tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086026991280831425.post7341745296447622894..comments2024-03-18T11:38:13.384-02:30Comments on Elfshot: Drilling with NephriteTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11473674521424237610noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086026991280831425.post-38082863065892540242013-04-03T01:21:37.839-02:302013-04-03T01:21:37.839-02:30I have them on my website at
http://www.alaskanar...I have them on my website at <br />http://www.alaskanartifacts.com/Alaskan/Alaskan_Tools/Alaskan_Tools_Pg2.html<br />Joel Castanzahttp://www.alaskanartifacts.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086026991280831425.post-84919981059715715182010-10-15T09:50:21.305-02:302010-10-15T09:50:21.305-02:30Ajatnuvuk, that's really interesting. I didn&...Ajatnuvuk, that's really interesting. I didn't realize before this that there was such a big difference in drill use between the Eastern Arctic and the West. But I should have guessed it -- Lori is always trying to convince me that folks on the west coast are groovier than folks in the east. <br /><br />Its interesting about the chert drills around Barrow. Chert drills are what I was accustomed to on the Plains, and I've kept my eyes open for them in the Newfoundland and Labrador collections, but I can't remember ever seeing a single one. There might be a few chert "borers" that have a bit of a beak on them, but nothing that would have been mounted on a spindle. None of the NL cultures seem to have had chert drills.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11473674521424237610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086026991280831425.post-64220508430060049082010-10-15T04:04:53.917-02:302010-10-15T04:04:53.917-02:30The whole "drill holes in everything" is...The whole "drill holes in everything" is definitely an eastern addition to Thule. Early Thule in the west had drills (mostly chert, at least around Barrow) and bow drills, but they used them to make holes where they needed a hole. The idea of cutting something in half by drilling a bunch of holes & snapping the intervening material just doesn't seem to have been popular, nor did it become so later. People grooved & snapped, not drilled & snapped.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086026991280831425.post-13677340650518577852010-10-06T14:15:44.248-02:302010-10-06T14:15:44.248-02:30Before the advent of electricity, it's surpris...Before the advent of electricity, it's surprising how many minerals were used as abrasives - the surfaces of gold and silver are very easily scratch, particularly if the surface was enriched (higher gold/silver content), or if they were using pure metals instead of alloys.<br /><br />Even in our lifetime, jewellers were using charcoal for fine finishing work - the softness of some of the mineral powders is quite important to that.Jamie Hallhttp://primitive.ganoksin.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086026991280831425.post-35531945681159658072010-10-06T14:08:12.906-02:302010-10-06T14:08:12.906-02:30The water is optional. It would be very easy to c...The water is optional. It would be very easy to collect the dust. When you drill, a little pile of slate dust forms around the bit, like a tiny termite mound. I usually just blow it away when the pile obstructs my view, but you could tap it into a small container and save it. If you add a few drops of water that dust turns to a clayey-mud. I'm sure oil would grab it, too. <br />I haven't really considered other uses for the slate dust. Although, I have collected soapstone dust like that in the past to mix with epoxy on repairs or to create artifical patinas on reproductions. You can get a lot of dust quickly by just starting to drill a few holes. Soapstone dust would probably be more of a lubricant than an abrasive though. Like talcum powder.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11473674521424237610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086026991280831425.post-68931253437283131042010-10-06T13:54:52.698-02:302010-10-06T13:54:52.698-02:30Can you use a small amount of water so that the du...Can you use a small amount of water so that the dust doesn't wash away? It's presumably a very fine powder, so would an oil work to lubricate the hole and collect the powder - I'm asking this because I'm interested abrasives and how finely they can be ground with primitive tools.Jamie Hallhttp://primitive.ganoksin.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086026991280831425.post-70778048684230477602010-10-06T13:42:55.167-02:302010-10-06T13:42:55.167-02:30Yeah, the shape of the holes work very well with l...Yeah, the shape of the holes work very well with laces, there's no real sharp angles to cause wear. <br /><br />I don't use any abrasive, although sometimes I'll use a bit of water to keep the dust down and to cool things off. The same device (with bitless wooden spindles) was used to start fires, so the temperatures can build up quickly.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11473674521424237610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086026991280831425.post-16563045045238693662010-10-06T13:32:18.527-02:302010-10-06T13:32:18.527-02:30Did you use an abrasive, or was the grinding done ...Did you use an abrasive, or was the grinding done by the nephrite itself?<br /><br />I'm really amazed by how neat the holes in the slate are. You've effectively got countersunk holes, which opens up all sorts of decorative and practical possibilitiesJamie Hallhttp://primitive.ganoksin.comnoreply@blogger.com