Main Discussion Area > ABO
Video: Hammerstone Spalling inspired by Ishi's Method - Aboriginally linked
nclonghunter:
Do you think that the cobbles were being broken with another piece of flint (horn stone) fashioned into a sort of sledge hammer?
Could he have mistaken a piece of granite as a hammer stone made in to a sledge hammer?
AncientTech:
--- Quote from: le0n on November 07, 2015, 08:11:10 pm ---
--- Quote from: AncientTech on November 07, 2015, 08:10:20 am ---Regarding the flatness, the nodule is resting on a pad, on my thigh. The pad acts as a bit of a fulcrum. In other words, the blow causes the broken portion to pull away from the nodule. And, the fulcrum pad, plus hand manipulation, cause the nodule to pull away from the broken flake.
Since the pad is soft, and yielding, it causes the break to act differently than if I had used a stone anvil. If I had used a stone anvil, the break probably would have reached the center, and hinged. The soft pad, used as an anvil, allows the break to continue under the surface, while not stopping, or hinging. The give of the anvil may lengthen contact time, which may lead to a larger flake.
--- End quote ---
i've worked smaller pieces on my thigh (nothing like what you have) and even having the thin leather pad as a full contact surface doesn't give me the greatest results.
regarding your fulcrum comment, i went back and looked at what you're talking about and see how it is balanced on that pad; not necessarily laying flat against your thigh pad. i thought it was laying flat at first.
--- Quote from: AncientTech on November 07, 2015, 08:10:20 am ---"The master workman, seated on the ground, lays one of these flakes on the palm of his left hand, holding it firmly down with two or more fingers of the same hand, and with his right hand, between the thumb and two fore-fingers, places his chisel (or punch) on the point that is to be broken off; and a cooperator (a striker) sitting in front of him, with a mallet of very hard wood, strikes the chisel (or punch) on the upper end, flaking the flint off on the under side, below each projecting point that is struck. The flint is then turned and chipped in the same manner from the opposite side, and so turned and chipped until the required shape and dimensions are obtained, all the fractures being made on the palm of the hand."
--- End quote ---
even though we've switched from talking about spalling, this is still rather interesting because it may be employing the same methods as the spalling process.
i can only interpret that the workman's right hand is being use to position the chisel while applying a certain amount of pressure onto the point (on the face vs. inward into the edge?). the way it is written you'd think that it would result in a snapped piece (because of the downward pressure). the only possible saving grace would be the position/pressure of the other two fingers against the piece being worked.
--- End quote ---
About two years ago, I met someone who knows a fourth generation Apache knapper, living in a remote part of Chihuahua, Mexico. This individual knaps with punches, and a very peculiar hammer strike. The strike looks like a doctor yanking off bandages. I asked the fellow why the odd strike is used. He pointed to some concrete trim, under a window sill, that had a gouge in the bottom of it. He said that if the knapper does not use the odd strike, it will gouge the edge of the stone, similar to the gouge in the concrete window sill. I am pretty sure that it is the same strike that Catlin witnessed being used. Also, the fellow uses five different punches, with one small curved punch being struck on the broadside.
AncientTech:
--- Quote from: nclonghunter on November 07, 2015, 10:48:15 pm ---Do you think that the cobbles were being broken with another piece of flint (horn stone) fashioned into a sort of sledge hammer?
Could he have mistaken a piece of granite as a hammer stone made in to a sledge hammer?
--- End quote ---
He may have mistaken horn-stone for some other stone, because he refers to the stone broken up by the maul as "flint".
It does look like he was inquiring as to how the flintknapping process was carried out, because he writes, "These people have no metallic instruments to work with, and the instrument (punch) which they use, I was told, was a piece of bone ; but on examining it..."
He was first told about the flaking implement, which was followed by a direct examination of the tool. The reference to "no metallic objects" is really important. There was intense speculation for many decades regarding how stone tools were flaked, when the people who made the tools did not possess steel. It was understood that flint is quite hard. And, it was believed that one would need something harder than flint, in order to flake the flint. And, the only thing believed to be harder than flint was steel. So, given the era, the question about the tool used to the flake flint was probably more important to Catlin than how the stone was flaked.
Still, this should be regarded as one of the most detailed, and earliest known accounts, of Native American flintknapping, from North America. In fact, some of the tribes, west of the Rockies still had active flintknappers, who were making such products, into the early twentieth century. And, even the tools appear to be similar.
AncientTech:
--- Quote from: nclonghunter on November 07, 2015, 09:13:36 pm ---Good question...I would think at a 90 degree BUT some of the old photos of the knappers holding the punches look like they are holding them along the edge when striking the punch or drifts...I really cant answer that one with certainty.
I would also auspect if held at a 90 to the stone it was also held at differt angles to give longer and shorter edge flakes...just based on what little I know.
--- End quote ---
Are you aware of any photos of old knappers holding punches? I only have found one old photo, so far. And, it appears to be a reenactment.
AncientTech:
--- Quote from: nclonghunter on November 07, 2015, 09:13:36 pm ---Good question...I would think at a 90 degree BUT some of the old photos of the knappers holding the punches look like they are holding them along the edge when striking the punch or drifts...I really cant answer that one with certainty.
I would also auspect if held at a 90 to the stone it was also held at differt angles to give longer and shorter edge flakes...just based on what little I know.
--- End quote ---
Basically, the Hertzian cone principle applies to indirect percussion, as well as to direct percussion. A direct blow to a plane produces a conchoidal fracture. The conchoidal fracture is shaped like a cone. So, if the punch is held vertical to the edge, the break is going to have a tendency to follow the shape of the cone. And, that would produce to a short flake, although the flake could be lengthened with some careful manipulation.
On the other hand, if the flaker was held as a pressure flaker, and struck on the upper end nearest the edge of the stone, then maybe longer flakes were produced. That is my thought, anyway. If so, then Catlin's account would show a very early use of what many modern knappers call "horizontal punching".
Also, the fact that the stone is held in the hand suggests that it is already fairly brittle, or thin, or both. Harder cherts that require hard blows to thin frequently have to be rested on something fairly sturdy, such as a padded stone.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version