Main Discussion Area > English Warbow

Various medieval arrows

<< < (2/3) > >>

WillS:

--- Quote from: stuckinthemud on September 16, 2019, 02:02:05 pm ---Lovely arrows Will, absolutely loved the videos too, truly fascinating. Could I ask what the verdigris does, besides colour the compound green?

--- End quote ---

It's still a bit of a mystery really!  The two main schools of thought are

a) It's a pesticide due to the toxic nature of the copper rust, so it prevents feather mites and moths etc eating away at the natural components while the arrows are in storage (we know they were stored in various locations for long periods between campaigns)

b) It's reet pretty, innit. 

I'm 50/50 between the two - anybody who's studied medieval artwork and products knows that (and I'm misquoting somebody here) if it doesn't move, before long it'll have been decorated.  Artists were using copper verdigris for their green pigments for centuries, and it was used in sealing wax along with vermillion for red so they knew it was pretty and striking.  It's also conveniently the Tudor colours (green red and white) but artwork from well before the Tudor period shows verdigris on arrows.

Hawkdancer:
Lefty,  Thanks for the link, very interesting article!  I hope to get my "round tuition" working and make some of that stuff, if I can remember how to make the verdigris!

Will, very nice arrows!  I read your article and am impressed with your research efforts and contacts.  I added your article to my favorites for future reference.  I am assuming the wrap is worked into the fletching by separating the feathering and then smoothing it back into place. 
Hawkdancer

mullet:
Beautiful arrows, Will. I can't imagine the time and care you have invested in one arrow let known all of them. All, a piece of art.

DC:
Very nice Will. I wondered about the turkey fletching. A quick search says the turkey was introduced into England in about 1525. Does that jive with the era of these arrows or did you have to fudge a bit. Not to appear picky I hope. I just wondered. beautiful arrows.

WillS:

--- Quote from: DC on September 17, 2019, 12:10:57 pm ---Very nice Will. I wondered about the turkey fletching. A quick search says the turkey was introduced into England in about 1525. Does that jive with the era of these arrows or did you have to fudge a bit. Not to appear picky I hope. I just wondered. beautiful arrows.

--- End quote ---

Those arrows were fudgetastic!  You're absolutely right, for properly correct arrows the fletchings would have been goose, swan or peacock wing feathers.  However, those particular arrows were not fully authentic,  hence the absence of verdigris compound.  They were just a large order of target arrows for a guy who didn't want to ruin authentic ones.  Plus, I have to charge a lot more for swan/goose fletched arrows!

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page

Go to full version