Nice Finds - The blade Flaking Confusing me

[americanartifacts33]

This blade has a thinning flake resembling a flute on one side.. Why is that? Anyone can help provide a good explanation?

 

[Tony in SC]

Nice blade!! Probably just one of the last cuts he made in thinning it out.

 

[old digger]

Possibly it was reworked?

 

[Quartzite Keith]

It is a very well made late stage preform made from not not so good chert. Whoever made knew what he was doing.

My best guess: Using the second photo as a reference. There is an area of defective stone next to where your thumb is that is tougher than the rest of the stone of otherwise put together such that flakes don't want to pass through it. (Like a knot in a piece of wood.) You can see from where your 3 fingers are how the knapper tried to shoot flakes across to thin that area, but each time they hit the "knot" and unable to cut through it, terminated as step fractures (creating that ridge or line you see in the middle of the face). He then made another attempt to clear the "knot" by chipping away the bottom corner to create a platform, then driving a flake up from there. It also terminated in a step fracture. I believe that is your flute like flake.

 

[arrow86]

That’s a great blade , I think Keith explained it well

 

[americanartifacts33]

It is a very well made late stage preform made from not not so good chert. Whoever made knew what he was doing.

My best guess: Using the second photo as a reference. There is an area of defective stone next to where your thumb is that is tougher than the rest of the stone of otherwise put together such that flakes don't want to pass through it. (Like a knot in a piece of wood.) You can see from where your 3 fingers are how the knapper tried to shoot flakes across to thin that area, but each time they hit the "knot" and unable to cut through it, terminated as step fractures (creating that ridge or line you see in the middle of the face). He then made another attempt to clear the "knot" by chipping away the bottom corner to create a platform, then driving a flake up from there. It also terminated in a step fracture. I believe that is your flute like flake.

Thank you very much for the explanation!

 

[A2coins]

Holy moly that is a nice relic