Blacksmiths can make their own blacksmithing tools. I’m not a blacksmith but I had some flat bar steel in my scrap collection so I decided I needed to make an archaeology trowel. My model for the trowel was one of Tom McGovern’s specialty trowels which is nicknamed the “Italian Racing Trowel” due to the slender blade. This one was built for speed.

Using a cardboard template I traced out the flattened shape of the trowel and cut the metal using a cutting wheel on a Dremel. The Dremel isn’t the best way to cut metal but it’s what I had and it worked. I then worked on shaping the bevel of the blade. I did this with a large hand file, inherited from my father-in-law’s tool collection, and polished the metal with the Dremel. Next, I used a simple bending brake constructed from 2×4 scraps and clamps to bend the neck of the trowel handle to an angle similar to a Marshalltown’s. The final step for the trowel was wrapping the handle in paracord. This gave the trowel somewhat of a tactical feel so I decided to make a fitted Kydex (or plastic) sheath for it to complete the tacti-cool look.

Kydex is a type of plastic that is commonly used for knife sheaths and pistol holsters. The pieces are heated then molded to the shape of the item. This was a simple mold because the trowel was so flat. I then riveted the sheath together, put hook & loop material on the back and hung a plastic clip to the end. This should give the user a few options for mounting the sheath.

There are quite a few things I would do differently next time but I think the finished product would make a serviceable trowel… for at least a season or two.

The Anthropocene
So one of the overarching research themes in the research group I’m a part of is the idea that we’ve entered a new geological epoch. Due to the obvious effect that our species has had on this planet this epoch has been named the Anthropocene. There is considerable discussion as to the Anthropocene’s origins; some argue that the Industrial Revolution is the obvious starting point but apparently ten thousand year old forest clearings are detectable in Greenlandic ice cores. No matter how you slice it, it’s an interesting concept that I’m excited to help explore.

This video from Melody Sheep (the Symphony of Science artist) is beautiful and it’s meant to advertise and open source science journal. Check out the website. I’m certainly going to be spending some time reading through there. http://elementascience.org/

Open Source Science
Open source science is kind of new and the term is probably borrowed from software development. The results of a lot of scientific research isn’t freely available to those who fund it through their tax money. Personally, I’d rather see my own research available to the public rather than behind a paywall.

In support of open source science my research group (not associated with Elementa Science but we should be!) has put out a book that’s free on PDF with articles by some amazing scientists who also happen to be nice people. I’m really lucky to get to work with some of these folks. The book is called “Surviving Sudden Environmental Change” and you can click the link be low to check it out.

http://www.upcolorado.com/book/Surviving_Sudden_Environmental_Change_ebook

Tags: Anthropocene, Environmental Change, Sustainability

I’m looking forward to heading back to Iceland and excavating more at the site of Gufuskálar in Western Iceland. Here’s a photo of the lava field where the Medieval fishermen at the site would dry the large cod fish they caught.

Tags: fieldwork, Gufuskálar