Now let's get primative!

Here's an flaked (or flintknapped) obsidian blade hafted to a deer antler handle with sinew, just like they used to do in the good old days. Flintknapping is almost a lost art, although there's been something of a revival in recent years, including some incredibly beautiful and surprisingly functional blades. Go to www.flintknapping.com as a launching point into this arcane artform.


Obsidian is a volcanic glass that can be flaked into remarkably sharp edges - sharper, in fact, that we are able to make with surgical steel, which is why it is still used in some modern surgical applications.

Incidentally, neither antler nor obsidian can be detected by a metal detector, although there are laws in many juridictions that prohibit the carrying of "undetectable" weapons. I've always loved that turn of phrase - If a weapon is undetectable, no one could find it, and would be unable to enforce the policy. If someone found it, it would no longer be undetectable, and no law would have been broken.

Whatever. Obey the law and everthing should be just fine...right?