Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: basil_brush on September 23, 2007, 02:44:47 pm
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Hello. I read that the asian steppe people used tempered bone points and I want to try that. I've bought a nice white 4" piece of cow bone and removed the stuffing substance - it was a dog chew. It is sterilised so maybe it's been subjected to intense heat already - probably not relevant. The kitchen cooker where I live is gas so I could use that for heating the bone. But does anyone know the technique for tempering bone in a flame? I couldn't find anything on the internet about it.
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I was taught that you could soak the bone in oil for a couple days (don't know what that does), then file it to near final shape. Burnish it very well, fire harden it the same way you fire harden wood, then do your final sharpening. I haven't tried it myself, but it was taught to me by some primitives that make bone arrowheads and knives. They claim they can get their edges nearly as sharp as flint, they just dull more quickly.
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Here are some infos: http://p081.ezboard.com/bone-point-questions/fpaleoplanet69529frm57.showMessage?topicID=481.topic