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11-02-2021, 01:20 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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Flint Knapping Art
I met a wonderful Flint Knapper in town.
Collected a couple of arrowheads from him, then had him custom made this knife.
Handle is Dall Sheep Horn, blade is Mahogany Obsidian. Blade is 4.5" by just over 2" at the deepest part. Overall 9" in length. Sinew binding between the blade and horn handle. Pictures actually don't do it justice - much better in person:
Arrowheads of Black Obsidian:
He does occasional custom work.
If interested pm and I'll pass along his contact information.
Rather Fine Work of Art IMO. 
Cheers,
Nog
Last edited by IronNoggin; 11-02-2021 at 01:32 PM.
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11-02-2021, 01:45 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: At the end of the Thirsty Beaver Trail, Pinsky lake, Alberta.
Posts: 24,612
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That is truly awesome craftsmanship.
display or are they functional?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Be careful when you follow the masses, sometimes the "M" is silent... 
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11-02-2021, 01:55 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 58thecat
That is truly awesome craftsmanship.
display or are they functional?
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Both. I'll update this thread when I skin this year's whitetail with the knife...
Cheers,
Nog
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11-02-2021, 02:49 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: At the end of the Thirsty Beaver Trail, Pinsky lake, Alberta.
Posts: 24,612
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IronNoggin
Both. I'll update this thread when I skin this year's whitetail with the knife...
Cheers,
Nog
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Look forward to seeing that post.
Thx.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Be careful when you follow the masses, sometimes the "M" is silent...
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11-02-2021, 03:21 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Calgary
Posts: 1,816
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Really cool. Love that some people still do this.
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11-02-2021, 03:41 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2021
Posts: 3,796
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Okotok
Really cool. Love that some people still do this.
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You don't realize the difficulty and art of it until you've tried it.
Grizz
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Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there is no place, that they be alone in the midst of the Earth.
Isaiah 5:8
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11-02-2021, 06:42 PM
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Join Date: May 2017
Location: Rocky Mtn House,AB
Posts: 2,213
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That is very interesting....
Most have forgotten how things really started.... 
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11-02-2021, 10:33 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: central Alberta
Posts: 12,629
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IronNoggin
Both. I'll update this thread when I skin this year's whitetail with the knife...
Cheers,
Nog
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Very nice knapping. You should ask the guy to show you how to do micro flaking so you can touch up the edge of the knife if you need. Not sure how long obsidian holds a nice surgical edge. Should work great.
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This country was started by voyagers whose young lives were swept away by the currents of the rivers for ten cents a day... just for the vanity of the European's beaver hats. ~ Red Bullets
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It is when you walk alone in nature that you discover your strengths and weaknesses. ~ Red Bullets
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11-02-2021, 10:41 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: central Alberta
Posts: 12,629
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams1
You don't realize the difficulty and art of it until you've tried it.
Grizz
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And the danger in knapping obsidian. I tried a few times and found little tiny micro flakes flew off and penetrated my carcass. Then even got a tiny chard of obsidian in my foot days later. Very hard to pull out because it breaks so easy. Knapping obsidian it's good to wear leathers and safety goggles. And knapp where barefoot people are unlikely to ever walk.
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This country was started by voyagers whose young lives were swept away by the currents of the rivers for ten cents a day... just for the vanity of the European's beaver hats. ~ Red Bullets
___________________________________________
It is when you walk alone in nature that you discover your strengths and weaknesses. ~ Red Bullets
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11-03-2021, 03:25 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Bullets
Very nice knapping. You should ask the guy to show you how to do micro flaking so you can touch up the edge of the knife if you need. Not sure how long obsidian holds a nice surgical edge. Should work great.
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He thinks it will last a fair length of time, just avoid bone contact too much.
And, he offered to touch it up as required!
Hell of a Fine Fellow IMO!
Good safety advice in your next post too.
Cheers,
Nog
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05-05-2022, 02:43 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IronNoggin
Both. I'll update this thread when I skin this year's whitetail with the knife...
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Better late than never...
Worked very very well!
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05-05-2022, 02:44 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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Ken has been busy as of late...
There is a gem & rock show coming to Combs soon. Ken will be putting on a knapping demonstration.
I'll post the info up here in case anyone might be interested...
Cheers,
Nog
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05-06-2022, 09:40 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: southeast alberta
Posts: 1,183
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That is Really nice work, I can't help but wish I had one, Where does he get his obsidian?
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05-06-2022, 09:45 AM
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AO Sponsor
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Airdrie, AB and Part Time BC
Posts: 3,010
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Now that is neanderthal tool making at its best! 
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Urban Expressions Wheel & Tire Inc
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05-06-2022, 10:32 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 2,146
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Flint knapping by another name..
Flint knapping on a stone like arrowheads and knife heads is so interesting.
In another application, some knife makers call it etching a knife handle "flint knapping". It is also known as scalloping, rock pattering or texturing.
Clint C did a flint knapping on a custom he made for me. It really grips the hand when wet or cold...I love the feel.
Good luck in customizing.
Here is DIY sample by White Bone Knives
I recommend practicing first, it is harder to do than it looks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4x--aDYp7A
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We have two lives: The life we learn with and the life we live with after that.
Last edited by graybeard; 05-06-2022 at 10:41 AM.
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05-06-2022, 11:51 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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Quote:
Originally Posted by owlhoot
Where does he get his obsidian?
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Gets most of it Stateside.
He also takes custom orders from time to time.
Cheers,
Nog
Last edited by IronNoggin; 05-06-2022 at 11:59 AM.
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05-06-2022, 11:52 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Calgary Perchdance
Posts: 18,892
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tirebob
Now that is neanderthal tool making at its best! |
Saw a guy working chert in France once. Very cool.
