#lithicart

“This may be the most technically difficult piece I've ever knapped.  The hand is based on my own hand (but slightly oversized), including the bent little finger.  The first hurdle was driving long flakes across the palm and the back of the hand to thin the piece.  They had to be smooth with clean terminations while covering an area over five inches wide. Then came the notches between the fingers.  The notches were done with punching, which is usually a straightforward process.  Of couse, the hand required four notches, all deep, and all demanding precise contours to match my fingers.  This required a balancing act:  I had to get the hand thin enough to drive in the deep notches while keeping it thick enough to resist breaking under the stress of notching.  There were two failures.  This was the success.” -Woody Blackwell, AMAZING knapper