Shaving with obsidian.

Found this video, thought I'd share it.

YouTube - shaving with stone razors

It's been a while since I've seen that one; it's popped up here before in the past. I still shake my head, that guy must have skin like old tanned leather. There's also another entertaining vid floating around of a guy shaving with an axe....

I've done flint knapping, that is, the making of stone arrowheads and knives from obsidian and jasper, and agate. There is not a stropped razor made on this planet that can compete with the sharp edge of a flake of obsidian. Under an electron microscope, the best razor looks like some jagged cross cut saw compared to obsidian flake. It wa studies and some places have used obsidian flakes for very fine surgery. Holding it at the right angle would be the trick. But since it's a crystaline formation of a rock, it would not wear down like steel agains the whiskers.

Ref: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...tool=pmcentrez

Yeesh!

I know that obsidian is literally razor sharp though, it used to be used for surgical blades for a start..!

I caught the end of my boot on some up Vesuvius in Italy and it took a chunk out of the sole as quick as a flash. Its lethal stuff.

Well, you've got me interested and I'd like to try it. What should I do next? Just buy a block and start honing?
:mace:

You can't hone obsidian. Just having a piece and hitting it with someting like the end of an antler on the corner of the stone will cause a flake to fly off. When that happens, that flake is sharp all unto itself. It does not need honing, just careful handling.

I see. So how long would it stay sharp? And you're saying that once the edge dulls it cannot be restored, yes?

I know a few have us have been accused of being retro and old fashioned, but this seems like he's going back a bit too far :) I'll stick with my straights and DE's thank you very much. The stone age really doesn't hold much interest to me lol

A fresh obsidian flake is not just sharper than the sharpest steel razor, it is sharper by a couple of orders of magnitude. The very apex of the edge is one molecule. It is impossible to get sharper than that. It will dull rapidly though, I wouldn't think the edge would last beyond a shave or two, and even without use, the edge will deteriorate noticeably within a couple of weeks. But that's ok, you need a fresh edge? Just spall a fresh flake!

Frankenstein, for normal stone tools such as knife blades and projectile points the edge is pressure flaked to restore a fresh cutting surface, but this leaves a serrated edge, and wouldn't be useful for sharpening a stone razor.

I want one. Think gssixgun could fashion me a set of scales?

I have a feeling this would go the same way as using a ceramic edge as a razor. it doesn't work. The obsidian is basically volcanic glass. It is very brittle. As a surgical instrument-very small and for very detailed work yes but for a razor-no.

Rick knows exactly what he's talking about.
They are sharp, but it would be impossible to sharpen just one sliver of a flake that came off. It's plentiful, and you merely strike off another flake.

Here is a Scottsbluff Point that Larry Waldron, the guy that taught me, had made. The pattern is of the Scossbluff find of early Paleo-Indians. He does excellent work and I enjoyed learning from him.
http://vernsdidj.com/pictures/misc/S...narrowbase.jpg

I have a few stone knives and such in my drawer, some obsidian, and others made of chert and other material, even agate.

thebigspendur is right. They are extremely brittle and for the most part and not even contoured always to make any king of good razor. They do work, as he said, for some extremely fine surgery work. They do, and they have.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gibbs

thebigspendur is right. They are extremely brittle and for the most part and not even contoured always to make any king of good razor.

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So no 7-day set in the offing?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gibbs

I've done flint knapping, that is, the making of stone arrowheads and knives from obsidian and jasper, and agate. There is not a stropped razor made on this planet that can compete with the sharp edge of a flake of obsidian. Under an electron microscope, the best razor looks like some jagged cross cut saw compared to obsidian flake. It wa studies and some places have used obsidian flakes for very fine surgery. Holding it at the right angle would be the trick. But since it's a crystaline formation of a rock, it would not wear down like steel agains the whiskers.

Ref: Ancient Technology in Contemporary Surgery

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I have the same experience and I'm right there with you. I remember when I was first learning to knap using a stone hammer to remove a flake and having it drive right into the side of my finger. I could not believe anything could be that sharp.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gibbs

Rick knows exactly what he's talking about.
They are sharp, but it would be impossible to sharpen just one sliver of a flake that came off. It's plentiful, and you merely strike off another flake.

Here is a Scottsbluff Point that Larry Waldron, the guy that taught me, had made. The pattern is of the Scossbluff find of early Paleo-Indians. He does excellent work and I enjoyed learning from him.
http://vernsdidj.com/pictures/misc/S...narrowbase.jpg

I have a few stone knives and such in my drawer, some obsidian, and others made of chert and other material, even agate.

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Wow is that point beautiful. Never made anything that nice.