Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Stone Knives II

Stone Knives II...that makes me chuckle. Over the years that I've been knapping, I wish I had kept records of my points & blades. Every year, I know I've made 100 -150, so it may easily be over 1000 produced. Some seasons I felt like a knapping fool. I chipped constantly, and consequently paid the price in injuries and tendonitis. You learn to respect the stone. One careless move while fracturing stone could end up in a severe laceration. Though, some of my favorites were...the pressure flaker slipping off the edge and driving underneath my fingernail...or the time I buried it into the palm of my hand >ouch<. Periodically attending buckskinner rendezvous, everyone eventually gets a colorful nickname...like Flying Eagle, or Noisy Bear. Because I always was sporting several bandages...I became known as..."Cut Finger"...>sheesh<.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Mark

You do excellent work. I've begun knapping the last year or so, and one of my favorite things is hafted knives. A couple of questions: where do you get the elk backstrap tendon for your sinew? 2:A fellow knapper has suggested using Knox Gelatin in lieu of hide glue. Knox Gelatin is purported to be a form of organic hide glue. I haven't tried this method yet, but I have several knives to haft soon. Have you had any experience with this method?

DWS

Mark said...

Thanx DWS, can't wait to see your works posted on your blog. Probably the easiest source for backstrap sinew would simply be to do a web search for vendors and compare. Usually I get it while checking out rendezvous...the traders always have it. Knox gelatin works...a little water to make a paste and heat it. It is water soluable.