Tons Of Knapping And Not A Single Chip (Obsidian)

lambertiana said:
Resharpening was done by knapping a fresh edge. A lot of the larger points, such as Clovis, show extensive resharpening and are nowhere near their original size.
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Right! I get a kick out of the Otzi-inspired knives with metal blades. Why? Some people think Otzi made do with a 2-inch blade and that’s all anyone needs. I see an extensively resharpened knife that was approaching the end of its useful life. For all we know, his knife was originally 4” long.
 
Here’s another piece from the mining excursion that sits on our mantle. (Knife added for scale)
jAnU1b4.jpg
 
I messaged the maker of my knife, Tony Stanfield, with this question ...

HI ... Received Midnight Lace & Red Obsidian Bowie. FANTASTIC !!! You are indeed a true artisan and craftsman. Question: Is there any periodic care or treatment that should be given to ensure long life? ... I'm especially concerned about the "artificial sinews" and can see where that might be the first to deteriorate after some period of time. Thanks !!!
Respectfully,
"BrotherJim"

Mr Stanfield's reply ...

I would wipe down the blade periodically with a light oil. The haftings I would wax.

SOoooo ... I wonder what kind of wax to use?
 
BrotherJim said:
I messaged the maker of my knife, Tony Stanfield, with this question ...

HI ... Received Midnight Lace & Red Obsidian Bowie. FANTASTIC !!! You are indeed a true artisan and craftsman. Question: Is there any periodic care or treatment that should be given to ensure long life? ... I'm especially concerned about the "artificial sinews" and can see where that might be the first to deteriorate after some period of time. Thanks !!!
Respectfully,
"BrotherJim"

Mr Stanfield's reply ...

I would wipe down the blade periodically with a light oil. The haftings I would wax.

SOoooo ... I wonder what kind of wax to use?
Click to expand...

Beeswax will do the trick, Jim. Artificial sinew last a long time, even if it gets wet often. :thumbsup:
 
While not obsidian, this image was made at a Native American rhyolite quarry in Pennsylvania. The flakes visible are from the piles of flakes that did not meet the standards of the craftsmen. Rhyolite points found in archaeological digs in Pennsylvania date back to over 9,000 years old!

18648483-orig.jpg


Don
 
kamagong said:
Right! I get a kick out of the Otzi-inspired knives with metal blades. Why? Some people think Otzi made do with a 2-inch blade and that’s all anyone needs. I see an extensively resharpened knife that was approaching the end of its useful life. For all we know, his knife was originally 4” long.
Click to expand...
Well, happens in modern times too ... The Morakniv Eldris prolly started out as a Garberg ;)
 
Pics of some of what I have that were made for me by a few talented friends.
1st pic - Obsidian knife with pacific yew handle, Obsidian knife with deer lag bone handle and some Obsidian points. The broken tip arrowhead became that way after I missed a shot on a turkey crossing a creek.:( The arrowhead on the necklace took a deer for me later that year.:) (Note; not the deer in the background of the next pic)

2nd pic shows how thin the Obsidian was knapped by my friend on the bone handled knife. When held up to light it looks almost white vs black.

3rd and 4th knives are not Obsidian but again fine examples of knapping. I believe the cactus handled knife is chert and not sure of what stone the antler handled knife is made. Again held to light you can see how skillfully thin the edge is, makes 'em extremely sharp.
obsidion knives & points - 1.jpeg Obsidion translucency - 1.jpeg Chert & unknown knife - 1.jpeg Knapped knife by Scott - 1.jpeg
 
sunknife said:
Pics of some of what I have that were made for me by a few talented friends.
1st pic - Obsidian knife with pacific yew handle, Obsidian knife with deer lag bone handle and some Obsidian points. The broken tip arrowhead became that way after I missed a shot on a turkey crossing a creek.:( The arrowhead on the necklace took a deer for me later that year.:) (Note; not the deer in the background of the next pic)

2nd pic shows how thin the Obsidian was knapped by my friend on the bone handled knife. When held up to light it looks almost white vs black.

3rd and 4th knives are not Obsidian but again fine examples of knapping. I believe the cactus handled knife is chert and not sure of what stone the antler handled knife is made. Again held to light you can see how skillfully thin the edge is, makes 'em extremely sharp.
View attachment 1542345 View attachment 1542346 View attachment 1542347 View attachment 1542348
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Quite NICE, Greg !!! Impressive !!! ... find all the stuff and craft it, bet it took more than one fun filled weekend :)
 
sunknife said:
Pics of some of what I have that were made for me by a few talented friends.
1st pic - Obsidian knife with pacific yew handle, Obsidian knife with deer lag bone handle and some Obsidian points. The broken tip arrowhead became that way after I missed a shot on a turkey crossing a creek.:( The arrowhead on the necklace took a deer for me later that year.:) (Note; not the deer in the background of the next pic)

2nd pic shows how thin the Obsidian was knapped by my friend on the bone handled knife. When held up to light it looks almost white vs black.

3rd and 4th knives are not Obsidian but again fine examples of knapping. I believe the cactus handled knife is chert and not sure of what stone the antler handled knife is made. Again held to light you can see how skillfully thin the edge is, makes 'em extremely sharp.
View attachment 1542345 View attachment 1542346 View attachment 1542347 View attachment 1542348
Click to expand...

The antler handled point looks like Knife River Flint (actually a chert, true flints are rarely found in North America and most stone called flint is actually chert; flint is technically chert that is found in chalk formations). Knife River flint is from North Dakota, but was widely traded across the continent. Clovis points made out of Knife River flint have been found in Wyoming, Colorado, Missouri, and even western New York state. Even that long ago (12,000 years) this resource was being traded halfway across the continent. Other more recent points made from Knife River flint have been found from Alberta to the Gulf Coast. Knife River flint is silicified lignite.
 
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BrotherJim said:
Quite NICE, Greg !!! Impressive !!! ... find all the stuff and craft it, bet it took more than one fun filled weekend :)
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Thanks, Jim. To be clear I didn't make any of it, I'm only the lucky recipient of those items from friends who are skilled Knappers. They do enjoy gathering, trading for, and making points and such, I've seen them spend hours breaking rock.:)

lambertiana said:
The antler handled point looks like Knife River Flint (actually a chert, true flints are rarely found in North America and most stone called flint is actually chert; flint is technically chert that is found in chalk formations). Knife River flint is from North Dakota, but was widely traded across the continent. Clovis points made out of Knife River flint have been found in Wyoming, Colorado, Missouri, and even western New York state. Even that long ago (12,000 years) this resource was being traded halfway across the continent. Other more recent points made from Knife River flint have been found from Alberta to the Gulf Coast. Knife River flint is silicified lignite.
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Thanks for the info, Labertiana, much appreciated.:thumbsup: Reading it made a bell go off in my head and I now recall my friend who made the blade telling me that the stone came from North Dakota. He gave it to me about 6 years ago and sometimes I have trouble remembering things I learned yesterday. :eek::)
 
lambertiana said:
The antler handled point looks like Knife River Flint (actually a chert, true flints are rarely found in North America and most stone called flint is actually chert; flint is technically chert that is found in chalk formations). Knife River flint is from North Dakota, but was widely traded across the continent. Clovis points made out of Knife River flint have been found in Wyoming, Colorado, Missouri, and even western New York state. Even that long ago (12,000 years) this resource was being traded halfway across the continent. Other more recent points made from Knife River flint have been found from Alberta to the Gulf Coast. Knife River flint is silicified lignite.
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Spoken like a true Archaeologist.
:)

Don
 
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