Can't Believe It?????

I about fell out of my chair when I was working on my links to the Volgu blade and I found the following information. Am I reading this wrong, or does S.A. Semenov basically say The Volgu was made exactly in the same method as our theory about how The Sweetwater was made?

That being pressure flaking over percussion or a "POP" blade.

We had actually wondered about the flaking on The Volgu, because a lot of it actually had the same scarring pattern we discussed with The Sweetwater, but only having a picture to go by, made it tough to actually see.

If The Volgu, then why not The Sweetwater as well?

Here is the qoute from S.A Semenov from 1957 I am referring to:

"The peculiarity of this (bifacial reduction) is that it was a method of pressure on the edge of the flint rough-out (preform), used by Upper Paleolithic man, not just to remove tiny flakes and alter the angle of the point and shape of the (core) blade, but also to take off large and relatively thin flakes from the surface of the rough-out (preform). In other words it increased the plastic possibilities of stone working. By this means the irregular rough-out (preform) could be given a desired thickness at any point, made flatter, the end sharpened; the curve taken out of the top, edge or base."

Here is a link to the more information: http://www.lithiccastinglab.com/gallery-pages/2008januarysolutreanpage2.htm

Here is a qoute from my Sweetwater article, discussing our theory of how the Sweetwater was made, which can be found on the second page of this blog dated August 7th.

"The most intriguing part of all, he actually has identified at least 8 percussion flakes on Sweetwater, although the other 40 plus are pressure flakes. One of which, is obvious from the scarring cutting into the percussion flake from the pressure flake next to it, that the percussion flake was flaked first. So we believe the Sweetwater was percussion flaked to a thin preform similar to a rectangle in shape, then the large pressure flakes were removed, then the ends shaped with pressure flakes to finish the blade."

So what do you think?

Greg Nunn's Edge to Edge Flaking

The above pictures show some examples of Greg Nunn's edge to edge flaking. I have always been a fan of parallel flaking, but just something about this edge to edge is extra pleasing to my eyes. My father purchased Greg's video and after viewing it and much work, he got it down, but due to two knee replacements, he can't use the same technique as Greg does. My father actually uses a similar technique that he does with his regular hand pressure flaking. In his opinion, this is the hardest type of hand pressure flaking he has ever done and he is no where to the level Greg is with it. I highly recommend purchasing Greg's video.

Greg's website is http://www.gregnunnflintworks.com/

This bottom picture is a picture of dad's edge to edge flaking.


 Here is a link to a discussion about this topic.

http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/topic/44624/Edge-To-Edge

UPDATE-----5/25/13--------Here is a Type 1C Danish Dagger Bill made   http://pinterest.com/pin/338825571935814042/

The Volgu Replica

This Volgu replica is 11.63 inches long and 3.2 inches wide, it is .26 inches thick at the thickest point with an average diameter of .25 inches. It has a standard W/T ratio of 12.3/1 and average W/T ratio of 10.2/1. The average W/T is lower due to the shape and size of the Volgu artifact blade itself.(not being as wide throughout the length of the blade).

The Volgu artifact itself(also pictured) is 13.75 inches long, 3.4 inches wide and "slightly over" .25 inches in diameter. If you use .25 inches this gives it a stand W/T ratio of 13.6/1. We have no way to figure an average diameter or average W/T ratio because there is no cast available of the blade. The problem lies in the "slightly over" part, because if the blade is actually .27 inches thick, that slight difference brings the W/T down to 12.6/1, right in line to our current replica. This is an example of why precise measurements are needed when figuring W/T ratios. Here is a good link to learn more about the Volgu and see more pictures. http://www.lithiccastinglab.com/gallery-pages/2008januarysolutreanpage1.htm Here is a link to some other pictures I recently found http://paleobox.forumactif.com/ou-voir-des-originaux-f12/les-feuilles-de-laurier-de-volgu-t241.htm

UPDATE: I have learned there is actually a cast of the Volgu which can be purchased from someone in France, although it is very expensive. My friend Jim Winn has purchased the cast and although it is thin, it isn't a thin as the Sweetwater. Hopefully in the future I will have the opporunity to measure the Volgu cast.


