antler pressure flaking artifacts

[GatorBoy]

I have found some antler pressure flaking tools on one of my sites that are always the same section close to the skull. I was hoping someone had the same or knew a bit about why that portion might be preferred. Is that section harder? The larger one appears to have been used for a long time. It has been modified some and is heavily polished on the side that faced the hand

 

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[GatorBoy]

They were found in Association with this hammerstone made of non local material that to me looks like some type of green stone.

 

[Tnmountains]

Yes at and below the pedicle was were the big billets started. Grabbing power it is very hard. Not trying to ruin your thread but I make knifes off of deer I kill. Here is one of the first attempts . See how hard and shiny that bone is below the pedicle. I polished it but it is super strong. My sorry scrimshaw .... but yeah lol. That knife is a neck hanger hangs in a sheath off your neck.
I hope to post some complete knapping kits one day.

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[GatorBoy]

Nice! Your not ruining anything... have you seen some of my threads..
YIKES.. I have some nice knapping artifacts but little hands on experience. I've done enough to get to know how the material behaves but that's about it. Thanks. That knife is a beauty!

 

[rock]

I thought Green stone was a softer material? I wouldnt think it would make a good hammer. JMO Now it might of been a stone they just never got around to making something with though. Cause they did use it a lot in Tn for tools for digging like Hoes.

 

[GatorBoy]

Well its definitely a hammer stone and I would like to know the material. Its anything but soft. Very hard and pollished where it was held with very visible use wear from repeated strikes.

 

[GatorBoy]

There were several occupations at this site up until and including contact period. I have to take into account the possibility of it being ballast stone from one of the many shipwrecks also. They were used by the natives here as well.

 

[Jon Stewart]

ABO knappers I know use moose antler billets from the base of the antler and are around 6" to 8" long for spalling the rock and then go to the antler times for flaking. Just a guess but you may have antler used for removing materials from the edge of the rock to make platforms on the preforms before pressure flaking the material. Moose is the best antler for flintknapping and whitetail would be the weekest.

Nice hammer stone you have there.

 

[GatorBoy]

Thanks... whitetail was all they had here.

 

[animoosh]

Looks like knapping tools to me. I have been ABO knapper for over 20 years and learned a long time ago that the material on an antler between the rosette and the skull is the best part to make a billet from. Whitetail antler is fine for the job. I agree that moose is better, but deer antler runs a close second. The worst and weakest (softest) is elk and caribou. Both are very pithy and soft in the interior part of the antler. Cool finds!

 

[GatorBoy]

Thanks so much for the input. I was hoping to get exactly this type of info from experienced knapprrs. Very appreciated guys..thanks.

 

[Tnmountains]

Ancient man could not order Moose over the internet so if whitetail was in the area it was used. Have herd that moose will make a goof large billet but it is also such a Northern animal.I wonder what they knapped with way south of the border? Especially with the exotics they were making and effigies in flint.

 

[GatorBoy]

Interesting thought... I wonder if they traded... probably huh? Never saw any documentation about that.

 

[GatorBoy]

I have a few chipped stone pieces that seem they would be used for flaking I will ad them to this thread for some input this P.M.

 

[animoosh]

Being from Manitoba I have easy access to moose antler for knapping tools, but I prefer to use whitetail for both billets and pressure flakers. The moose here sport such massive antlers that you need to swing billets made from them with two hands. Way too big in diameter and heavy as hell. Our regional whitetails grow some pretty large antlers and this is what most knappers up here use.

 

[Tnmountains]

I have some flint balls with the cortex on that they also knapped with .

 

[animoosh]

I've also had reasonable success utilizing wooden billets on certain materials....especially volcanics such as obsidian, rhyolite and certain vein quartzes. The woods I used were burr oak, chokecherry and osage orange....cut and fashioned green and then fire hardened. They somehow deliver the force from a strike in a different, more sustained manner.

 

[Tnmountains]

I've also had reasonable success utilizing wooden billets on certain materials....especially volcanics such as obsidian, rhyolite and certain vein quartzes. The woods I used were burr oak, chokecherry and osage orange....cut and fashioned green and then fire hardened. They somehow deliver the force from a strike in a different, more sustained manner.

You would like persimmon then. That wood dulls my saw every time.

 

[kuger]

You would like persimmon then. That wood dulls my saw every time.

Yea no kidding.We have manzanita here thats just as bad!Osage orange,I used to make bows and fleshing beams with that.It would get the prettiest colors to it after the fats soaked in from repeated use!

 

[animoosh]

Tnmountains and kuger....I would be willing to bet that early man in your respective areas knew the properties of those woods and used them when needed. It would be fun to experiment with both types.