Guest guest Posted January 12, 2000 Report Share Posted January 12, 2000 Haribol Obsidian is a volcanic glass it can be shaped very easily. I have made arrow heads drills and spears out of it. The ancient South American Indians made eye glasses (sorta) they ground the glass they had made to make magnifying glass but never figured how to make frames for the glasses. Obsidian is naturally reflective, it is after all glass to make a mirror a thin slab could have very fine beaten silver foil smoothed on the back of the slab. To make a slab find an obsidian rock about the size of your head, strike with a hard object (we used deer antlers) a glancing blow to the stone aiming your strike to sorta clip the stone so the chip will fly outward. After many hours practicing you can get a fairly uniform thickness. The width is a little harder but not at all impossible. After you have the thickness you want fine river sand from the finest silt to very Crosse should be collected in different containers start with the most coarse to grind out the bumps mix the sands and silts with a little soap or lard and keep rubbing till the bug bumps are gone then use each smaller size of sand or silt to more finely grind the surface till it is polished to your satisfaction. Not really hard but very time consuming. I am part red Indian, my ex husband was an archeologist. One night his buddies came to look over the finds of the day and were trying to figure out what two flat stones each with a grove down the center could have been used for, they finally decided it was for religious purposes. I was laughing so hard I was crying. Finally those over educated individuals had to ask what was so funny. When I was composed enough to speak I told them it was a shaft straightener. Put a knobby stick in between the two flat stones and saw and twist the stick back and forth. It will sand the stick smooth and removed any rough spots and in fairly short time you had a uniform size and smooth stick ready to mount an arrow. It seems that most professionals never ask the locals exactly what some artifacts were used for. When they couldn't figure out its use they always said it was for ceremonial or religious purposes. So when archeologists tell you this object or that is a mystery take it with a grain of salt. To shape glass you can just take a file and file down sharp edges to rounded smooth edges in moments, then you can make all kinds of cuts in the glass with the file. Try it on a soda bottle or even window glass. Glass is easy to work. Carol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 12, 2000 Report Share Posted January 12, 2000 You could write to a long list of museums and archaeologists who collectively made a documentary about thier finds. It seems you could help them solve their mystery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2000 Report Share Posted January 13, 2000 Hari Krishna to all At the risk of being called a fool (nothing new there) Most City folk simply do not have the necessary background to determine the usage's and manufacturing methods of our ancestors. We can't make a stringed instrument that sounds like a Stradivarius (sp?) That is not a mystery it is a lost construction technique. In the seventies a group of anthropologist build stone age type pit houses and lived in them for a year. My husband told me when he visited there that just as he entered the building he saw a shallow depression in the dirt to the right. He ask what that depression was that he had found them at all of that type of pit house. There had been many theories most involving ceremonial purposes or offering places for their deities. Actually said one of the residents that is where the chickens dust them selves when they come in for the night! Thirty year mystery solved by being there and living like them. Chickens no less!!!! I used to make flint and obsidian arrow heads, drills fish hooks and baskets. I was terrible at basket weaving, but I do know how to weave baskets, throw a spear with an ataliatal, make a fish spear, and live off the land. My husband would have starved to death in a supermarket if he didn't have a can opener. If you walk in the shoes of the people you are trying to figure out it really helps. Most mysteries have simple explanations if you understand the problem. I consider my scanner a mystery. But if I just took some time and figured it out well I would much further ahead. But I haven't so it is a mystery to me. It is probably simple to you, to me it is a first water mystery. Carol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2003 Report Share Posted June 7, 2003 In a message dated 1/11/00 11:20:24 PM US Mountain Standard Time, DGilsen (AT) aol (DOT) com writes: > > > Haribol > Obsidian is a volcanic glass it can be shaped very easily. I have made > > arrow heads drills and spears out of it. The ancient South American Indians > > made eye glasses (sorta) they ground the glass they had made to make > magnifying glass but never figured how to make frames for the glasses. > Obsidian is naturally reflective, it is after all glass to make a > mirror > a thin slab could have very fine beaten silver foil smoothed on the back of > the slab. To make a slab find an obsidian rock about the size of your head, > > strike with a hard object (we used deer antlers) a glancing blow to the > stone > aiming your strike to sorta clip the stone so the chip will fly outward. > After many hours practicing you can get a fairly uniform thickness. The > width is a little harder but not at all impossible. After you have the > thickness you want fine river sand from the finest silt to very Crosse > should > be collected in different containers start with the most coarse to grind out > > the bumps mix the sands and silts with a little soap or lard and keep > rubbing > till the bug bumps are gone then use each smaller size of sand or silt to > more finely grind the surface till it is polished to your satisfaction. Not > > really hard but very time consuming. > I am part red Indian, my ex husband was an archeologist. One night his > > buddies came to look over the finds of the day and were trying to figure out > > what two flat stones each with a grove down the center could have been used > for, they finally decided it was for religious purposes. I was laughing so > hard I was crying. Finally those over educated individuals had to ask what > was so funny. When I was composed enough to speak I told them it was a > shaft > straightener. Put a knobby stick in between the two flat stones and saw and > > twist the stick back and forth. It will sand the stick smooth and removed > any > rough spots and in fairly short time you had a uniform > size and smooth stick ready to mount an arrow. It seems that most > professionals never ask the locals exactly what some artifacts were used for. > > When they couldn't figure out its use they always said it was for > ceremonial > or religious purposes. So when archeologists tell you this object or that > is > a mystery take it with a grain of salt. To shape glass you can just take a > file and file down sharp edges to rounded smooth edges in moments, then you > can make all kinds of cuts in the glass with the file. Try it on a soda > bottle or even window glass. Glass is easy to work. > Carol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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