Picture of the Volgu blade.

Replicating the Sweetwater Slideshow Now Available!

We now have a slide show DVD with audio commentary which shows the step by step process of the method developed by Bill Earnhardt covering the making of the Sweetwater Replicas.(the top blade in this picture is the Sweetwater cast and the other is the replica)

It shows the complete design of the table used, the lever device itself, the support mechanism used, correct platforming, the shape of the tip of the pressure flaker, method and technique used for the lever pressure flaking along with ruler comparisons so you can get the exact right angles to apply the pressure . All this with close up picture shots, drawings, and instructional commentary from Bill.

NO SECRETS ARE HELD BACK!

$20 including shipping, to purchase visit http://modern-flintknapping-gallery.jigsy.com/video-s


Here is a link to learn more about the Sweetwater Biface http://www.lithiccastinglab.com/cast-page/sweetwaterbifacecast.htm

The Sweetwater vs The Volgu using the Modern Flintknapping Scoring System

Below are the scores for the Sweetwater, the Volgu and dad's best Sweetwater replica to date. But keep in mind I have not actually measured the Volgu. I am using measurements I found listed online and I am using a standard W/T and L/T ratio with the Volgu(since I have no way of knowing the average diameter) but using an average W/T and L/T on the Sweetwater and replica.

The Sweetwater has a total score of 6606.6, getting 3800 points for the W/T and 2300 for L/T.
The Volgu has a total score of 4083.5, getting 936 points for W/T and 2250 for L/T
The replica has a total score of 3609.6, getting 1584 points for W/T and 1450 for L/T.

The Sweetwater has a W/T of 17/1 and L/T of 55.5/1
The Volgu has a W/T of 13.6/1 and L/T of 55/1
The replica has a W/T of 14.7/1 and L/T of 46/1.

If you are not familiar with the Modern Flintknapping Scoring System, it can be found at www.modern-flintknapping.com under "grading and scoring". How I figure an average diameter can also be found by actually clicking on the "grading and scoring" link itself.

Instructional Video--How To Pressure Flake a Thin Blade--Adjust

This video by Bill, titled "Adjust" gives detailed instruction and close up shots of his unique pressure flaking method with an Ishi stick. Just seeing the size of the Ishi sticks he uses alone is worth the cost.

Bill specializes in pressure flaking thin pieces. His highest W/T ratio with this method is 12.5/1 on a blade that .16 inches thick and 12 1/4 inches long. He has made smaller pieces, some as thin as .115 inches thick!

Bill has 40+ years of experience flintknapping.

Price $33 including shipping, to purchase visit http://modern-flintknapping-gallery.jigsy.com/video-s



***NOTICE***This video DOES NOT show his pressure flaking method for the making of the Sweetwater Replicas

Visit http://www.modern-flintknapping.com/flintknapping-pressure-flaking-examples.html to see some examples of his work using the technique shown in this video.

This video is dedicated in memory to Bill's younger brother Jerry who passed away in 2004. Jerry always supported Bill in his flintknapping endeavors and once commented referring to their making of bows/arrows and playing cowboys and indians as children that "it was a childhood game Bill never grew out of"

Magnified Pictures of Pressure Vs Percussion Flakes

This link is a picture that shows the uniform "rippling" effect of the compression rings on one of dads blades. Although, you can not tell from the picture since it is so magnified, but that flake is actually over 1 inch long and nearly 1 inch wide.(the size most associate with percussion flakes)

http://www.modern-flintknapping.com/sweetwater_blade_replica_2.html

This link is a picture of two flakes side by side on the Sweetwater cast, the one on the right we believe is a pressure flake and the one on the left is a percussion flake. We actually have better pictures of other pressure flakes from the Sweetwater that show this rippling effect of the compression rings in more detail. But we thought this one would make for easy comparison.

http://www.modern-flintknapping.com/sweetwater_blade_replica_3.html

If you click on the pictures once you go to these links, you can enlarge the pictures even more.