Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Primitive Skills => Topic started by: swamp monkey on March 25, 2016, 06:21:32 pm
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I wanted to make some copper celts and adzes. Why? because the Mound Builders did it. In fact the people before the mound builders worked copper too.
Use of copper goes way back in North America all the way to the Middle Archaic Period. Archaic people made knife blades, hooks, needles, ornaments and more. In the mound building period they made celts, adzes, and more elaborate ornaments.
Inspired by them I worked with the metal shop teacher at Jackson High School and two of his students to melt and cast some copper tool blanks.
Please understand, while we used metal casting technology, I am not trying to say that is what the first people cultures did. Copper nugget supply was low here in Southeast Missouri. So I saved copper scrap and instead of taking it to the scrap metal buyer I kept it for casting. It was the simplest way to solve the problem.
We started with a celt, adze and a long blade used with a woodpecker effigy club/axe.
One blade didn’t pour well but that actually worked out well. I will use it like a copper nugget to make a copper knife in the tradition of the old copper workers.
So here is the process and specs on the woodpecker effigy ax/celt.
Woodpecker blade: 188.3g, 17.5cm long, 1.7cm wide, 0.8 cm thick some axes like this were found at Spiro Oklahoma in one of the mounds. I haven’t experimented much with it but It was either a cavity chipper or a weapon of war.
Below is an image of a line drawing found on a shell cup at Spiro. The shell dates to the mound building period. The wood pecker axe is in the belt of the owner. Although i am not aware of any flared bit celts being used with this woodpecker effigy handles. Flared copper celts have been uncovered at multiple archeological sites across eastern North America.
I made my version inspired by a few artifacts uncovered in a mound at Spiro Oklahoma. See images below.
The handle is made of persimmon just like the originals. I used a slab of three ridge mussel for the eyes. Possessing mussels is legal in Missouri with a valid fishing permit.
My blade model was crafted out of wood and primered with a good sanding. I tried using plaster of Paris for casting on recommendation by a friend. The plaster works only once. The mold broke due to extreme heat but gave me a cast. We used casting sand which worked so much better on the other blades.
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I tool hardened the copper by pounding it with a hammer on an anvil. Once that was done I began to file and sand the blade. That took a several hours. Air bubbles from the casting kept me from having a perfectly clean surface. So I have embraced the presence of the bubbles.
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I cut the persimmon in winter and debarked it. I worked it to rough dimensions. I figured that is what the mound builders did. Then I sealed it. I used Tung oil. This kept it from checking rather well. Burning and chiselling out the hole for the blade took a while. You really don't want to be in a hurry or you will get the hole just slightly too big and . . . well you start over. So I was patient.
Carving the eyes required patience too. I used a thin layer of nacre which is not as sturdy as the thick whole shell. Done with that I carved out a shallow recession for the eye to fit in . Satisfied with fit I glued it in and made a leather sheath for the blade.
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Very well done.. A lot of work indeed.. How did you melt the copper?
Thanks Leroy
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Thanks Stoker. We used a furnace meant to melt lower melting point metals like Aluminum. The metal shop teacher has the students cast aluminum items like a C clamp and then tool it. Copper melts just under 2,000 degrees F. An average campfire by comparison is roughly 1,500 degrees.
My hat goes off to Mr. Stover and the Jackson High School for letting me work with them. I may post some pics of the pouring a little later.
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Here are some pix form the day of the casting. We let it cool over night before even trying to touch it.
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we put talc powder on the molds so they would be easy to separate from the sand and keep its shape. The talc seems to react with the copper to give the surface that gray color. File it and it looks coppery.
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Way cool ! Bob
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That is so way cool! Wish I had resources around here to do that...! oh yeah, and time!
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thanks fellas. I owe a lot to Jackson High School's metal shop teacher Mr. Stover. His open, willing nature made this possible.
One of the benefits of making a mold of each blade is I had the model to work off of when crafting the celt handles. This allowed the handle to be nearly done before I even cast the metal version. Below is a pic of two handles in progress with the model inserted for fit check.
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Way cool swampy. 8) You really get into it. Thanks for sharing
the spoils of your hard work and research.
Have you been here? Cool rest stop on I55
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great work and pics, thanks alot for showing. The result is really good.
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Thanks Stoker. We used a furnace meant to melt lower melting point metals like Aluminum. The metal shop teacher has the students cast aluminum items like a C clamp and then tool it. Copper melts just under 2,000 degrees F. An average campfire by comparison is roughly 1,500 degrees.
My hat goes off to Mr. Stover and the Jackson High School for letting me work with them. I may post some pics of the pouring a little later.
Very cool to work with skilled people.. A lot to learn.. My father in law used to sand cast aluminuim and has a furnace very simialer to Mr. Stover's only home made.. I tryed to talk to him about it but the dementia makes it almost impossible. It's great that this art form is pasted on to the young. To many times knowledge goes away.. Awesome prodject
Thanks Leroy
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Cool! I could not see the photo very well on my phone. It looks great. I can see how you are thinking that is more of a war club. that thin blade would definitely create an opening in a cranium. Even puncture heart and lung with that length. Beautiful work!
Neal
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Thanks fellas. I will try little wood working just to see how it does. However, I won't be trying it out as a war club unless mythbusters comes back with a Mississippian mound builders special episode. ;)
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Way cool swampy. 8) You really get into it. Thanks for sharing
the spoils of your hard work and research.
Have you been here? Cool rest stop on I55
Zuma, I do recognize the site. It is a rest stop from SE Missouri. The general area is loaded with mound building sites and that is what I think MODOT is trying to give a nod to with the artificial mounds and the giant steel points. I agree it is cool.
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We may try to do another pour soon. I am anxious to work on that other blade and copper atlatl weight. :D :D :D the last pour worked great for four blades but not for the flared blade and the copper bannerstone. The pour stopped short of filling those two voids. The blade was partially filled and I am using that to make a knife. I will post another thread on that when I get further along.
Thanks for looking and for the encouraging comments.
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I tapped around with the blade a little bit recently. It cuts rather well. I am curious what it really was used for.