Bronze curved knife

[boatman]

Seeing a post about hook knives reminded me of a bronze hook knife made for me by bronzesmith Neil Burridge.
Similar to the illustration it works for stripping bark from hazel, for example, and on carefully chosen wood. Sharpening is critical but I enjoy using it. The plan is to use it for paddle and component shaping for prehistoric boat building projects.
The hook knife was something apparently missing from the Bronze Age toolkit but fortunately some examples have now been identified.

It complements the bronze chisels, also made by Neil, that have been used on the reconstruction of the Bronze Age Boat at the Maritime Museum, Falmouth.

Note where the example was found, not far from the location of the Ferriby Bronze Age Boats which although earlier indicate an area with a boat-building tradition.
http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/163567

 

[Dave Budd]

i didn't realise there were bronze age versions! I would be interested in trying one out some time. Maybe I'll have to drop Neil some subtle hints next time I see him

 

[Toddy]

Now that's interesting Is the edge hardened ? Scraping and such like but how about shaving timber too ?

I have a sickle that Jojo made that's a copy of a bronze one, and it's a very useful tool.
The bronze one did take an edge but it was a bit in need of what my bother called 'peen hardened'.

Always good to see tools with a bit of history and long practice attached to them

M

 

[Tengu]

Oh, thats very nice.

Neil Burridge is a very nice and knowlegable man, -but oh so secretive!

 

[Goatboy]

That's a bonny looking tool Boatman.

I wonder if they were deemed missing from the toolkit as earlier examples could've mistakenly been down to tools being ritually "put beyond use"?

 

[boatman]

That is a very valid point Goatboy which hadn't occurred to me.

My chisels are tanged and I think that later socketed ones would be better because of the tendency for the tangs to split the handles from the way that chisels are used..

 

[Robson Valley]

Socket tooled crooked knives are still used for cross-grain hollowing of spoons and bowls.
While mine are flat-bladed, surface hafted tools, I would love to work a block with such a bronze
masterpiece.
Imagine the effort to produce the casting mold!

 

[Wild Tuscany Bushcraft]

This is a really interesting photo!