Identifying scrapers and blades
The everyday flint toolkit — and how retouch separates tool from waste.
Scrapers are flakes with one edge steeply retouched into a regular working curve — hide-working and woodworking tools found in enormous numbers. Blades are parallel-sided flakes at least twice as long as wide, struck from prepared cores; regular blade production suggests later prehistory (Mesolithic onward).
Look for retouch: a run of small, consistent flake removals shaping an edge, distinct from random plough damage (which is fresher, scattered, and often shows a different-coloured scar through the patina). The bulb of percussion on the flake's underside proves human striking.
Record length, width, the retouched edge's position and angle, and raw material. Single flints are common; concentrations matter — a scatter of tools, cores, and waste flakes marks a working site worth reporting with precise locations.