Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Indian Artifacts - Volume II

Here's some more knock offs from the past week - all obsidian:





Barkoff: With a little bit of science points can be approximately dated. When stones are fractured, one has a new surface that's not been exposed to air. At a microscopic pace, airborne moisture begins to migrate toward the interior leaving a visible front as it advances. With knowledge of that rate for our various kinds of stones, archi - types can break out their microscopes, measure the depth of moisture penetration from extracted slices, and come up with an approximate date for when that surface was initially exposed.

Hydration dating link

Also, I'm not knowledgeable on the sample volume needed, but if biologic materials seeped into surface cracks or beneath partially detached flakes, they may be able to carbon date those. They can also date associated materials from digs and come up with approximate dates. The scientific types prefer finds that can be dated, where as museums etc have little interest in collections having no history.

Buried material will typically have less patina and whatever it carries is usually uniform across all surfaces. Materials on the surface for extended periods will have less patina on the side contacting soil and more mineral deposits on the upside where rain and moisture left minerals to be baked into that surface. That can be a rapid process though in areas with alkaline soils, and points I've left outside can acquire that look in a couple years. Bright on the bottom and dull on top.

A cue for me is flakes that do not completely detach from a point's surface, and near every point I generate carries a few examples. In freeze/thaw environments, moisture can creep beneath those flakes and freezing induced expansion eventually detaches them leaving a smoother unmarred surface. One can immerse new points in hot water, and moisture will get vacuumed into those voids as things cool. Put those in a freezer, and a number of them will detach. Typically takes geologic time and many cycles though for all of them to be forced off.

Lastly, today's knappers mostly resort to modern material for their tools. Antler and bone dull and wear out in short order, and one can be considerably more productive if he's not constantly replacing/sharpening tools. Copper is most commonly employed, with some using softer steels like horse shoe nails. Some high powered chemistry can likely detect those residues.

Have a good one,