I finally found two rather fresh bones in the forest and decided that making some bone needles would be a good start to working with this material. And so I don't lose them, I also built a small container for them to safely hang around my neck.
Most of the bones you will find are likely too old to be of much use. The material loses its natural oils and it becomes brittle; the bottom one in the opening shot is a good example. But the two top ones are still fresh, although the bigger one has been split open and is missing one end as well as a pretty big splinter.
For my first needle, I used this existing edge, scraped a groove parallel to it and broke off a narrow strip. It turned out a bit shorter than planned, but still makes a nice needle - very robust and sturdy, I could probably punch through leather with it.
I then proceeded to remove the remaining bone end and split the hollow tube into two halves along its length, again by scraping deep grooves into both sides and then carefully hitting it with a hammer stone. From the shorter piece, I cut off a strip for another needle, this time a bit longer and narrower than the first one.
Making these takes a bit of work and a rare resource, so I really don't want to lose them. To store them, I hollowed out an elderberry branch segment, cut plugs out of willow for both ends, and attached it to a neck strap made from nettle fibers.
#bonetools #primitiveskills