Wrapping a Flint Knife Handle with Plaited Porcupine Quills.

Wrapping a primitive flint knife with plaited porcupine quillwork. Starting with making twine/thread from deer sinew. The quills are then soaked in warm water to soften them. The porcupine quills are wrapped around two pieces of deer sinew twine/thread which is then wrapped around the deer leg bone knife handle. Some of the quills are left natural and some are dyed red. The quills came from a road-killed porcupine found in western Oklahoma. It's interesting to know that prior to any beadwork done by the Native Americans, porcupine quills were used for decoration. Plaiting was used on quite a few items; pipestems, quirts, etc. but I figured it would look nice on a knife handle.

[@Archer5219]

Many of the natural dyes/plant dyes that work for wool would probably work for quills too. Many wool dyes benefit from mordants (dyeing assistants) for the full range of colors and colorfastness that you can get. Otherwise, you can use things as simple as beets, red cabbage, goldenrods, Queen Anne's lace (I got a nice yellow dye from it with alum as a mordant), onion skins, etc. Yellows are the easiest color to get. Walnut hulls make a very nice brown. Fascinating video.

[@jameshess4023]

My sixteen year old grandson in Montana is into flint napping and has made a few knives and points I am sure he will be very interested in your video. Thank you very much.

[@danieltwocoyotes7895]

I'm lakota quillworker and I can tell there's intention to honor the animal in every twist you do with a quill, a lot of work and focus thank you for sharing..

[@ShinBone5000]

Thanks, I really appreciate your comment. I can look at a lot of the pieces I've made and remember where different parts came from. A knife handle made from the leg bone of a deer my son harvested while I was with him. Arrow fletchings from a particular turkey that I hunted for three weeks before calling him in one morning. No one else can look at these items and know the personal hunts/events that occurred allowing me to honor these animals. Some as simple as picking up a road killed porcupine that would totally go to waste if I didn't use his quills. Now their lives live on through my art.

[@roadkillguam]

Thanks for sharing this, I've often wondered how this quill work was done and you've created a nice video.

[@ShinBone5000]

Thanks, I used red food dye for these quills but am experimenting with plant dyes. There's not a lot of information on using different plants for dye, the process that is, but a bit of experimenting will help.

[@BigWillSD]

Awesome thank you for the lesson.... on the dying I know maulburries make a beautiful purple dye

[@estelagahe2]

because they know how. what would be really cool is that when we natives want to learn it, some of our own people could teach it to us.

[@kevinsolove458]

That looks amazing! I would have not known about quill working if not for you... at least not this soon! Awsome job!

[@puffinlittle]

Greetings, Never have used quills before. Now I just might. Thanks. pax

[@Dewayneyork1]

I had no idea what the heck you were doing with the quills, so I got interested, and watched this video, and wow... you made that knife look authentic. It was absolutely beautiful... Thanks for the info... Take care and God bless

[@WAGONJON]

That turned out awesome! Thanks for showin!

[@ShinBone5000]

Almost two hours due to my inexperience with quilling. I've tried it in the past without very good results. First time it was with regular sewing thread which is not stiff enough. The thicker deer sinew thread works quite a bit better.

[@crazyflint]

amazing video that knife turned out awesome

[@Riley-lz8mf]

thank you very much for this video, I saw this plaiting technique in a book but never understood it until now.

[@ronniehawks3092]

thanks for taking the time to show us yr method i made me a quilled deer leg handled flint knife im allso a knapper for years now great hobbie thanks again

[@nymwasoab]

That's one cool knife handle. Can't say I've seen anything like that. Thanks for the video.

