My best find this year!

[rockheadhunter421]

I found this awesome blade in Surry Co., NC, near Pilot Mountain. Back in February, we had a few winter storms come through. One day after the snow/ice had melted, I decided to make a venture to the park. Sometimes I will jog/walk up to 3 miles a day. I never thought I was going to find this. If it wasn't for seeing that smooth flat surface, I probably would have passed right by it. I should have took an insitu but I was so excited I ran to the nearest creek and rinsed off the mud. Once I finished jogging, I took the picture of it sitting on a bridge at this public/recreational park. Actually, this is the best blade I've ever found!

 

[rockheadhunter421]

Pictures after I cleaned it up more. It has a beautiful patina! By the way, it measures 3-3/4" long.

 

[rock]

Very nice color. Adz?

 

[quito]

Looks a lot like an adze to me too, and a nice one!

 

[rockheadhunter421]

Very nice color. Adz?

It appears to be some kind of archaic blade/ hand knife. Not sure if it's an adze. I pretty much sneaked right up on this one! After I found it, I saw a beautiful red-tailed hawk sitting in a pine tree. I jogged two more laps around that cross country trail / frisbee golf course and the hawk was still there. I think it was entertained by me. Lol.

 

[rockheadhunter421]

Looks a lot like an adze to me too, and a nice one!

If it's really an adze I'm still happy! Never found one of them either.

 

[rock]

Wood working tool

 

[rockheadhunter421]

Wood working tool

I've heard of it before. Do you know how they used it though? Was it to strip/shave off pieces of wood or bark or something?

 

[SCrocks]

That one sure makes for a good day!

 

[rockheadhunter421]

That one sure makes for a good day!

Lol, I had to jog around for that one! I didn't even mean to find it. Seems like some of my best finds in the past have been like that. For example, I went gem mining in Hiddenite when I was in high school and you know what popped up in my sifter!? A cool little Trans-Paleo Palmer; I consider it a gem just from the way I found it!

 

[rock]

I've heard of it before. Do you know how they used it though? Was it to strip/shave off pieces of wood or bark or something?

By the design my guess would be to make the wood level and smooth. But who really knows?

 

[rockheadhunter421]

Lol. I just figured it was a blade so your guess is as good as mine.

 

[GatorBoy]

If indeed it's an adze and not a hoe.. It was basically a swinging wood chisel hafted perpendicular to the handle.
If a hoe it was hafted the same way and just used the same way a hoe is today ...actually adze tools are still made today also.

 

[GatorBoy]

View attachment FE001540; To'i ma'a (hafted adze); Samoa [cropped final].bmp

 

[NC field hunter]

If indeed it's an adze and not a hoe.. It was basically a swinging wood chisel hafted perpendicular to the handle. If a hoe it was hafted the same way and just used the same way a hoe is today ...actually adze tools are still made today also.

Hoe was my first thought also. After scaling it by his hand, I changed my mind. I don't think adze either. I'm thinking a nice scraper. A nice turtle shell scraper..... Maybe?? Great looking piece regardless!!

 

[NC field hunter]

Maybe a child's hoe! Not sure.

 

[GatorBoy]

I have some very small adze bits.. Think in terms of a set of different size chisels.
Different jobs require different sizes

 

[rockheadhunter421]

Hoe was my first thought also. After scaling it by his hand, I changed my mind. I don't think adze either. I'm thinking a nice scraper. A nice turtle shell scraper..... Maybe?? Great looking piece regardless!!

It feels like a hand knife/scraper; it just has that feel. I don't think this one was hafted at all but it does have that impression where my thumb lays. It could have been used like a hand adz also I guess.

 

[GatorBoy]

Pretty hard to hold onto a rock with your bare hands while you're knocking off pieces of wood.
Just thinking if I had to do that I would strike it with something else.. I do that with my knife

 

[rockheadhunter421]

I was thinking like it was probably sharp enough to shave off pieces and you could still hold it in your hand and do that too. You see that large impression I'm talking about? Is that where it could have been hafted possibly? Could you make a guess on the age too for me? I appreciate it.