Roughing out an offset awl

Wood handle and iron awl in progress

I've started working on the Ikaahuk Archaeology Project reproductions.  I brought my notes and photos into the workshop to start searching for the best raw materials to begin shaping into the reproductions.  The set includes ivory, antler, wood, stone, and iron components.  I made the most progress on the historic awl.  These sorts of offset awls were introduced into the north by European traders and there is a good chance that the metal awl was made in Europe and fit with a handmade driftwood handle in the Arctic.  You can buy offset awls today (Ray Mears sells them for £24.00, without a handle), but I decided to try making my own out of an old nail.  When it is ground and hammered to the same size as the original, I'll chemically rust it with acid and the copy should be indistinguishable from the original.

By the way, I asked Dr. Lisa Hodgetts what Ikaahuk means, and she told me:

Ikaahuk is the Inuvialuktun name for Banks Island. It means "the place people go across to" or "where you go across to". Some people also use it to refer to the community of Sachs Harbour.

The awl blank is hammered and ground out of a square cut nail, identical to the one shown below it.  The wood handle and awl are 10-20% larger than the original artifact at this point, but I want to compare them side-by-side with the original piece before I continue shaping them.

Photo Credits: Tim Rast

Reproducing Artifacts for the Ikaahuk Archaeology Project

Pre-Dorset Harpoon Head

I'm starting work on an exciting new commission for the Ikaahuk Archaeology Project.  The artifacts are permanently stored at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife and are being housed at The Rooms while they are on loan here in Newfoundland.  I love working on reproductions when I can work from the actual artifacts.  The eight pieces in the collection are remarkable examples of the 4500 year long history of Banks Island in the Western Arctic from Pre-Dorset right up to historic Inuvialuit. Over the coming weeks I'll be working on and blogging about these eight artifacts in more detail, but here is a first peek from my initial visit with the artifacts this morning.

Historic awl, with iron point

Lisa Hodgetts, the project lead with the Ikaahuk Archaeology Project, sent me photos of all of the artifacts, which I used to prepare the quote.  Once the quote was accepted, Lisa went to work helping set up the loan agreement between the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre and The Rooms.  The artifacts were shipped to the Province this week and arrived at The Rooms yesterday.  I printed these photos at 1:1 scale and took them with me to the Archaeology and Ethnology Lab at The Rooms to compare to the actual artifacts.  I took notes and measurements and added them to the printouts of the photos.  I also started taking my own photos of all the odd angles and details that I will need as I work on the reproductions.  These printouts and photos will be my templates when I'm in the workshop.  Most of the artifacts are more-or-less complete, with only minor damage, so I'll make complete versions of the artifacts, then break them and antique them to match the originals.  The plan is to take the works-in-progress in to The Rooms to compare against the originals two or three times a week until the work is all done.

Pre-Dorset Awl

Thule Harpoon Head 

Thule Slate Ulu

Pre-Dorset Scraper

Thule Bola Weight 

Historic Fishing Lure

Photo Credits: Tim Rast

Back from the Lab

Its been a pretty busy week and I'm anxious to get back into the workshop today. After a morning Human Resources meeting (staff job review) at the Craft Council, I went down to the Archaeology and Ethnology Lab at The Rooms in the afternoon to check out the Inuvialuit artifacts on Wednesday afternoon. These are the pieces that Parks Canada is having me reproduce so that the original artifacts won't get damaged.

I took in the pieces that I've started and made some side by side comparisons and measurements. Most of the work is reductive... I start with a big piece of bone, wood, stone, or antler and carve or cut away pieces. Mistakes are costly, since I don't usually have a means to make things bigger if I accidentally work the piece too quickly and it becomes too small. So during the duration of the project I'll be working on many of the reproductions simultaneously, doing small amounts of work and checking them against the originals weekly.

For the larger wood pieces I have a few new additions to my workshop. I bought a small vice and spokeshave at Canadian Tire and a draw knife and set of sawhorse brackets from Lee Valley. I made a little bowyers bench to hold the wood while I plane it.

Finally, here's a quick look at the copper awl I started earlier in the week. The artifact is on the top and my folded and hammered copper reproduction is below. For a first comparison, I'm happy. Its on the right track and the overall look is good. I need to work on the cross section a little, its square now, but needs to be a little flatter and lozenge shaped. At this point its a pretty accurate snapshot of what the awl would have looked like when its maker was using it. Now my job is to antique the fresh awl so that it looks like a worn tool that was broken and discarded and then later found and preserved. I need to break off part of one end to get the length right and then work on the green patina. Fortunately copper is a pretty reactive metal and there are some acids and salts in the kitchen and pantry that should give me the patina I need. I'll post final photos and let you know what I used to antique the piece when its done.

See you on Monday!

Photo Credits: Tim Rast

Photo Captions:
Top: Sawing wood in the workshop
Second: Net Gauge. A tool that would have been used to measure the holes while making a net.
Third: Tim using a draw knife to plane wood.
Bottom: The Copper awl artifact and reproduction in progress.