with leather wrappings. I added a touch of red here and there to reflect the use of red ochre on various objects of the time period.
This knife was magical to make. Just handling the raw copper alone fills me with a sense of wonder and awe. When forging it you see the natural grain structure forming and surface bubbles forming just as the archaeologists document in the actual artifacts. You can feel the copper harden under the blade after the last annealing cycle. You can actually flex that thin little tip without taking a set! It's a real knife...
This knife was magical to make. Just handling the raw copper alone fills me with a sense of wonder and awe. When forging it you see the natural grain structure forming and surface bubbles forming just as the archaeologists document in the actual artifacts. You can feel the copper harden under the blade after the last annealing cycle. You can actually flex that thin little tip without taking a set! It's a real knife...
