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In this class, you will learn the process of hafting a stone knife blade into a wood handle. There are very few examples of hafted knives preserved in the Southwest. The style of hafting we will do in this class is based on Basketmaker and Pueblo knives that have been found in rock shelters across the Southwest. I will teach participants how to work with pitch, sinew, and cordage to haft a knife.
I will provide all the necessary materials, such as a finished obsidian knife blade and a piece of Saguaro root that participants will make into a handle. I will demonstrate how to make a good working pitch-resin mixture to set the blade into the handle with. Participants will shape the wood handle with only stone tools and use their knife blade to saw the notch to inset the blade into the handle.
Class is limited to six participants for the time being—if I can accept more, I will update the information. Participants should wear long pants and bring gloves, as there will be some challenging carving. This class is open to ages 12 and up. Class will take about four hours, about 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.