Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Horn Bows => Topic started by: keef on February 25, 2015, 12:32:17 pm
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Uncertain which section to post this in?
I'm sure that a lot of you will have seen this superb video, but I will post a link anyway.
The narration is in French. My French is rusty but I understood enough and to be honest the film speaks for itself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpkLs_3jpI4
All the best
Keith
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Thanks for that video, do you know what the bow was made from, I mean what kind of bone? thanks. Ed
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this bow definitely belongs here,
in my younger days I made a couple of this style,, first one was a total failure, the whale rib bones I used were much too old and dry, after it broke, which was soon, lol,, I forgot to remove all the valuable sinew cable that took me months to make,, my dog found where I had been storing it,, well he got it, all that work gone..
the second bow I used raindeer antler it worked out great,, in the video that's what it looks like he is using to me,, more than if it was bone, notice the pinkish look to the pithy area, it really reminds me of the way the antler looked when I used it,, BUT I could be WRONG,, I have been wrong before..
I cans say the mouth drill is awesome, as is his complete tool kit..
great video post! thanks
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When he was joining the pieces of bone/antler it looked like he was butting them together end to end. When they showed the finished bow there was quite a lump around the joint. Can anyone fill in some details? Do you think he lapped a piece over the butt joint?
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This video may help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmfYJBha7SU
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I've watched a few of these videos and it seems dry firing is not a big deal. with all the time and effort put into these I imagine it's never been a big deal to these people in the style of bow. I wonder what the draw weight on these bows are?
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My french is a little rusty but the video speaks about 2 types of construction if I'm not wrong
One is made of "bois de caribou" (caribou wood? probably caribou antlers) and the other is "bois et os" (wood and bones)
Anyway their craftsmanship is amazing. They survived with so few things and so much knowledge!
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The thing that stands out from this video is that we all think we need a huge workshop and stacks of tools to make a bow...
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It was a bit funny in the second video where he dumps his tools out of the case and some little crucial part clearly goes missing.
The universal frustration shows the same whether in a cluttered heated shop or on a pile of rocks in the arctic.
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Or, his kids making fun of him because he can't shoot worth a crap. :)
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Or, his kids making fun of him because he can't shoot worth a crap. :)
He still hadn't dialled in the ILF tiller and worked out the correct spine and FOC blah blah blah for the arrows. ;D
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Or seagull fletching. :)
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My french is a little rusty but the video speaks about 2 types of construction if I'm not wrong
One is made of "bois de caribou" (caribou wood? probably caribou antlers) and the other is "bois et os" (wood and bones)
Anyway their craftsmanship is amazing. They survived with so few things and so much knowledge!
In french, bois can mean antler or wood. The distinction lies in the use of the article: le bois or du bois (singular) refers to the/some wood, les/des bois refers to antlers or to woods (types of wood or a forest).
So "bois et os" may refer to antler and bone rather than wood and bone.
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thankyou Joachim. in fact I was asking myself what wood they could find. antlers and bones seems more reasonable
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Great video. :)
I always wondered what they used before steel, is there knappable rock up there?
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I'm watching it entirely, and now i hear at 6:28 "avec du bois d'épave et des os".
Meaning from shipwreck wood (kayak?) and bone.
At 8:01he speaks about making a bow with caribou antlers and bone, or bone and wood ("bois ordinaire")
His father's bow was made entirely of caribou antler and dito sinew (nerf de carinou).
Its a pity nothing was said about the sinew cable.
Did you mark the mediterranean two or three finger draw?
Also his tillering prior to cabling is noteworthy!
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The materials they used are fairly well documented but the actual assembly is what is unique. How do you say driftwood in French?
An actual shipwreck would certainly provide good bow wood but that wouldn't have been a reliable source.
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This video of the movement of the ice pack up there shows how driftwood would be constantly pulled into that area and deposited in a circular fashion.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=video+showing+ice+pack+variation+through+the+years&FORM=HDRSC3#view=detail&mid=88FFF7051CF0CCC3BCA188FFF7051CF0CCC3BCA1
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Driftwood is bois flotté, but i think you're right that its most likely made with driftwood, which seems to be used as a synonym here. Makedo with what's at hand