Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: jeffp51 on February 18, 2017, 07:45:29 pm
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I have been making a lot of arrows lately--for other people. Did a set for my son's birthday, a set for a neighbor, and a set for the Christmas trade. These are for me. Red osier dogwood shafts with a barrel taper on them. they are still heavy--right around 650 grain--I think they shoot straight, although I don't shoot straight, so it is hard to tell. I like how they look.
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Them look like store bought shoot shafts. Well done
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Beautiful work, nice quiver too!
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thanks. The shafts get spun on my belt sander, which helps me get the spine, but also makes them look smooth.
I really like my quiver too, so thanks for the compliment. It was fun to make.
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Very nice looking arrows
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nice set...
DBar
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Those are some black beauties there Jeff. I do really love well made shoot arrows. They are though, durable, and properly tuned very good shooting arrows. I also like how they go around the handle on bow without a shelf.
Bjrogg
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Wow those look like carbons! Haha nice job on those arrows. Quiver looks really cool too! Cheers- Brendan
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Very nice looking arrows and quiver
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Beautiful arrows! Would shed bucketful of tears when one of those disappear into weeds out in the "back 40".
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Those look great, very fine work. What did you use to blacken the shafts?
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I just used a dark leather dye. Sealed with tung oil and spray poly. (After I added the white cresting stripes with an oil based paint pen, the top coats of tung oil just took off the white, so I had to find a different finish)
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Very nice arrows! Hopefully I can get some that near that good😀!
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Good looking arrows & quiver.
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Man Jeff, your arrows are every bit as nice as the bows you turn out. Those are some fantastic arrows.
Mike
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Thanks Mike. I saw on another thread that you say you are moving. When are you moving, and where are you headed? Are you relocating, or just upgrading to a nicer place? If you leave the swamp, what will we call you then?
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Man that makes me want some Black Oiser, Nice job!
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Yes, the black osier is mighty fine and rare material. Only problem is that it is hard to identify. It looks exactly like it's cousin, the red osier dogwood. The process for telling the difference is really complicated. First you have to peel off the bark, and straighten and smooth down the shaft. Then apply a good quality stain with an old T-shirt. If the wood turns the color of a fine German dark chocolate, then BAM-- it's your lucky day, because you have some black osier on your hands. 8)
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Haha you Crack me up. Made my evening. Cheers- Brendan
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It may also help to hold your tongue in the right position, and be sure to leave a bit of poteen for the leprechauns so they don't get too mischievous and mess up the stain. If the poteen is good stuff they may help you with the job😀 :NN
Hawkdancer
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Hawkdancer, you shouldn't be giving out false information like that, some newbs may take the bad advice, leprechauns don't do arrows, that's house brownies.... >:D
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Very Nice! where did you get your fletchings? Did you buy them or dye them yourself?
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these are from three rivers. I get the full length feathers and cut them to to 4.5". That way I can sometimes get two fletchings from one feather. I cut them a little taller to make up for them being a little shorter.
To cut them I lay the base next to a straight edge and then tape the whole feather down flat with low stick masking tape. Then I use a template to mark the shape and cut them out with a pair of scissors.
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Wow Very nice!
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Maybe we should move the leprechauns and house brownies part to Around the Campfire to avoid hijacking this post😀 >:D👹! Along with some poteen and the second canteen, of course!
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When it comes to the elusive black osier, you need all the help you can get, including brownies and leprechauns- although you may see fewer of those around if you lay off the poteen -- had to look up what that even was-- no hijacking going on here.
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Jeff, I did send you a pm a while ago about moving. I won't be too far from the swamp. Maybe one of these days walking around the swamp I will be lucky enough to find that elusive black osier.
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It is very possible that leprechauns and other faeries are drawn to the poteen and uisce beatha, especially at this season, they would likely be very interested in the search for the elusive black oiser😀! Being the full moon, and very near the spring equinox, strange things may happen. Swampman needs to take care on his sojourns into the swamp - several faerie beings are believed to be swamp dwellers, some not so nice, and the pookas may anywhere. The will'o'wisps can lead you into strange or dangerous places!
On the other hand, I read that the red oiser is native to Swampman's area, so maybe he will get lucky! It is very probably still in winter mode up there, but what I found had green inner bark already,
But we had a very warm month in February.
Everyone have a happy and safe St. Patrick's Day (week)! There may be more musings from the faeries as the week goes on😀 >:D!
Hawkdancer
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The shafts get spun on my belt sander, which helps me get the spine, but also makes them look smooth.
Okay, I'm really curious about the belt sander. How do you get them to spin evenly? You put them in a drill chuck and counterspin against the belt or something?
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The shafts get spun on my belt sander, which helps me get the spine, but also makes them look smooth.
Okay, I'm really curious about the belt sander. How do you get them to spin evenly? You put them in a drill chuck and counterspin against the belt or something?
That's how I do it. Works great. Make sure no one is standing on the other end of the sander. Sometimes they come out of the chuck and to sander fires them across the room ;D
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That is how I do it too. Get the shaft pretty straight before you spin it up. The belt sander will take out minor imperfections and keep the shaft round. I second what DC said. I once had one come out of the drill, and get shot at high velocity (that happens fairly often). This one hid the door, bounced back, and hit the underside of the belt, and get shot back in the opposite direction. Couldn't do it again if I tried, but it was a big surprise.
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If someone can come up with a real nifty way of holding the shafts in the drill I would love to see it. I made a little collet thingy that helps but you need two or three of them when using bamboo or shoots. Eventually they flatten out and stop working as well. Also I use a 3/8" drill and with the collet in there it doesn't leave much room for arrow.
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I leave my shaft a little long with the first sanding and just crank down tight-which usually dents the wood pretty good. On final sanding/spine matching, I just spin them lightly by hand. I get the tips and nock ends if the shaft is heavy but weak, which is why these are battle shafted, and I sand the middle if the shaft is stiff, but close to my target weight. Go slow, it is easy to over shoot and end up with a weak spined arrow.
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I use boo and OS almost exclusively and both have a hollow(ish) core. If I crank down on it they split, often quite far up the shaft. I guess I should glue a filler in the core first.
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Hmm, maybe a strip of closed-cell foam thin enough to wrap it around the end of the shaft then chuck that in the drill?
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Good idea. That made me think of rubber surgical tubing. Thanks ;)
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:OK
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Maybe a short "whipping" with heavy thread or artificial sinew would help. Haven't progressed that far yet, but have some shafts that should be ready to work very soon, and found a dozen or so that seasoned "in the wild" on my friend's ranch when they cut them and left them lay, luckily off the ground. Btw, do you have the belt sander vertical or horizontal?
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Horizontal. I figured a way of holding the arrows :D. I drilled a 1/8" hole in the end. Easy cause I use bamboo and Ocean Spray. Then I CA glued a piece of 1/8" wire into the hole with about an inch sticking out. I grab the wire in the drill chuck. Now I can spin the arrow on the belt sander to my hearts content. When I'm done I just heat the wire to soften the glue and out it comes. It's a little fiddly but it beats having arrows firing across the room.
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OK! 1. Lower sander to level position. 2. Clear area in front to wall. 3. Place target backstop in appropriate position. 4. Sip poteen slowly. 5. Leave some for leprechauns, house brownies, and other faeries who may be about. 6. Mount shaft to drill and hope for good score! (SH) :NN!
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If you let it slip out of your hands instead of the drill, you can control the release against the belt much more consistently.