Big chunk of flint, an axe maybe?

[Ohio_Doug]

Found this at my dig site, at first I thought it was just a core, but I think it has been worked into this shape for a purpose. Does'nt have the shape of a typical core or chunk of flint I'm used to finding. I'm leaning towards a chopping tool of somesort or maybe a hand axe. Give me your thoughts.

 

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[Shemanese]

Don't know. Could be a Chopper or Hand Ax of some sort. I won't scream Geofact like is common when something different is shown.

 

[Ohio_Doug]

Don't know. Could be a Chopper or Hand Ax of some sort. I won't scream Geofact like is common when something different is shown.

LOL thanks for not screaming geofact! I'm 100% sure it's not a geo, it has been worked on quite a bit I know for a fact, just havent found anything quite like it in all my years of artifact hunting.

 

[*Molly*]

It's obviously not a Geofact, anyone can see that. Looks as though it could be an unfinished axe of some sort, but I'm no expert. JMO...Lets see what the experts say.

Molly.

 

[11KBP]

Found this at my dig site, at first I thought it was just a core,

I believe I would go with your first thought.

11KBP

 

[luckyinkentucky]

From the looks of it I would assume it underwent some sort of unintentional or intentional heat treating that left it looking mottled. It may have been a heat treating that went awry! I see it a lot in experimenting with heat treatment of my own flint, and it highly resembles, if not exactly, what happens to chert/flint when it either passes it's peak point or is treated wet.

if you look at it .... you will see all of the micro fractures on the piece with eratic breakage. This is indicative of a material that was overheated. Also, the discoloration points to a high heating point.

If they were just freeze cracks it would have been more subtle and less pronounced. Also, you stated you dug it, so that eliminates that possibility since the freeze line is generally 6 to 8 inches below the surface.

Heat treating flint was discovered among the early Native Americans as a means to make their material more workable. Some of the worst material such as low grade Ft. Payne and Flint Ridge can be bettered by heat treating to 450 to 650 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat treating realigns the silica molecules in a material and creates millions of microscopic heat cracks which allow the material to flake more easily.

That's my final verdict. A piece of discarded, heat treated flint.

 

[Flintfinder]

I think it is exactly what you thought it was. (a chopping tool, hand axe) I have found artifacts very similar and that's what I call em.

 

[pickaway]

Nice find,I see alot of that material in Pickaway county it isnt black is it? just thought maybe the pic thru colors off, i wonder what type of material it is?

 

[Ohio_Doug]

Thanks for the replies folks.

Pickaway, it's black flint with some tan on the outside surface, wonder if the heat treating causes the tanning?

Here is a blade I found of the same material

 

[Ohio_Doug]

Anyone have any insight to the tan color on the outside of this black flint? Does heat treating cause this or is it a patina

 

[pickaway]

my guess would be the way it patinated, but i find alot of the same color but it is not black its tan and kinda carmal usally find it along the scioto so it could be from the water.

 

[Ohio_Doug]

my guess would be the way it patinated, but i find alot of the same color but it is not black its tan and kinda carmal usally find it along the scioto so it could be from the water.

It's strange how some get the patina and others don't when you find them in the same general area, I would assume the more patina is an indication of it being much older

 

[Pinellas Man]

Nice find Ohio_Doug, Thanks for sharing.

 

[luckyinkentucky]

The difference in color is from the inner cortex. I'm not familiar with a lot of Ohio flint, but there are a lot of flints that are caramel color right under the outside cortex.

I still hold my ground that it was heat treated, and that caused the mottled look.