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Copper Atlatl Weight
swamp monkey:
Jackcrafty turned me onto this topic. My hat goes off to a man whose curiosity fed my own.
In the Milwaukee Public Museum sits a one of a kind Archaic Period item made of copper. It looks like an ax head but is way too thin to do any effective chopping or even trimming. There are many stone examples of bannerstones shaped much like this. It makes sense that this is simply a copper version of the stone bannerstone.
Many (but not all) experts think bannerstones were weights on atlatls. I love atlatls so I added a copper bannerstone or weight to my wish list. So when Jackson high school metal shop teacher Andy Stover permitted me into his shop to cast copper celts, I added the bannerstone model. I researched the literature and found some photos and basic dimensions.
The model was made of basswood with two coats of primer. Last night a cast was poured successfully. I need to cut it from the pour channels and sprue hole and then the fun begins. . .
Lets review native tech. According to archeologists the Archaic coppersmiths hammered (hardening and shaping) and annealed (heated for softening) their copper objects. So if that is how they got their shape, then how would they drill the hole? Flint drill blade? Cane hand drill with flint dust like they did the igneous and slate bannerstones? I am intrigued and will be trying a cane hand drill with flint chips. Larry Kinsella has a good photo-journal of this process on his megalithics website.
However, I am interested in other thoughts on what prehistoric first nation people might have employed. Thoughts?
swamp monkey:
By the way I cast this item because that was the easiest way for me to obtain a blank. I know most prehistoric copper items were hammered and annealed. There is some suspicion that prehistoric coppersmiths were able to do rudimentary copper melting and casting. i found a couple of articles that presented an argument for this and used this object as an example. There are what looks like bubble holes in the metal when it is x-rayed. I bring this up to clarify I am not trying to weigh in on the ultimate shaping from a copper nugget. I used this method for personal ease. Now what I do with it from this point will be more universally agreed upon as roughly aboriginal techniques. Full disclosure.
It may be a while before I have progress pix so please forgive me. I have a lot going on this spring and early summer. I will post when I can.
thanks for looking.
DC:
They may have forged the hole. Annealed the center and then pounded the hole in with- maybe antler. Just a guess, I have no other ideas.
Patches:
Was there anything in the literature about what type of wood the atlatl was made with? I have no idea what process was used to forge or create the hole in the banner stone. Do not have any experience with drilling into copper. Good luck!
swamp monkey:
--- Quote from: Patches on April 08, 2016, 11:31:03 pm ---Was there anything in the literature about what type of wood the atlatl was made with? I have no idea what process was used to forge or create the hole in the banner stone. Do not have any experience with drilling into copper. Good luck!
--- End quote ---
Wood is hard to find on an atlatl. I don't think this item was found with any other atlatl parts but it was found with other Archaic era items that also don't decay.
I am thinking about using antler to chisel a few marks in there to get the cut going. Then I want to use a cane drill with flint. It will be intersting to see if antler can cut into copper when it is soft.
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