Woomera N.Territory?

[Tim Simmons]

Got this today, the best one I have ever had. I know we do not talk about that dirty stuff called money but when you have paid the kings ransom price of £1 it is quite gratifying to shout about it. 74cm long, feels great in the hand. I can only explain it as being made full of manly purposefulness like an outsized industrial spanner Fibers, resin, wood and shell. Has been well used as can be see where the spear end has chipped resin from the fulcrum? part. I am going to keep this one. Do you think I would be a vandal adding some more resin? Not too much just enougth to secure this part but still keeping it looking used?

[VANDOO]

CONGRADULATIONS THATS A VERY NICE ONE AND YOU MUST HAVE USED THE OLD TIME MACHINE TO GO BACK 100 YEARS TO GET IT AT THAT PRICE.
THE DAMAGE APEARS TO BE RECENT SO REPARING IT WOULD BE DESIRABLE AS IT PROBABLY OCCURED IN ITS RECENT HANDELING NOT IN ACTUAL USE. IF YOU HAVE SPINIFEX RESIN AVAILABLE YOU COULD DO A VERY GOOD REPAIR. IF NOT THE TWO PART RESIN THAT COMES IN A LARGE DOUBLE SYRENGE COULD SERVE AS WELL. YOU WOULD JUST HAVE TO FIND SOMETHING TO ADD TO ACHEIVE THE PROPER COLOR OR CLOSE TO IT. EXPERIMENT ON A PIECE OF BOARD OR SOMETHING BEFORE APPLYING TO YOUR SPEAR THROWER UNTIL YOU SEE HOW IT LOOKS DRY AND IS FINISHED SATISFACTORLY. YOU WILL HAVE TO FROST THE SURFACE OF ANY NEW RESIN TO MAKE IT BLEND IN, FOR THAT TRY SANDPAPER OR IF YOU HAVE A SMALL SANDBLASTER THAT MIGHT WORK BUT PROTECT ANY AREAS WITH PATINA YOU DON'T WANT TO BLAST. A COATING OF SOME SORT CAN ALSO BE USED TO MAKE IT BLEND IN BETTER.
I SAW ONE JUST LIKE YOURS IN 1970 AT A GUN SHOW IT WAS DESCRIBED AS A VERY RARE POLYNESIAN UNDERWATER FIGHTING KNIFE. THE TOTALLY CRAZY DESCRIPTION MADE YOU LAUGH UNTILL YOU SAW THE EVEN CRAZYIER PRICE. I TOLD THE SELLER WHAT IT REALLY WAS BUT , IT WAS HIS STORY AND HE STUCK TO IT.

[Tim Simmons]

Thanks Barry. It is an old piece. A lot of time was spent making it. I have some pine resin comming and we show the results. I have checked that there are Australian gum/resin producing pines and other plants.

The hard wood this is made from could make a handy sword club if you needed.

[kronckew]

similar to an atlatl? how does the dart fit on the pivot?

[Tim Simmons]

The spear end would most likely have a small notch and rests against the peg, I will try to illustrate this.

Something like this. Only I am new to this and try to launch an S.African staff. I do not know if the spear would rest on the shell part but it works for me.

[inveterate]

Tim, This Spear Thrower is from Northern Queensland. Rod

[Tim Simmons]

Torres Straits islanders 1891 from the Smithsonian Institute. In the thread about a stone club there is information on Cape York being a great centre of import and export. A big centre for the export of weapons. This is the same form as mine.