several people have asked me how to haft points and blades into handles, darts, arrows, and spears. here is a basic tutorial on how to haft a stone knife blade into an antler handle. the same technique works for just about anything and is actually simpler for arrows, spears, and the like as you can skip the gluing step. please excuse the rudimentary artwork.

start by matching up your blade to an appropriate handle. try to envision what it will look like once hafted and work towards that idea. once you've got the idean in your head, go ahead and cut the antler off in a square cut. it's better to leave extra material on the antler than it is to take too much off. you can always remove more later, but you can't add any back on. next, hold the base of the blade edge over the handle in line with how you want it to go and make marks on the cut surface matching the blades widest point. draw lines down both sides of the handle mimicking the profile shape of the blade. use a small coping saw ($8 at home depot) to cut out the notch. dry fit your blade, making sure that it fits all the way in and is straight reletive to the handle. use a small file or a sharp knife to remove any excess antler. the blade should slip in and out of the notch easily, but be snug enough to hold it in place when held sideways.


next, sand or scrape the sides of the handle to taper inwards. leave between a 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch at the edge. you can also taper the other way, but leave eough surface area to still hold the blade. once you have your handle shaped to your liking, wrap the notch end with masking tape to a point just below the bottom of the notch. make sure it's a tight seal all the way around with no gaps. refit your blade and observe how much negetive space there is inside the notch. if you've done a decent job it shouldn't be more than a quarter of the total volume. remove the blade and fill the notch one quater full of glue. i use hide glue for several reasons. it's strong, reletively fast drying, primitive, and looks good but there are any number of alternatives. Knox gelatine (available at any grocery store) is basically refined hide glue and works well. elmers wood glue and other brands work well also, but the drying time is much longer. once the notch is a quater full, slide your blade in slowly. the glue will rise to fill the notch. if it looks like you have too much and it's going to spill over the edge, take the blade out and use a Q-tip to remove some. if done right, the glue should fill all the negetive space up to the edgge of the notch. prop the whole assembley so the blade is sticking up and leave to dry. make sure the blade is still straight and in line with the handle. hide glue will set within an hour but takes 24 hours to fully dry. elmers glue wont fully set for about four hours and takes nearly 48 to fully dry. once it does, remove the masking tape and wrap with the material of your choice. i prefer rawhide for its authenticity and its shrinking properties, but you can use string, bark, leather, or just about any cordage.

as a finishing touch, you can fill any gaps at the top with pine pitch glue or elmers mixed with dirt for a more primitive feel. i hope this has been informative.

Chris

thanks, Aztec. yeah, the dirt is just for color and to make it look more natural, not for any adhesive quality. i use the glue and sawdust trick when i'm filling gaps in woodworking. works great

heya Bommarez. yes, antler will get softer when steamed, but unless you are putting a very skinny stemmed point into just the center pith of the antler, you still have to notch.

I have tried to attach a thing or two in my time, and is really curious about what kind of use (not abuse, but cutting meat, leather, wood, and maybe skinning, you know, paleo-things ) those knives can take before the blade come loose.
timann

Timann, if they are made well and not abused, these knives will last virtually forever. i have a couple that i use on regular basis that are over ten years old and have only had to retouch the edge from time to time.

i should have been more clear on that. for larger points and points without side notches it's still a good idea to use an adhesive in addition to wrapping, but you don't have to use hide glue or completely fill all the gaps. pine pitch glue is more than adequate and sinew for the wrap is preferable over rawhide. you can get away with hafting small side notched arrowheads without adhesive.

Yup, thanks!

Have you ever used fish bladder glue?  It is very similar to hide glue but is stronger and more water resistant.  That gets important down here in the Southeast with our super high humidity.  Normally, I just use PPG, it's quicker.  Bill