Grab Your Groubeceramic Trifacial Neolithic Arrows- Were Going Seal Huntin!

[ndoghouse]

Inspired by these trifacial (three sides for us redneck laymen) arrows housed at the Danish National Museum I felt it was time to try and replicate one. I figured about 10% chance of success

The one here is 16cm the second longest ever to be found and the longest ever found was 18.6cm. It is generally accepted that they were made like this so they could penetrate the thick tough skin of them blubbered critters and still reach vital organs.

Here is what we knappers call a preform. Once you bust off all the rock that don't look like what you want you just need to do the detail work to get the final shape. This is easy to say but the needle like shape of this point is not easy to do. One bad hit and SNAP! Grrrr! The rock type is flint from Georgetown TX and is know around the world as some of the best material known. Its very highly sought after and the best I have that is comparable to the good Danish stuff.

Here I've scribed some reference lines so Id know what to remove and what not to remove.

I had to make me a special pad to support the needle while I bang on it to prevent vibrations from snapping it. Its kinda like a guitar string when your knapping it. It will vibrate so the leather pad is necessary to dampen the vibrations. A normal pad for making two sided arrowheads is flat with some padding on the surface and a cutout only on one side for the flake to fall but since this has three sides I had to make a long groove as well so I could put the third edge down into the leather pad for support.

Something like this. The slot lets the flake fall away from the piece without stopping half way or shorter.

After considerable more thinning. Im about halfway now.

Done deal! I cant believe I didnt break it! I think that pad I made was the key. Man this was a nerve racking endeavor to say the least. It took dang near a six pack to get it done and calm the nerves. You can pass that scotch now Bawanna!

One side.

The other two sides. IT WILL KEEL!!! Thanks folks! Hope yall enjoy.
DMW (my tribal name of the Ogga Booga Tribe. Dead Meat Walkin)

 

[Steve Tall]

That is quite impressive, you're a neolithic renaissance man.

 

[Bawanna]

It appears your getting the hang of that knapping stuff.

Rumor has it your busting that stuff up sans dust mask. Say it ain't so, that can't be good for you, course I've done a few things that weren't good for me neither so carry on, but that can't be good.

 

[pugs75]

Brother that is some mighty fine work, thinking you got it down man. Great job.

 

[moparsbob]

NDog, you've got some major skills! That's just incredible work - I've never seen anything like it.

 

[ndoghouse]

Bawanna: You talkin to some vodoo doctor or something Dust mask dont do any good unless its one of those special HEPA respirators. The particle size produced when knapping is smaller than a gnats eyeball. ...at only a few nanometers. Best you can do is use a fan to blow the stuff away from you while knapping. Thats what I do. Aint perfect but something else will likely kill me before silica will (delete political comments here).

 

[Bawanna]

I can neither confirm nor deny the parties to whom I've had conversations.
VooDoo is powerful.

 

[ndoghouse]

Yeah. I prolly should never have brought it up eh? I know he has likenesses of both of us. Maybe he wont see this post?

 

[Bookie]

Kamidog, I been there & seen what you write about and now have done. Excellent. Axel Jorgensen would have been proud of you. Perhaps I could send you some pieces of Danish flint. I believe it to be the same stuff as what's knapped in England for rifle flints. Dark gray, anyways, and with white chalk deposits on the outside. I'll look around and see if any is left in the junk pile.

 

[Lapedog]

That is freakin' amazing! Your skill would be in high demand prebronze age.

I tried my hand at napping, failed miserably.

 

[ndoghouse]

Doc: That sounds like the flint I use here but the Danish stuff is actually considered a true flint. The Georgetown Tx flint I used is a chert but is the closest thing to true flint you will find in Tx. It looks and works much the same tho since its so uniform. This stuff has a chalky cortex around it too when in the nodule form.

Thx Lapedog! I still fail miserably but every once in a while you get something good enough to keep. I think ill be keeping that one. You have to break a lot of rock to get any good but fortunately theres plenty of good rock in Texas. I feel for them fellas that aint got not rock in there states. Nowadays its pretty easy to get it on the internet but you never know what your getting unless you know the seller.

 

[Khanvoy44]

That is most definitely top shelf work! I actually live on flintridge in Ohio. I 've seen alot of hard core knappin hillbillies at the shows. What youve done is difficult and wonderful! Bravo !!!!

 

[ndoghouse]

Thanks Khanvoy! Ive heard about you guys in Flint Ridge There's some fine materials over there and definitely some fine knappers too. I wish it was a bit closer cause id sure like to visit for a knap-in.