Main Discussion Area > Primitive Skills
Copper celt and adze - mound builder style
Pat B:
Very nice work. Are you sand casting? Is that how they were made in the past?
swamp monkey:
Pat. I am sand casting, yes. Is that how they did things back then? Likely not. I have read a few articles that calls that into question but most archeologists can't find evidence to support that. I am not weighing in by doing this process. I simply had a supply of scrap copper and sand casting was the easiest way to get my tool blanks. I have a project in mind and the end result was what I needed.
Experimental archeologists have done what is called copper annealing and tool hardening to get almost identical results for most copper items made prehistorically. Tool hardening is pounding the copper with a hammer rock until it gets hard. This also modifies the shape. Then the copper is heated to a dull red in a camp fire. This softens the copper - i.e. annealing. Then you can pound it into shape some more. Once hard - fire again. Rinse and repeat so to speak until you get your desired shape.
I am working on a knife using the prehistoric method. It works pretty well. I will post more on that when done.
Pat B:
Pounding is what I thought but wasn't sure. With the exposed copper deposits in the northern US I can see that being the obvious method and smelting came later. Anyway, nice work. I always enjoy your posts.
stickbender:
Nice! Why is the celt so low in the handle?
Wayne
swamp monkey:
--- Quote from: stickbender on April 03, 2016, 10:57:07 pm ---
Nice! Why is the celt so low in the handle?
Wayne
--- End quote ---
If I understand you question you are asking why the blade isn't farther forward on the handle. I modeled my celt after monolithic celts- which show a complete celt with handle. Admittedly those celts were never used for chopping wood. On my handle, the wood in front of the blade and behind the blade take the brunt of the impacts. So the front and back need to be beefy. The side wood just keeps the front and back together. The only way to keep the front beefy is to give it extra length. Now did I add more than I needed. Well that may be the case and a celt expert may tell me so. All I know is it works so far.
If I didn't address your question please let me know. I want to genuinely answer your question.
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