flaking tool

[larson1951]

here is an antler flaking tool my friend picked up yesterday

[Neogeo]

Man the stuff that thing has helped to make!Sweet find

[flintdigger]

You can really see the wear on the tip, that is a nice piece.

[11KBP]

here is an antler flaking tool my friend picked up yesterday

Nice finds Larson ...beautiful KRF knife in your previous post.

I am wondering why a "flaking tool" would be hollowed on the large end?

11KBP

[Neogeo]

Antler is only solid around the tip,farther down is more sponge-ish...

[larson1951]

thanks 11kbp
i kinda think frank is right
i dont think the antler was hollowed out
it prob just got that way over time
antlers that i have seen are not sound all the way thru at the base
steve

[The Grim Reaper]

here is an antler flaking tool my friend picked up yesterday

Nice finds Larson ...beautiful KRF knife in your previous post.

I am wondering why a "flaking tool" would be hollowed on the large end?

11KBP

A lot of the Antler Flaking Tools that I find on my Ft Ancient sites are usually drilled out on the ends. I don't think they are Arrowpoints because they aren't sharpened to a tip and they show use wear on the tips. Most of them will show an angled tip that looks like it's been used for something and we just figured they were Flake Tools.

Steve, I don't want to steal your thread, but here's a couple pictures of some Flake Tools I have and you can see the drilled out ends. This is a mix of Arrowpoints and Flakers. The ones with the sharpened tips are obviously Arrowpoints, but the one with the round or blunt tips all show use wear from being used for something.

[larson1951]

thanks steve i would not ever feel that you are 'stealing' a thread
i think it is cool when a person adds or 'helps build' a good informative thread and i think anyone that can add info or images to a thread should do so
we are here to learn and also enjoy so i think 'the more, the merrier'
steve

[PrimitiveOne]

As a flint knapper I have used antlers to make heads. But it just occurred to me while looking at this thread that the hollowed out ends may have been hafted to a longer hardwood stick to make what we call in knapping an Ishi Stick. The antlers I have used just fit in the hand and work, but the leverage and control of a longer pressure flaker is superior. Antlers don't grow 18 inches in a straight line, so maybe a hardwood dowel was hafted for this use. Just a thought!

[flintdigger]

Good thought, I had thought the same thing when I saw the hollow end, maybe a Ishi stick type flaking tool. It would make sence, put a longer handle in the hollowed out antler tip and you would have a better grip and also more leverage with the pressure flaking tool.

[Neogeo]

It would have to be hafted really,really tight,as ANY bit of wiggle would defeat the propose.imo.

[PrimitiveOne]

Actually, if the antler is drilled out in a cone shape and a hardwood shaft was cone tipped and inserted into the antler with a little pine pitch, hafting would not event been needed, because the inward force would just make the fit tighter. Pressure flaking is about high inward pressure and then slight outward force to cause a flake to pop off. I imagine that a starter hole was drilled with flint and then using sand in the antler hole and spinning the cone shaped shaft by hand or with a bow drill, both materials would take each others shape and it would be a perfect fit. I am going to make one and see....

[bede2691]

Cool tool. Gonna throw in my two cents worth and say it looks hollowed out to me by the smoothness inside and wonder if the splitting could have been caused by pressure. Could just be deterioration too I suppose but from the pic the splitting seems to be on the outside of the radius where I think there would be more force applied if there was a handle.
I am also curious about the tip. It looks more polished than anything else. Unless it was resharpened after it's last use I would think the tip surface of a flaking tool to be of a rougher texture than the rest of the tool.

[larson1951]

i know what you mean but with all the flaking tools i have seen i did not see any with rough tips, so i don't know
steve