Hoko knife

[John Fenna]

Fed up with Xmas I decided to have a primitive play and made a couple of Hoko Knives....
Based on 2700 year old finds from the Hoko river in Washington State USA these knives are quick, disposable improvised cutting tools originally (it seems) used for cleaning fish...
Start with nothing - end up with a lethal tool!
I made one from flint and one from slate I found in the garden,with green Ash handles and natural cordage (palm? Lime? - can't remember...)
The materials

splitting the handles with the blade materials

blade materials and shaping tools

flaking the flint

smashing the slate

grinding an edge onto the slate

hafting the blades

lashing the blades in place

done

 

[John Fenna]

Do they work?

I think so - but they will not replace my Carbon Steel blades!

 

[Toddy]

Nice one

They're surprisingly good at stripping bark from willow and the like too. Excellent if you want fine stuff for medicinal use.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Nice work John.

 

[Bishop]

Inspiring stuff as always Mr Fenna. If one thing Wales has a lot of it's slate!

 

[Robson Valley]

Very nice. I have used flint edges in my own kitchen to cut up raw meats like chicken and bison.
Dicing onions, green peppers and celery.
Because the flint breaks along a row of molecules, sharper than any steel can be, but harder to tune up.

 

[Janne]

Excellent work!

John, when you cut with the slate, does it release/ crumble?

Have you tried to cut things like potatoes and meat?

 

[John Fenna]

I have previously used flint and slate to butcher a pig - both worked well with no crumbling of either on flesh - but beware of hitting bone!