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S O'Connor wrote:
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<div class="Section1"><br>
<font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">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.</span></font></div>
</blockquote>
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.<br>
-- <br>
Clive Bonsall<br>
School of History, Classics, and Archaeology<br>
University of Edinburgh<br>
Old High School<br>
Infirmary Street<br>
Edinburgh, EH1 1LT<br>
Tel: +44-131-650 2375/666 0262<br>
Fax: +44-131-650 2378<br>
Archaeology Home Page: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.shc.ed.ac.uk/archaeology/index.htm">http://www.shc.ed.ac.uk/archaeology/index.htm</a><br>
Personal Home Page:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.shc.ed.ac.uk/archaeology/staff/staff_pages/cbonsall.htm">http://www.shc.ed.ac.uk/archaeology/staff/staff_pages/cbonsall.htm</a><br>
Masters programmes:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.shc.ed.ac.uk/archaeology/postgraduate/taught_progs.htm">http://www.shc.ed.ac.uk/archaeology/postgraduate/taught_progs.htm</a>
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