I was working on making pitch glue and the traditional “drumstick” looking glue stick was not forming right. I am already working on a big “stone age tool kit roll” and thought about Otzi’s retoucher. So I grabbed some cane i had lying around and viola. A pitch glue center and i just whittle it down as I go. Build and close up pics below. Thoughts? Suggestions? Anyone know how to keep a “drumstick” pitch glue stick not smear other things in a tool kit during hot weather?

For context, paper clay is any clay body to which cellulose fibers have been added, usually from paper. This can go as high as 30%, but I've had a hard time finding numbers. (EDIT2: The book about it says about 3%)

Paper clay is significantly easier to sculpt and more durable during the process, potentially making it way easier to make use of poor quality clay, or to form more precise objects. The downside is that it's somewhat weaker and more porous after firing.

For paper, you could just boil leaves or grass to soften them, then beat them down into a paper pulp, and use the resulting mixture for your clay. This will contain lignin as well as cellulose(EDIT: Nvm, boiling removes most of it. Adding a base helps neutralize any remaining acidity)(EDIT3: apparently no, you need stronger bases like lye or potash to remove lignin) but I couldn't find any info on how that'd affect paper clay. I know it's bad for long-term stability of paper, at least.

I need pyrite to make sulfur

I made the pen with local Texas wood with a tipped leather head on top, which is acting as the tip. I made the brush with rolled fringed leather, which I put the bottom in wax, tied with waxed thread, and then again, dipped in wax.

I live in Tn and need nitric acid for potassium nitrate, and I need the sulfur and potassium nitrate for reasons.

I’m processing an antler shead that I fount a couple months ago and when I split it it has a yellow spongy marrow in the middle, can I eat this and if not what can I do with it?

I make these as gifts for family and friends, hope y’all like it!

This work In progress is my first attempt at making a pecked and ground stone tool. I think I’m really getting the mechanics of the skill but I still have some questions. firstly, if I want to haft this head, should I make the groove wider? It will still be a relatively hefty axe after I sand everything down more. Secondly if I do haft I have almost no idea how to start. I live in central Texas where live oak, juniper, acacia, mesquite, palo verde, hackberry, Texas persimmon, black walnut and western sycamore are available to work with. I hear about bending saplings but I can’t imagine being able to without them snapping. Anyways thank you for reading and I appreciate any feedback 👍🏻

Will John ever build chairs, a table and a teapot and just serve some tea? That would be great.

Heyall I know this might sound dumb, but could someone like John, with his skills, survive out in the wild for the rest of his life?

I mean without ever having to come back to modern civilization, just primitive ways and his own inventions?

I imagine you could find wild grain or even grow your own, but I'm not sure how to go about making any sort of leavening agent. There's always flatbread but I'd like to make risen bread if practical. Sourdough perhaps? Any ideas would be a big help.

Does anyone else ALWAYS forget about the captioning and have to start over?

Recently pit fired my pots and thought all was good. Had a roaring fire, took them out, tapped them, nice ceramic sound.

Took them in to water test in sink they started dissolving. Not ceramic. BIG SAD.

I spent many weeks refining my own clay and countless more hours sculpting my pots. Is there anything I can do to save them, or should I count it as a learning experience and move on?

Thanks for any advice!

• one disgruntled ancient "potter"

Hello. I consider buying the book. Does anyone know if he is writing a second edition? I rather wait for a second edition then. Thanks in advance

Just curious if anybody else has any info on what happened to the blog. The last posts were in 2018. My guess is that John just got more busy with the channel. But hey! If anybody else has any info please share.

I’ve been trying to use local Georgia red clay to make pottery and have been really unsuccessful. I’ve been all over YouTube, Reddit, and the Internet and have only found a few people who make pottery from this clay. These two pots were made by myself and my 7 year old son. We are 2 for 10 right now. Does anybody know the secret to this particular type of clay? Thank you.

I want to melt some pine tar in an earthenware bowl, will that bowl have to be dedicated to pine tar hence forth, or will it be cleanable?

I hope that mods won't have anything against a little self promotion? I post most of my projects on instagram, so if you want to see more, you can find me at ⁦https://www.instagram.com/aestheticstoneage/⁩

I have yet to make a stone axe, but I've used sharp edges of slate to help break away limbs and small diameter trees. While slate works okay as a hand axe to get me by, I could see a stone axe being much more user friendly and a durable option.