Copper knife: Archaic period nod

[swamp monkey]

Last winter I did a couple of pours of molten copper to get some blanks to make copper tools in line with what the mound builders might have used.  http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,56581.0.html

This spring, summer and fall it took me months just find a few spare minutes to do the steps in making a copper knife.  I found out the mound builders didn't make much in the way of copper knives.  Oh they made a few but not like they did celts.   So I did some digging and discovered the the Archiac period people (predecessors to the mound builders) did make a number of copper knives.

One of the copper casts last winter was incomplete so I decided to hammer it out and heat treat it to get a knife blade.  Please understand this process is different than blacksmithing iron.  With copper you hammer the soft copper into shape until it is tool hardened.  Then you stop hammering so you don't create fractures.  Place the blank in a fire to heat it to cherry red.  Pull it out and let it cool; then you can hammer some more.  Back and forth hammer/heat cycles occur until you get the rough shape you want. 

I did some shaping this fall with lots of sanding.  Last week I mounted the blade in an antler handle.  I will do a sinew wrap and repost pics this weekend. 

[swamp monkey]

I sanded to 320 grit for these pix.  The cast had a few bubbles that I will never be able to get out. So i will just have to consider them character marks.  Most of sanding scratches are coming out.  I have progressed up to 400 grit and may go with 600.  It would be nice to get access to a buffing wheel but that wouldn't be very Archaic now would it.   

thanks for looking.

[YosemiteBen]

OOOOHHHH!!!!!

[chamookman]

Kewl ! Bob

[Pappy]

O I like that, very nice work.
 Pappy

[JW_Halverson]

Do you take requests?  If so, pack baskets.  You are gonna need to make a lot of them for when you decide to recreate a Mound Builder Culture mound.  And when you do, lemme know and I will come pack dirt with you.  Because, dude, you are one seriously infatuated with these people and their lives!  Cool!

[swamp monkey]

Do you take requests?  If so, pack baskets.  You are gonna need to make a lot of them for when you decide to recreate a Mound Builder Culture mound.  And when you do, lemme know and I will come pack dirt with you.  Because, dude, you are one seriously infatuated with these people and their lives!  Cool!

bwaaaa!   thanks.   

[EdwardS]

Would love one of those blades to haft alongside my copper axe.  Haven't got enough scrap to melt here.  Any tips on melting would be appreciated.

[swamp monkey]

Melting/ pouring:  Find a place that has a set up to melt and cast metal.  Metal shop, foundry, HS metal shop teacher (that's what i did).  Copper melts at less than 2000 degrees F.  I would have to look up the exact temp.  It is higher than aluminum but lower than steel.

Make a wooden model of what you want and paint it with primer then sand it.  That will keep the molding sand from sticking to your model.

collect copper or buy scrap from a metal recycling site. 

If you work with a person who casts metal they can walk you through the sand tamping, sprue hole placements, etc. 

Heat pour and let it cool over night before you touch it.  Then the rest is good old fashioned elbow grease. 

I hope this helps.  if I was too brief on any of that, please let me know.  I will help any way I can. 

[Zuma]

Good to see you posting swampy.
Did the natives melt their copper?
I thought it was all hammering of nuggets.
Is modern copper the same or altered a bit.
You sure put in the effort. Nice looking.
Zuma

[swamp monkey]

Zuma, most if not all copper was hammered out from a nugget.  The copper melting process that was achieved by other cultures across the globe, was possible with the technology available to North American Archaic people.  However, the question is did they?  Most archeologists say North American natives didn't cast copper.  I think they have great evidence to support hammering/annealing going on.  However I read a paper on a copper atlatl weight where an X-ray revealed air bubbles you might better expect from a casting process.  The paper admits their  argument would be stronger with discovery of a hearth/furnace.

As for me, I am not weighing in on the cast /no cast argument.  I simply used the resources available to me to get a blank to make tools.  My experimentation is all about tool use. 

Regarding copper purity. I really can't say.  I am sure other people know more.  I have no idea what difference the copper nuggets would possess compared to melted copper scraps .

Thanks for the discussion and kind words.

[swamp monkey]

The knife handle end has been wrapped with sinew soaked in hide glue.  I made a leather sheath for it.  I borrowed an historic style sheath design that works well with finger woven belts.  They were highly adept at textiles and finger weaving was a known skill.  I have no idea if Archaic people used this type of sheath, I just chose what felt right based on their abilities.
Eventually I want to learn quill work and bling this sheath out a little. 

Oh and I found the melting temp on Copper.  1984 degrees F

[DC]

I've wondered about the hardness of copper. I can see it working well for cutting meat and such. Do you think you could whittle soft wood with it or would the edge just fold over. I've got a big chunk of copper I could experiment with but at the moment it's shimming up one leg on my lathe

[swamp monkey]

I've wondered about the hardness of copper. I can see it working well for cutting meat and such. Do you think you could whittle soft wood with it or would the edge just fold over. I've got a big chunk of copper I could experiment with but at the moment it's shimming up one leg on my lathe

DC I may be able to provide you with an answer.  I will be doing some wood working with this blade.  I will be working green wood and then some dried.  I will post what i find. 

My goal was to make a batch of tools I could use to make a mound builder inspired bow.  If you look at my copper celt post you can see I cut down a tree and had no issues with deformation on the blade.  The trick is to keep the edge more like a stone celt (con-curved) and to tool harden to copper.  The knife isn't really consistent with the mound builders but I wanted to make one anyway and piddle with it.   

I am expecting the knife has similar requirements and limitations. 

Now as for your lathe . . . I wouldn't want your lathe caty-wampus. 

[YosemiteBen]

Very nice work Swampy!