[Bonetools] odd ostrich object

[Clive Bonsall]

S O'Connor wrote:
>
> I think that the piece of ostrich shell might not be so much a 
> functional or decorative object in itself, but a waste piece.  If you 
> want to cut a large circular hole in the egg you could drill a ring of 
> holes and then break or saw through the narrow gaps between the drill 
> holes.  I've done something like this in wood to attach a lock when I 
> didn't have the correct tool cut a single hole with a large enough 
> diameter. This process produces a waste piece like the one you have 
> and would leave a hole of roughly the right shape which could then be 
> filed and sanded to form a circular opening.
This was also my first thought when I saw the photo, but not being a 
proper bone tool specialist I refrained from making the first comment. 
I've used the technique described by Sonia to "cut" large holes in 
ceramic tiles. However, I couldn't tell from the photo whether the small 
holes (or what remains of them) in the ostrich shell show traces of 
having been made by drilling.
-- 
Clive Bonsall
School of History, Classics, and Archaeology
University of Edinburgh
Old High School
Infirmary Street
Edinburgh, EH1 1LT
Tel: +44-131-650 2375/666 0262
Fax: +44-131-650 2378
Archaeology Home Page: http://www.shc.ed.ac.uk/archaeology/index.htm
Personal Home Page: 
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