# Rattlesnake Obsidian Knife



## Nicodemus (May 14, 2006)

I`m no carver by any stretch of the imagination, but I had to try it one time. The handle is the sword tine from an elk antler. The Blade is lizardskin obsidian and it is held in place with pitch glue and deer sinew.


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## Woody's Janitor (May 14, 2006)

That will work!   Beautiful work as usual!


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## Nicodemus (May 14, 2006)

And one more...


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## WTM45 (May 14, 2006)

Nice!!!!!!!  I can see a small leather sheath with snakeskin, a few beads, a little piece of silver..............


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## CAL (May 14, 2006)

Quit Nick! All you do is make me want all of them.Beautiful work as usual.


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## WOODIE13 (May 14, 2006)

Nice


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## Al33 (May 14, 2006)

That is beautiful Nick!!!


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## boneboy96 (May 14, 2006)

very nice indeed!


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## Headshot (May 14, 2006)

Nick, looks like you can make anything you can think up.  Another beautiful piece of work.


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## Vernon Holt (May 14, 2006)

Unique interest and skill Nick.  By the way, have you ever skinned a buck with one??


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## Hoss (May 14, 2006)

Nice piece of work there Nic.  Got to admit, you are mighty handy with a peice of rock.

Hoss


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## Nicodemus (May 14, 2006)

Vernon Holt said:
			
		

> Unique interest and skill Nick.  By the way, have you ever skinned a buck with one??



Yessir, I have, and they work very well. The technique is a little different from usin` a steel blade though. You want to stay off bone as much as possible and don`t try to split the brisket with one of these. When  skinnin` a deer, especially if I`m savin` the hide, I only make 3 major cuts anyway. Then I work the hide off by hand so I have no score marks on the hide.

For skinnin` furbearers , a 2 or 3 inch fresh made flint or obsidian flake is what I prefer to do that work with. Held between the thumb and next two fingers, I have better control over the blade than I do with my old Improved Muskrat foldin` pocketknife.


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## LJay (May 14, 2006)

Well Nick, I guess you is a carver now too. That right there is sho' purty!!!!!


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## Handgunner (May 14, 2006)

Sweeet!  CAn you take a close up of the rattle's?


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## bam_bam (May 15, 2006)

fine lookin piece there nick. Where did you get the obsidian from i'd like a piece of that. Maybe one day i can be as good as you are. I would like to see a picture of that arrow and case of points you got there. good job dude


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## dutchman (May 15, 2006)

Very nice, as usual, Nick!


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## Paymaster (May 15, 2006)

Great work Nick. Thanks for post'n the pics.


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## Nicodemus (May 15, 2006)

Thanks ya`ll, Delton and Bam Bam, I`ll get those pics for ya`ll directly.


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## Nicodemus (May 15, 2006)

Here`s a close up of the rattles.


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## Nicodemus (May 15, 2006)

Some reproduction points and blades.


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## Nicodemus (May 15, 2006)

This is a Southeastern Woodland Indian style arrow. It`s around 36 inches long, with a 2 fletch design. There are 2 wild turkey tail feathers cut so when they are fletched on the arrow, it looks like a 4 fletch. The main shaft is rivercane with a foreshaft of black cherry. A Coastal Plains Chert side notched point is pitch glued and deer sinew wrapped to the foreshaft.


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## Nicodemus (May 15, 2006)

The point.


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## Nicodemus (May 15, 2006)

The union between the main arrow shaft and the foreshaft. It is sinew wrapped for addititional strength. The hardest part about makin` these is straightnin` the shaft.


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## Handgunner (May 15, 2006)

Thanks for the pictures, Nick.  And nice work on the arrow!

One question though.  What is the need in making the arrow from two different peices?  More strength from the cherry than river-cane?


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## Nicodemus (May 15, 2006)

Yea Delton, It puts a little more weight forward in addition to strength. When makin` arrows, you don`t really have to, but it does give it a little class.


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## Handgunner (May 15, 2006)

I agree with that.  Sharp lookin' arrow, literally!  

Thanks for the added pictures!


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## bam_bam (May 16, 2006)

nick those points are good lookin. i am glad you took a picture of the fletching i am gonna make some this year so i can hunt with them and my longbow. do you have to use tail feathers or can something else work? i like the two fletch seems like they would be easyier to tie on than a three fletch. thanks again nick


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