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Antler tine horizontal (shaft) punch
Hummingbird Point:
Been messing around with a deer tine as a shaft punch, seeing how far I could push things using various pieces of rock from the scrap pile. In each example, all of the work was done using the horizontal punch, including setting up of all platforms. Some platforms were then abraded using a flat hammerstone. The two things that I found interesting were the broad range of flakes that can be taken and how much thinning and shaping can be done with a tool like this. As you can see below, each of these preforms needs only a little pressure work to become finished points. I draw no conclusions from any of this, and make no claims this was how it was done. Just showing an odd little side trail I stumbled down and may or not follow much further.
The tool. Tine bound to "shaft" with one squirrel's worth of rawhide which was then covered with tanned deer skin.
Hardaway preform, North Carolina Rhyolite, 5.3 mm thick:
Hardaway Dalton preform, raw Georgetown, 5.3 mm thick:
Bifurcate preform, Kentucky Hornstone, 6.2 mm thick:
Hummingbird Point:
A couple more photos. I seldom work with obsidian, but found a small piece of gold sheen in the scrap pile and decided to see how it would work. Sorry the pictures suck, something about that gold sheen was causing me trouble no matter which way I tried to get the shot. This two inch preform thinned down to 4.8 mm. The same tool was used on both sides but look how different the flaking is:
turbo:
Nice, thanks for the update, I still need to make one and there's some good ole' NC green rock in there too.
nclonghunter:
Interesting Keith, I like that you are pushing things to see what results you get. I have also been looking at different techniques. I think once you learn how to break off a good flake and set up platforms you can use different techniques to get similar results. I am confident I could hand you a hammerstone and antler and you can make a quality hunting point using different techniques. I think what I am saying is the understanding of how to work the rock is more important than what tool you use. Hope that makes sense. Thanks for posting.
le0n:
--- Quote from: Hummingbird Point on December 16, 2015, 06:37:47 pm ---The same tool was used on both sides but look how different the flaking is...
--- End quote ---
i think i'm starting to notice this on some rocks i work. almost as if i have to determine the grain before i begin working. in most cases, if i were to learn the directional grain after making a few passes, it would probably end up on the short side of a flake. then again, some flakes are just oriented properly and both edges flake very similarly.
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