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Copper tools vs flint for actual work, flint wins every time
I spent a summer at a dig in Çatalhöyük and got to try out both copper and flint blades on some deer bone. The copper chipped after maybe 20 cuts and was useless. Flint kept its edge for over 60 strokes before I had to resharpen. Anyone else find that experimental archaeology completely changes how you see ancient tool choices?
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tessa_kim34d ago
Copper is way too soft for heavy work, it's a fact. Tried processing some hardwood with a copper axe head and it deformed after the first dozen swings. Flint holds up way better for bone and wood, but it's not perfect for everything. Copper wins on softer materials like leather or plants where you don't want constant resharpening. So it really depends what you're doing, but for hard stuff like bone and antler, flint all day.
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patricia_king234d ago
A buddy of mine tried forging a copper axe head last summer, @tessa_kim3, and he had the SAME problem. After maybe fifteen chops into some oak, the blade edge just folded over like butter. He was SO mad because he'd spent days shaping it. Flint is definitely the way to go for any serious wood or bone work, no contest there. But I've seen copper work great for things like splitting soft pine for kindling or slicing up hides, since it holds a fine edge without all that chipping.
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