Bone needles

[John Fenna]

The "ring and dot" an ancient decoration...
Take a cheap and nasty screwdriver and cut a slot in the middle of the blade. File each "tooth" to a point, one longer than the other. Push the longer point into the work as the centre point and turn the screwdriver so that the other point scribes the ring. Take cinnamon powder (or charcoal dust or whatever dark powder you prefer) and rub it into the marks. Sometimes oil rubbed on, sometimes a thin glue (depending on the surface) rubbed on and quickly rubbed off, fixes the powder in the design.
Job done!
It took longer to write this than making a ring and dot embelishment does!

 

[Dark Horse Dave]

Thanks John!

 

[SaraR]

I try not to do much hand sewing - so I persueded a friend to sew me some Iron Age clothing...
Unfortunately she snapped one of her bone needles in the process of sewing a fulled wool jerkin - so I took the opportunity to fashion a set of bone needles and a pin, some for her and some for me, from a deer leg bone I had around.
The big one I decorated with ring and dots using cinnamon as the dye.
I cheated and used modern tools, not stone tools, to make the needles.
The biggun is about 5" long (cloak pin) the smallest needle about 2.75"
View attachment 55694

Nice!
Bone and horn needles are great for nålbindning. I prefer horn, but either works well.

 

[John Fenna]

Yup - the lady doing my iron age pattern hand sewing also dose the nalbinding and has made her own needles - out of bone I think....

 

[Tank]

Nice work John.

I made some bone needles myself over the weekend, my attempt at replicating some stone age needles using flint and sandpaper in place of some sand stone.

To be polished with some sand and water when I get time.

Tim

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[John Fenna]

Nice work!

 

[Dark Horse Dave]

I've had a go at making some myself ( but hadn't thought of decorating them; might have to have another play....)
Here are my efforts. The one at the top was shaped with flint, drilled with a flint burin (hand drill) and smoothed by rubbing on sandstone. I used modern tools for the other two.

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[Woody girl]

Here are some needles I made from bone and copper over twenty years ago when I did Celtic re-enactment . The copper ones were made from thick copper wire and I think if I remember right the bone one was a beef bone. I seem to have lost the other bone needles I made and this is the only surviver

 

[Dark Horse Dave]

Made from camel bone by the way

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[John Fenna]

Nice work!
Using the flint is a tough way to go - I remember using a burin on my first go at bone needles.... hard work!
I like the copper needles - I must have a crack at that - I have a bit of copper wire around...somewhere!

 

[Tank]

I found the flint to work really well with the bone, getting a piece with a 90 degree edge hels to efficently scraps the bone down and shapes it.

Using a flint using burin to gouge out before breaking off with a stone was the bit i found slow work.

Making the hole was a lot faster than i thought it would be, the first method i tired was scraping the hole out (making an oval shaped hole) but the later ones i chipped of a sharp point and twisted it thoguth to make nice round hole.

I am yet to make anything more complex using the flint, should be interesting i am sure. (when i get more bone)

 

[John Fenna]

I found my copper and had a play...
I went for the "flat" style needle and then tried out a belt hook....I should have polished the copper before I twisted it!
When I find some more copper I will give round needles and a better belt hook a try

Next project - a belt for the hook!

 

[Dark Horse Dave]

They look good John. For the needles, did you just hammer some thick wire flat and go from there? Also, how does a belt hook work?

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[Woody girl]

When I made the copper needles I just cut a length of wire and ground one end to a point on a stone then flattened the other end, rounded it off on the stone and punched a hole with an awl.. may have cheated a bit to smooth it off with fine sandpaper but I needed then quickly for a display weekend and didn't have hours of time to finish them authenticly. Still you wouldn't know the difference without a microscope!

 

[John Fenna]

I used the same copper as the belt hook for the needles, hammered it flat and drilled the eye before grinding it down to size - not totally authentic I guess!
The belt hook - camera is packed for the weekend - at one end of the belt I punched 2 holes and the hook end does down the one furthest from the end and back up the other, so that the spiral sits on the face of the leather and the hook points inwards (towards the body as worn) just beyond the end of the leather. The other end of the belt has the normal belt holes punched in and the belt goes around the body and the hook engages the holes. This means the "tail" is under the main part of the belt but you can choose to let it hang, half hitch it around the baelt or make a loop "keeper" to keep it in line with the belt and invisible. I am letting it hang, but may yet half hitch it - seemingly the would be the Iron Age style..... and this is a belt intended for my Iron Age costume
The belt in the photo has a simple antler toggle...

 

[Dark Horse Dave]

Thanks John, I think I understand how they work now!

Also thanks to Woody girl; I might have a go with those

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[Tony]

So, John, bone needle workshop at the BushMoot?

 

[John Fenna]

Not with stone tools!

 

[Woody girl]

Mine isn't so fancy! Pretty basic and boring realy

 

[John Fenna]

It work though!