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| Bone Awl |
In a previous post we extracted a cannon bone. Though a cannon bone can have many uses, today we'll make some bone awls, which are very handy for working with buckskin.
An awl is pretty much a pointed, tapered tool to make holes through various kinds of materials, including leather.
Cannon bones are nicely suited to be used because of their groove. We'll use that groove to help us split the bone.
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| Cannon Bone |
You can split the bone lengthwise with a hacksaw or, if you want to do it a more primitive way, you can use a sharp stone flake. If you want to make sure to have the nice rounded end of the bone as a handle, though, I recommend that you still at least use the hacksaw to saw through the ends, which otherwise may split in surprising ways.
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| Stone Flake |
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| Scoring the Bone with a Stone Flake |
Use the stone flake to score the bone on both sides, going all the way through the hard outside of the bone, until you reach the softer textured core.
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| Scored Cannon Bone |
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| Splitting Rock |
Once the bone is scored on both sides, find a rock that is shaped like an A-frame, with a straight sharp edge on top. It can be set into the ground or just on the ground if it has a flat bottom.
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| Splitting the Cannon Bone |
Set the scored bone onto the splitting rock and gently tap it with a stick, starting at an end of the bone, until you hear it crack. Then flip the bone over and tap it again. Repeat the process until the bone splits completely. It may split evenly or not; you can never be sure.
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| Split Cannon Bone |
If the whole length splits evenly, you may have to split each piece in half so as to have four usable pieces. Otherwise, proceed with what you end up with.
At this point, if you still want to do it primitively, you have to start grinding the bone into the shape of an awl. Find an abrasive rock for that purpose. Cement works great as well. Otherwise, use a hacksaw to cut out the shape you want and then grind it into the refined product or use a fine file for the same thing.
The picture at the top of this post shows a very long awl but it definitely doesn't need to be that way. Actually, that's a great way to break it if you're not careful. The only thing you really need is a point about an inch or so long.
Make sure the end is completely rounded so that it pushes fibers aside without cutting into them and that it has a fine, even taper.
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| Bone Awl Point |
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