THE LEARNING CENTER
Recognizing
Fire Damaged Points
Contributed
by member Jim Bennett
I like to look over all the damaged and broken points I can get my hands on. They all have a story to tell. For many that I find the story is " I didn't jump out of the plows way in time"... and now a once beautiful point comes in several pieces :-) But what about ancient breaks, Impact Fractures and Fire Damage?
Not all damage is from plows and field equipment. For many points the type of damage tells the story of the point. Or adds a mystery to its use and loss.
By looking at the break or chipped area you can tell if it was broken in ancient times or modern times by studying the patina around the chip. If there is a definite patination difference, the chip is fresh. If the chipped area is sharp, it is fresh. But if the chipped area has the same patina and is not sharp, it is most likely ancient damage.
Fire damage has a look all its own. When a flint relic gets overheated it will "pop" and part of the flint will blow off leaving a cobbled looking area or a depression in the flint. Look over the below pics of fire damaged points. Once you are familiar with the "look" of fire damage, it will really stand out!
