Product Description
The knife and tools in this collection were hand flaked by Russell using traditional
methods. Pieces of the stone are flaked by striking a large pebble with another stone
to chip off pieces or flakes. Many are produced out of a good piece of stone and
Russell is finally left with a core or remnant of the flaking. The core is usually
discarded.
The flakes are then sorted through and the best are then given secondary shaping by
pressure flaking. This is done by pressing a hardened stick or a piece of bone or
possum or kangaroo tooth mounted on a stick with sinew against the edge of the
flake. This requires some skill and the serrations produced create an effective cutting
edge.
The materials used are hard rocks that cleave well and include obsidian, chert, quartz
and flint. The glass and ceramic spear points have also been made using traditional
methods. Both materials were highly prized and eagerly collected by Aboriginal
peoples after European occupation.