Wanted to find some in Alberta of a quality to try it. Still looking.
__________________
It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself. Charles Darwin
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05-06-2022, 03:48 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Calgary
Posts: 1,816
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sundancefisher
Saw a guy working chert in France once. Very cool.
Wanted to find some in Alberta of a quality to try it. Still looking.
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Very rare in Alberta if at all from what I've read. I found a few small pieces by the Moyie River near Cranbrook.
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05-06-2022, 11:53 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Calgary Perchdance
Posts: 18,892
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Okotok
Very rare in Alberta if at all from what I've read. I found a few small pieces by the Moyie River near Cranbrook.
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Darn it.
Found this
https://albertashistoricplaces.com/2...ta-connection/
__________________
It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself. Charles Darwin
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05-07-2022, 10:11 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 6,697
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sundancefisher
Saw a guy working chert in France once. Very cool.
Wanted to find some in Alberta of a quality to try it. Still looking.
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France and England are awash in flint, beautiful huge nodules of it. Some places in England have no other rock at all. Lots and lots of knapped items found in Alberta are made from rock that originated a very long ways away from here.
I knapped my buddy a few flint heads and he killed a deer with one. That’s pretty cool to contemplate….
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05-07-2022, 12:24 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 11,858
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The first time I experimented with breaking/napping rock, and making an edge, I was amazed at how razor sharp rocks can be. Truly amazing and completely unsuspected. This was more or less just some camp site fun - but it was kind of cool to try. Not sure what kind of rock we found but it was a fun afternoon.
That knife looks amazing - really a great conversation piece.
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05-07-2022, 12:42 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: AB
Posts: 6,638
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Reminds me of "The hunted" movie with tommy lee jones...very neat
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06-06-2022, 12:17 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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I had the pleasure of attending a Knapping Demonstration put on by my Buddy in Coombs. He took a good deal of time explaining what he was doing, the structure of the rock and how to use that to your advantage. He also spoke to the various styles employed by differing peoples, the material each employed, and the wide ranging trade of the finished items. The table beside him has tools for the job of antler (deer & elk), sandstone, copper and the metallic one he is using in the picture.
I had no idea just how technical this really is. It was entirely eye opening for me in that regard! The fellow REALLY knows his stuff and has degrees in both Geology and Archeology in his support.
The knife on the upper left is what he created from a large obsidian blank at the demo:
I also commissioned another like my own for my Father's impending birthday. Was well worth the drive down to watch!! Both entertaining and extremely informative.
Cheers,
Nog
Last edited by IronNoggin; 06-06-2022 at 12:25 PM.
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12-07-2022, 01:13 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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What do you get a Man who has everything he ever wanted for Christmas??
Always a tough one.
But when Pa saw the original knife I had Ken make, he promptly exclaimed "That is one of the coolest things I've ever seen!"
BINGO.
So, sweet talked Ken into yet another fine Work of Art.
Then contracted a local artist to construct a shadow box once I had found the right grain of wood:
Turned out AWESOME!
Pa is going to be wagging his tail rather hard Christmas morning methinks!!
Cheers,
Nog
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12-07-2022, 01:53 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: central Alberta
Posts: 12,629
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Looks like Ken has it down to an art. Nice blades and points. I took up the hobby and learned how hard it is. You really have to know how to read a rock.
Quote:
Originally Posted by owlhoot
That is Really nice work, I can't help but wish I had one, Where does he get his obsidian?
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While obsidian isn't around Alberta there were different areas that had quarries that had knapable stones. Quartzites, siltstones, cherts and petrified wood can all be knapped into points and blades. Cherts can be found all over central Alberta. There are two quarries near Consort that were used by First Nations. At Strathcona Science Provincial Park that is next to Edmonton was a quarry that was used for centuries for working rocks into tools and weapons.
https://albertashistoricplaces.com/2...ntral-alberta/
__________________
___________________________________________
This country was started by voyagers whose young lives were swept away by the currents of the rivers for ten cents a day... just for the vanity of the European's beaver hats. ~ Red Bullets
___________________________________________
It is when you walk alone in nature that you discover your strengths and weaknesses. ~ Red Bullets
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12-07-2022, 02:06 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 614
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IronNoggin
What do you get a Man who has everything he ever wanted for Christmas??
Always a tough one.
But when Pa saw the original knife I had Ken make, he promptly exclaimed "That is one of the coolest things I've ever seen!"
BINGO.
So, sweet talked Ken into yet another fine Work of Art.
Then contracted a local artist to construct a shadow box once I had found the right grain of wood:
Turned out AWESOME!
Pa is going to be wagging his tail rather hard Christmas morning methinks!!
Cheers,
Nog |
Lovely!
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12-08-2022, 04:10 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 38
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Obsidian
I have a piece of Mahogany Obsidian, approx. 5" x 4"x 2 ". it was found in my flower bed a few seasons ago.. Obviously not from here.. Any thoughts as how to get it into someone's hands who could actually use it. .It was recently used as a door stop..
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12-08-2022, 05:23 PM
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Join Date: May 2017
Location: Rocky Mtn House,AB
Posts: 2,213
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That is absolutely awesome!...
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12-09-2022, 07:37 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: At the end of the Thirsty Beaver Trail, Pinsky lake, Alberta.
Posts: 24,612
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Dam that is a really nice looking display.
__________________
Be careful when you follow the masses, sometimes the "M" is silent...
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12-21-2022, 10:53 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jfs
I have a piece of Mahogany Obsidian, approx. 5" x 4"x 2 ". it was found in my flower bed a few seasons ago.. Obviously not from here.. Any thoughts as how to get it into someone's hands who could actually use it. .It was recently used as a door stop..
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What do you want for that?
Wondering...
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