[@ShinBone5000]

Been wanting to try Queen Anne's lace, I've heard about it and figured that onion skin would be natural too. Will need to give them a try. Thanks for the great info!!! S'Bone

[@pyrofful]

Thank you sir! I'm always looking for more ways to use a deer carcass after harvesting the meat. I usually just cut it off and toss it. Knew about using the Achilles tendon but not this one. Cool

[@TheTribeOfBenjamin]

Wow what a beautiful knife and that quill work looks fantastic! I don't think you could ask for a nicer one! Thanks for showing this! Ben

[@blkcat1254]

Hey, after you wrap the knife handle with rawhide,if you get it wet it may get soft again, get yourself some pine pitch, ground egg and ground cow or buffalo dug, heat pitch, add egg shell and dung together and cover the rawhide to protect your sinew.

[@cplrey]

Shin: I've got every book ever printed on quill work and that was the best explanation for plaiting I've seen yet. I had to interrupt my quilling efforts a little while ago because I got one of the barbs under my fingernail -ouch! I'm curious, how long did it take you to do the actual plaiting once you were set up? Cpl Rey in Ohio

[@Tossdart]

Ting of beauty.

[@ShinBone5000]

I've got a few slabs ready to work but turkey season is overriding my flint knapping. My middle son was able to take a nice gobbler during youth season and I took one at the start of regular season but the hot weather last year has our bird numbers down. Oh well, that's why they call it turkey hunting... Not turkey shooting :)

[@runingblackbear]

porqupine quill are cut to make bead work too and you can dye them any color you want

[@Waldhandwerk]

Fine work! ...thanks for showing. Best wishes, Sepp

[@TheMelonOwnz]

Thank you for posting this. I've always wanted to know how to make sinew string. ^.^

[@kullcraven]

Wow sweet job dude, looks amazing . great job buddy

[@teenprepper96]

that is pretty cool

[@touchnova]

Another amazing project! Where do you get all this knowledge, good grief. Beautiful work, I'm now off to find a dead porcupine! :) Thanks for sharing these skills, much appreciated. How's the obsidian doing, have you worked it much more? Best from MT!

[@trappeurbrayon]

Just wow ...

[@tronicvision-misic]

Now it's all about the survival skills that were used by people who actually lived off the land. Back then, they were labeled as savages who stood in the path of progress. But progress now owns all of the land and those survival skills become artful relics.

[@ShinBone5000]

My own thoughts. There's no telling how many primitive practices that have been lost forever. Was talking with a member of the Caddo tribe who was trying to figure out how his ancestors painted black on their clay pots so that it didn't burn off while being used to cook with. Little items like that which are lost forever.

[@straubdavid9]

Fascinating work. I'm always amazed at human ingenuity - past and present. Do you coat the quill handle with anything to keep it durable, or is this type of plaiting more for show? Tnx 4 sharing.

[@jedexkid41]

i'm guessing you could coat it in something, but the quills should be pretty durable. but i'm just speculating.

[@kullcraven]

Hey man i twisted all the sinew you sent into a long rope cordage. will be much easier to work with when wrapping knives again. thanks alot

[@KnapperJackCrafty]

Awesome!!

[@MTNMANTIM]

Awesome work !! may i ask how you dyed your quills ? thank you Tim

[@laztKING75]

Awesome work, do you sell these also? I would love a elk bone knife

[@runsfarwoman]

How did you trim the quills? Did you just snip them off with a scissors?

[@locolobo338]

WOW

[@Maya78]

Nice work! I'm from Sweden and we don't have porcupine here. Very interesting. Is it an old tradition or a newer thing this quillwork?

[@nunyabizwack343]

Maria Haglund it's Native American. it's ancient.

[@nathanexplosion743]

neat

[@blizte3]

we need survival skills taught more today than anything and this what I mean down to living off the land we I think need dump technology when we can and back up skills lost and languages banned use by tribes

[@blizte3]

huh

[@primitivegaz9181]

Turned the really really cool knife into a awesome knife , if they say as u say its womens work id gladly turn into a woman if I was able to do work like that lol

[@jlyndre218]

Good until "woman's work".

[@robinmiller4770]

I believe he was referring to historic quillwork, the native women did the quillwork which also corresponds to all books on the subject.