jasper scrapers

[larson1951]

i ran across this frame russy made with jasper scrapers while i was looking for a box full of KRF scrapers that i can't find
KRF scrapers are prolific at my site, i can find one in a few minutes fairly easy
when i find them i will post them as there are hundreds of them someplace in some boxes
but for now here are some made of jasper which are not very plentiful where i hunt
once in a great while i find a point or knife made from this stuff
steve
hope you like em

[flintdigger]

Those are some really nice looking scrapers. Steve

[Neogeo]

Oh Steve ya know what I like ...lol

[flintdigger]

I agree Frank those are really nice, that is a great frame of scraper's.

[naturegirl]

I like that jasper You find so many scrapers, all very similar. And kinda small,(?) That's interesting!

[larson1951]

yes naturegirl
these scrapers were a lot bigger when they were first made but as they were used and continually sharpened they got a lot smaller
once in a while we find one the size of your little fingernail
steve

[naturegirl]

Thanks for the answer Steve, I read it this morning.... and on my way home from work, sorry, I wondered, well then, if they started out larger, how long does it take them to get worn down smaller? We know how long flint hangs around, but how many generations used the scrapers you are finding, or any scrapers from other parts of the country?

naturegirl
I need a signature line that says to"disregard superfluous question, I'll figure out later"

[Neogeo]

I would say like every-other use or so would need resharpening.imo

[naturegirl]

How long did each sharpening last? Seasonal? Generational? Millineal?

[larson1951]

yes a good question and much appreciated Naturegirl
i am thinking that neogeo is on the right track
if a scraper was used everyday and most of the day they were most likely sharpened every week
now imagine that they had tons of them and in addition to that fact they could make a scraper in about 4 or 5 minutes they were probably not that valuable
so what i am thinkin' is that they never lasted more than one summer
steve

[goodtime]

I have read that through replication studies with stone scrapers on bison hides, the average life span of a scraper blade is approximately 15 to 30 minutes.

[larson1951]

do you mean 15-30 minutes before it needed resharpening again?
the museum at the ND heritage center has a display that says scrapers started out very large and kept getting a bit smaller every time they were resharpened until they were discarded
they must have been resharpened dozens and dozens of times
in my opinion it seems like a scraper made from KRF could have held a sharp edge for longer than a half an hour but i have never tried it

[goodtime]

I'm just like you Lars, I've never scraped a buffalo hide. I guess if it's true, they must have sharpened them quite often. I don't know this for a fact.....just what I"ve read.