Basel grinding

[Granville]

Yesterday it finally happened, I found a Clovis. Can anybody tell me what it was that the Clovis people used to grind the bases on the points they made? Thanks!

[UpNorth]

What, no pics…
they ground the base with stone.
maybe the same one used to make the point.
…. Post ‘er up….👍

[OnewiththewilD]

Pics or it didnt happen! Lol

[sailorjoe]

Hi Granville. Yeah, like Jay says we have to see photos of a point someone claims to be a Clovis because of their rarity. Lots of people think they have found a Clovis and it turns out they are not. I hope you have found one. As far as basal grinding goes, many, many types exhibit that trait.

[Ron Kelley]

I abrade the bases on the points that I knap. Sandstone works good.

[Granville]

Your right here’s some pictures. I live in Granville co. NC, this point is a pinkish white quartzite.

[pkfrey]

Your point may be a Clovis, but its been anciently resharpened down to the point of exhaustion. Basal grinding would be added by using any type of stone that was handy. Sharp edges can even be ground using antler. What you should see, however, is a " rolled " type of grinding with a matte, smooth polish to the basal edges. Most of what we see and call basal grinding is the after effect of the hafting element constantly rubbing the edges. Hardened sinew used for lashing would further polish the areas that were initially ground, or simply dulled. Use at least a 10x loupe and see if the edges exhibit a nice rounded edge with smooth polish. I can't be sure, but the material might be Cattail Creek chalcedony, a common lithic used in Va. and the Carolinas.

[Garguy]

Well said.

[Narrow Way Knapper]

I use a waste flake to grind the hafting area. Not sure what the Clovis folks used.