Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: Pat B on December 08, 2008, 12:09:59 pm
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This is the first foreshaft arrow I have made. It is cane; some that Cade straightened and gave me at the camp-o-rama last summer. The foreshaft is sourwood and the fletching is a tied on tangential(?) 3 fletch. Self nock with no inserts, all wraps are sinew set in super glue and the foreshaft is fitted to the main shaft with a long taper, set in super glue.
I sanded the nodes of the main shaft and applied green leather dye to the whole shaft then wiped it off with alcohol. the sanded areas took the dye well and the unsanded areas took a very light green hue.
The arrow weighs 608 gr and the point, made by Lil Pat(I think) weighs 166gr. I just took the arrow out to try it and from my 47# yew hunting bow, this arrow shoots like a dart. The fletching does make a bit of a flutter but I don't know if that is bad or not.
Enjoy!
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Good looking arra Pat! I'm going to have to try that now :). After spending an evening with Jackcrafty shooting bows in his backyard - his are really light and shoot very well. He made a gift of one - I may have to post a pic..
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Cool arrow Pat,you are getting pretty creative lately.Nice work :) That should do a job on a deer.
Pappy
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Very Nice. 8)
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Thanks guys. Fitting the foreshaft to the main shaft so the arrow spins well is a trip! The arrow is long, 34" from nock to the tip of the point.
Pappy, I'm sure it would take a deer but I have to see one first. ::) I am going this weekend so maybe I'll get some red on this new green arrow. ;) Pat
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....Very nice Pat. Another "convert " ta foreshafts. Workee good dont they.? I have been using em since, well ............ "as old as dirt"........ except I dont glue the foreshafts so they can come out in the critter. Good job on that arra ! ;)..bob
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Thanks Bob. Yeh the conversion was slow but I like the way this one shoots. I guess it is the extra weight forward. By gluing the foreshaft in I was hoping it would break loose once in the critter. That's what Chris Cade told me at least. ;) Pat
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Nice arrow I like the fletching job.
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Rick, I am really liking the primitive fletching styles. They work well and utilize feathers most folks get rid of or don't mess with. These are from secondary turkey feathers but I have made good fletchings in this style with feathers that are only 4" to 5" long total. Laying three feathers around the shaft with their backs to the shaft and wrapped fore and aft is all it takes. I usually also add a little helical twist to these. Great for survival situations as well as regular hunting. Pat
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Pat-
That is 3 whole feathers (both sides of the quill)? I think I'm going to have to give that a try sometime.
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Yes! This is the top end of the secondary feathers but smaller whole feathers can be used. Give it a try. ;) Pat
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Nice arrow, Pat! Hope you get a chance to fling it at something. Rick, that style of fletching works good with smaller feathers like crow, duck, or guineafowl, too.
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sweet looking arrow you have there pat! now you have five more to make to finish out the set. once you see the foreshaft in action, you won't go back to regular arrows for hunting.
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Looks nice and primitive. :) :)
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Chris, was that Jap arrow boo you gave me or another type? Pat
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im not sure i got the fletching style description down-a fletch along, diagram, or close ups might help. it is three whole feathers just wrapped at the front and back but free through the middle? that seems like it would be almost flimsy. you dont have problems with the fletches coming loose? SOM
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SOM, The feathers are held securely by the wraps and in most cases the are permanent. ::) I'll try to get some pics of the process for you. Pat
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Here you go, SOM I hope these help.
I first thin the quill if needed, then I trim the tip of the feather so it is easy to deal with. Next I bind the feathers, one at a time and facing up but pointing towards the nock end. After all three are wrapped this way I fold the feathers so they are pointing the correct direction and bind them just below the nock. This will hold them securely to the shaft at the nock end. Next I bind the forward end, one at a time, with a little helical added and this type of fletching is complete. You will have to neaten them up as you want. Here are a few pics...
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thanks, that is neat looking and i see now why it is such a good use of second string feathers. i have tried that nock end fold over trick, i have just never felt great about fletching that was wound through the entire length of the feather, somehow my mind always makes me feel like that isnt sucha secure way to go. i am glad to see you have had success with this. it does seem like a quick and reasonably simple way to go too, thanks again. SOM
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Pat, folding the feathers forward from the nock end is the way I like to do mine too.....and I don't like to glue down the middle of the feather. It works good. :)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/12-07-2008-broken/DSC_0378.jpg)
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I wonder if I can use seagull feathers for this. They tend to be all over the beaches around where I am.
Pat, I'm doing the same thing with my rosewood shafts with the foreshaft but also doing it with the nocks too. Seems to make the whole shaft heavier and fly better. Penetration on my hay bales exceeds my port orford shafts by a ton. Now I'm thinking when I go hunting I can bring 6 to 12 arrows in my kit and a bunch of stone points on fore shafts ready to go. If I break a point I just put another in the arrow and away I go. If I hit an animal, Pigs which I want to hunt, the foreshaft pops out and the arrow is saved from being broken by a running hog or deer. I like it!!!
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Patrick, yours is a bit neater than mine and I bind before and after folding the feather. I guess it really doesn't matter.
David, Any feathers will work. There are lots of sea bird feathers along the NW coast. They should work fine if there is no restriction against using them.
SOM, they work well this way and are quite secure. Patrick's method is a bit neater than mine but you get the idea. Pat
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pat, great looking arrow and fascinating fletching method. always meant to try it, never got to it.
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Pat-
Thanks for posting the pics of fletching with that style. I have a bunch of smallish goose wing feathers. It looks like that syle will work great for them.
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Rick, here are a few pics of an arrow James Parker(robustus) gave me with small goose feathers tied on like these others.
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wow, that's a nice one too. are the goose feathers trimmed or is that the natural shape?
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Marius, that is the natural shape. A little thinning of the quill is all. Pat
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thanks for sharing pat, this thread is very inspiring.
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Cool arrow Pat! I put some cane shafts on my Christmas list for the wife. If I get them, I hope I can turn some out as nice as that! :)
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i'm not sure what species of cane that is. bernie gave them to me.
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Great lookin' arrow Pat.I agree with you.The foreshaft is great for both adding weight to cane,and gettin' more weight forward. Good job!!. Merry Christmas and God Bless
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That's a good loking arrow Pat.
Alan
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Pat, that is one cool arrow I especialy like the fletching job. How long is that foreshaft? I just started on foreshafts also, but I have been making mine from Rosewood doweling, total foreshaft is 4" with 2-1/4" inserted into the cane shaft. Also, I seat mine with a shoulder on the foreshaft that is the same diameter as the cane. I am beginning to think that this shoulder is just extra work.
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Sweet looking arrow Pat. Not only cane with foreshaft, but two fletch beside. I like it a lot. Justin
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The fore shaft on this arrow is about 5 1/2" long. I don't think the length matters too much. It was a piece of a sourwood shoot I had cut for arrows but was too small in diameter. All I did was taper the end of the foreshaft as I would for a glue on head and a tapered socket in the cane and use super glue to attach it. This is the way others have shown me. I made it so the foreshaft comes out when shot into an animal. The way you have done it would prevent the foreshaft from coming off. That isn't necessarily a problem, just different.
Justin, these simple primitive methods work well and fit better in our type of archery. Pat