Scraper/Tool

[Ahnlaashock]

I had originally posted this one in the picture of rough bifaces, and thought it was just a more refined preform.  I took a brush and cleaned it up pretty good afterwards, and it is not a preform at all.  That may not be a natural patina from age and weather on the stone either.

It is over 3.25 inches in length.  It is around 1.75 inches across.  It is .7x along the thickness of the spine.  Both ends appear to be worked, which is how it got in with the others I guess.  Wasn't my call.  I was actually examining it, wondering why they kept it that thick, as narrow as it is.  All of the other obvious scrapers are very differently made. 
Anyway, after looking closely at the cleaned up piece, the one end is shaped to fit the hand and is ground pretty heavily.  The other is sharpened, and is undercut on one side, making it a pointed scraper or gouge of some kind.  When held in the hand, as one would to use it as a scraper, whoever used it, may have had a little bit longer little finger than I do, it seems, or they used the first three fingers, and in that case, the patina lines up perfectly with a hand the size of my own.  The patina seems like it may be the direct hand print, from its use.
When I hold it, the patina area is covered almost 100 percent, and the area that is not, is contacted as you work the tool.  The only area that is not, is like I already said.  It looks like their little finger extended a little more than mine does, which is not shocking, since mine are very short, or they used the first three fingers without the fourth.   
I will try to get pictures that show what I am talking about. 
Getting pictures of the one side of the working edge was easy, but getting decent pictures of the undercut side was almost impossible under this light, with this camera. 
Is it possible that that discoloration is a handprint left from long use?   I am a beginner, so I am not making any calls at all for sure.  I am just describing what I am seeing. 
Here is the address to the pictures. 

http://s429.photobucket.com/user/ahnlaashock/library/paleo/Scraper

[mullet]

It's hard to tell from the pictures but I'd say it might be a small hand ax, or chopping tool. It probably started life as a preform from a crappy piece of rock and turned into a tool of opportunity.

[Ahnlaashock]

I would call the stone, high quality, and beautiful too. 
Did hand axes have an undercut curved lip that is obviously deliberate?   I don't know, but have never seen such. 
I apologize for the pictures, but this camera doesn't do macro mode very well. 

[mullet]

From the pictures I can't tell what you mean by undercut, plus Photobucket is a pain. Even the unworked rough, thick end is good stone?

[Ahnlaashock]

Yes.  There is a small area of actual pitted bad stone right on the end, but the rest is pretty high grade material, even under the patina.  There is knapping under much of the patina, that is ground or worn down smooth.  The second like it is from the same type of stone, without the patina. 
Your words about tool of opportunity sent me looking for examples of that, and I found more than I expected to find, from one container. 
In with the rough stone, there is a scarper only worked on one side that is about the same size and shape, just made by an entirely different process.  This one is going to take a while to compose, so I may break it up into different posts.
 
The cutting edge of the two are knapped at a very steep angle to roll the edge, but the other side has flakes removed to undercut the edge, or hollow away from it, making it so that the tool cuts as it is dragged, or used, coming towards you.  Both are smoothed on one side, but the second one has a ridge left down the center on the bottom side that does not interfere with use at all.
Again, I am a beginner explaining what I see.  Don't take any of my ramblings as arguing. 
Here is a picture of the two of them, but I don't have time to do the photography for the rest right now.  I don't have a photo program to make them smaller, and most forums require that I use Photobucket. 

[stickbender]

     Aliens had longer fingers.   At least the one's I've seen.....

                                                Wayne

[Ahnlaashock]

The patina appears to be from after the piece was formed, and extends all the way to the cutting tip itself on the palm side, where the material has been knapped deep into good stone.  Even some of the sharpening flake areas are turning to the brown, while other newer flakes are much darker. 

[Ahnlaashock]

These four have all been sharpened on one edge and as tools of opportunity, as you suggested, and the thin one may actually be a scraper, with the sharpened area being curved. 

[mullet]

Those pictures are actually better. What you are calling Patina is really part of the cortex that was not removed when the initial reduction flaking was started. I know you are probably wanting more but again, I think it is a preform in a stage of reduction that had some edge work done for a certain project and was discarded, lost or never had any other reduction done to it.

Is that rock Kentucky Blue, or Hornestone?

[Ahnlaashock]

You have me on the stone.  It is a deep gray with maybe a hint of blue to it.  It turns a lighter shade as the fractured faces age, as you can see, and then starts to turn brown, as can be seen happening near the top of the second piece.  They are most definitely shaped for a purpose, and I do not believe them to be preforms at all, but I have been wrong before, and I am a beginner. 
Yes, there is cortex, but it was also knapped to shape.  The entire surface is worked on the first, and the attempt to roll the edge and control the direction of cut is unmistakable.   The entire one side of the second is worked smooth, while only the cutting end is worked on the bottom, in almost exactly the same manner as the first, to include pressure flakes taken running parallel to the cutting edge to hollow out/relieve the edge. 

Again, not arguing.  I appreciate the input, and your views may well become my own over time. 
I posted the pictures over on Paleoplanet also. 
 

[Ahnlaashock]

Digging further into the collection, the round nosed scraper, with the rounded over nose and the edge pointed so that it cuts as you pull, is duplicated over and over, to include some that have sharp spike type ends, so they could be hafted.  The pronounced hook on the end is hard to miss once you recognize it for what it is.  The one I brought in to clean up and photograph is sharp enough to cut you on the corners, but worn dull all across the center.  Extensive work was done to create the hook and the cutting edge, but the shank was not even touched it seems.   The second has a smooth pocket on the end, that fits the hand at the base of the first finger as you work the tool.  You could use great force with comfort.  It is sharp enough to use as is. 
Anyway, here are two more of the hook nosed type scrapers in this collection.