I got re-connected with a buddy of mine from long ago that lives semi off the grid in Oklahoma. He has been staying busy making stone tools and weaponry and he sent me some examples of his craft that I was impressed with and thought I'd share here. He does go to gun and knife shows in his area and sells some of his stuff. His basic knives start at around $40 and go up according to size and intricacy.





He also include some photos of some of his other items

Pretty cool, but sharpening might present some challenges.

If one is looing for decorations.

Any steel knife is better.

Most steel knives are indeed better. Just as most breech loading, cartridge rifles are better than most muzzleloaders. And the stuff that is currently in vogue will be old-fashion in a couple decades too, but doesn't mean it's bad.

And yes, they don't sharpen very easily. But they don't rust.

Blades made with obsidian [ natural glass ]are actually sharper than steel [ sharpness is defined by the minimum radius you can get with a material] Obsidian is still used in special operations like eye surgery !
I have seen a video of butchering a sheep entirely with those knives and the work was fast and accurate !
Sharpening just requires chipping [knapping ] a new edge !

I am uncertain when surgeons used throwaway stainless steel scalpel blades/knives. Prior to that happening, surgeons preferred scalpel blades chipped from obsidian. I suspect some surgeons continue to use scalpels created from this hard stone. I suspect users of stone cutting tools would prefer obsidian for slicing and skinning. Regarding the stone's utility for other cutting jobs, I have no information.

https://www.bing.com/videos/se...B17D21CFD7&FORM=VIRE
Try this

Interesting!

Sharpening is easy with pressure flaking.

That is quite an art. I don't have any modern arrowheads...but last year I was taught how to look for indians / indian camps and have quite a collection from arrowhead hunting fields/canyons for a little over a year.

Even found a Russell (brand) knife out in the middle of nowhere....along with wagon parts. You'd be amazed what you can find in the middle of nowhere. Different (and harder) times.

Justin

quote:

Originally posted by mete:
Blades made with obsidian [ natural glass ]are actually sharper than steel [ sharpness is defined by the minimum radius you can get with a material] Obsidian is still used in special operations like eye surgery !
I have seen a video of butchering a sheep entirely with those knives and the work was fast and accurate !
Sharpening just requires chipping [knapping ] a new edge !

True enough.

An obsidian edge can be brought down to one molecule thickness. Far sharper than any steel.

I've tried my hand at knapping and would like to do more but so far I'm an amateur. We have an annual knap-in where I live that's fun to do. It really makes you appreciate the arrowheads that the Indians did long ago. Really are functional works of art.