Butchering game with a stone knife

[George Looney]

A knife like this might last quite a while between sharpenings,,if not used to saw on bone with and used sensible.,,so how long might an average knife last with average use. a big blade say 5" might hold up for say 10 to 15 (guessing here),,resharpenings till exhausted,,if so a good sized knife might last for years till discarded. ,,,your thoughts
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Butchering Game With A Stone Knife - YouTube

[Tdog]

That was great man! Thanks.

[George Looney]

Thanks Tdog,,,I was hoping to get more response than this. I thought this would be a good chance for some of these guys to see a stone knife in use and maybe help them understand the lithic reduction of resharpening ,,,so maybe when most view a worn out knife they won't think it's a drill. I just don't understand why people aren't anxious to learn more about their own hobby or passion, Thats the way most refer to it. thanks Tdog.

[knife river]

I skinned and butchered three wild hogs one afternoon (all 125-150 pounds) with a corner tang made of raw Pedernales. Took one little ding out of the edge where I accidentally twisted the blade in ball joint. Otherwise it looked almost pristine and cut great as long as I kept the fat wiped off.

By the way, the corner tang was on a short leather wrist thong. VERY handy!

[Lithic_hunter]

I know this is a popular hypothesis...mainly from Dwains book...but almost every CT i have handled..and the 6 of my own..have edge grinding near the tang on the top of the heel and the top of the blade near the tang...I'm more inclined to go with the hafted theory..JMHO

[Mud Hawk]

Nice video George. I found the construction of the knife the most interesting. Did alot of cultures use the wedge in the handle base or was it a more isolated practice?

[Dennis]

Thanks George some how I missed this post. He made it look easy with the ease of the blade slicing threw the quarters was remarkable.

[sandhills]

awesome video! I have always found it amazing that the points I find still have a sharp edge to them after laying in the dirt for hundreds of years. good stuff

[George Looney]

Originally Posted by Mud Hawk

Nice video George. I found the construction of the knife the most interesting. Did alot of cultures use the wedge in the handle base or was it a more isolated practice?

Hey Mud,,Not sure about the wedge in the handle I would love to know more about this, Even in a simple groove knife handle melted pine pitch holds really well,,,with no cord,sinew or rawhide hafting,, kinda makes one wonder about all those oval base knives and how they were hafted,,and if only pitch itself was used. best thing to do is,,melt them in and give them a try,,we could all guess at how it was done and how they were used,,but only the folks that have tried these things and methods out,,,have a more clear idea. Pine pitch is simple and quick to make, after you make up a batch,,I store (keep) most of mine in little rolled up balls like rat turds,,,these are about the right size to press down into a groove to melt in a point or knife. working over a candle flame works just fine for this. I love primitive

[Leaverite]

Nice video. Thanks George.

I did notice that he "hand-picked" an impressive part of the process.
The prep... skinning, gutting, cutting off the head and legs would take a lot more film time.
The follow-up, filleting, slicing and dicing, (pemmican prep), and preparing the bones for marrow extraction, would also have to be considered.

That said, it is still an impressive display of the suitability of stone blades for getting the job done.

Lithic_hunter said:
"almost every CT i have handled..and the 6 of my own..have edge grinding near the tang on the top of the heel and the top of the blade near the tang...I'm more inclined to go with the hafted theory..JMHO"

Wouldn't that be the area one would want to grind when using it as a handheld blade ?
Although most modern blades are hafted, they usually have a smooth back on top for applying pressure with the hand.

The narrow tang suggests to me that it was meant to hold a thong and not a handle. The off-set of the tang suggests that it was meant to dangle from the wrist allowing it to be released and re-grasped, repeatedly.
This frees up the hands, without constantly looking for somewhere to set the knife down and then searching for it again.

Keeps it handy, clean, and automatic to grasp and release without constantly having to divert ones eyes to set it down and pick it up.

I also think a simple looping around the wrist of the cord (or perhaps a piece of leather tied to and looped with the cord) would provide an instant sheath to tuck it out of the way and keep it handy during use.
JMHO