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Author Topic: How did they cut horn and antler?  (Read 8110 times)

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Offline WolfPupTee

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How did they cut horn and antler?
« on: January 25, 2012, 03:55:21 pm »
How did primitive peoples cut antler and horn for a horn bow or a billet? What did they use?
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Offline Pat B

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Re: How did they cut horn and antler?
« Reply #1 on: January 25, 2012, 05:32:34 pm »
Stone blades.
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Offline doggonemess

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Re: How did they cut horn and antler?
« Reply #2 on: January 25, 2012, 06:05:26 pm »
Flint and obsidian are incredibly sharp when shaped into a wedge. I've heard that they can rival scalpels. Shaped into a triangle, I imagine you could make a pretty decent drill-point to hollow out anything as well.
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Offline Bevan R.

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Re: How did they cut horn and antler?
« Reply #3 on: January 25, 2012, 06:18:42 pm »
Quote from: doggonemess on January 25, 2012, 06:05:26 pm
I've heard that they can rival scalpels.
The reason obsidian is so sharp is because it breaks on the molecular level. Tiny flakes have been used in eye surgery because even the best scalpel cannot be sharpened that fine. They are very delicate. Obsidian made into arrowheads or knifes cannot have that delicate of edge.
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Bowmakers are a little bent, but knappers are just plain flaky.

Offline osage outlaw

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Re: How did they cut horn and antler?
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2012, 06:54:22 pm »
I have read that an obsidian flake is the sharpest known object in the world.
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Offline Bevan R.

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Re: How did they cut horn and antler?
« Reply #5 on: January 25, 2012, 07:09:05 pm »
It is that 'molecular level' thing. flakes can feather out to a molecular edge. I have seen comparisons of a surgical scalpel edge to an obsidian flake. Under a powerfull microscope, it is like compairing a lawn mower blade to a razor blade.
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Bowmakers are a little bent, but knappers are just plain flaky.

Offline WolfPupTee

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Re: How did they cut horn and antler?
« Reply #6 on: January 25, 2012, 07:12:30 pm »
Wow I knew it was sharp. And antler is only dead bone after all.
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Offline kiwijim

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Re: How did they cut horn and antler?
« Reply #7 on: January 25, 2012, 07:31:26 pm »
Laubin suggests that horn bows in North America were relatively recent; 16th C. This would mean that bowyers may have had access to steel for cutting and shaping horn. I would be interesting to hear Dr Grayson's opinion on this.

The technique I use for tackling ram horn is probably very ancient and could be replicated with a stone age bow-drill.
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Offline Lee Slikkers

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Re: How did they cut horn and antler?
« Reply #8 on: January 25, 2012, 09:42:51 pm »
Excellent method for cutting that ram horn (wish I had seen this or thought about it when I was trying to cut one up a bit ago)  Out of curiosity what species ram is that horn?
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Offline WolfPupTee

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Re: How did they cut horn and antler?
« Reply #9 on: January 25, 2012, 09:46:43 pm »
You drilled holes down the length of it and then tapped a wedge into the holes to split it is what you are saying?
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Offline kiwijim

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Re: How did they cut horn and antler?
« Reply #10 on: January 26, 2012, 12:33:43 am »
Yep, I split the horn along the holes with a chisel. The horn is from a Wiltshire Ram.
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Offline WolfPupTee

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Re: How did they cut horn and antler?
« Reply #11 on: January 26, 2012, 01:35:15 am »
Makes sense!
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mikekeswick

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Re: How did they cut horn and antler?
« Reply #12 on: January 26, 2012, 04:47:21 am »
Anybody who has made hornbows will realise that stone tools just aren't upto the job. Steel knifes would have been used. Remember why they started using hornbows - primarily to use on horseback. The pesky whiteman was already well 'settled' and trading for knives would have happened.
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Offline Del the cat

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Re: How did they cut horn and antler?
« Reply #13 on: January 26, 2012, 09:10:16 am »
Quote from: WolfPupTee on January 25, 2012, 07:12:30 pm
And antler is only dead bone after all.
Hmmm I don't think so....but I'm not sure.
Anyone like to opine on this? Obviously Horn isn't bone but is Antler????
I'm confused.
Del
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Offline crooketarrow

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Re: How did they cut horn and antler?
« Reply #14 on: January 26, 2012, 09:23:52 am »
  CUT AND SAND AND DRILLED HOLES with what ever stone they had.
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