Blunts kill by blunt force, I guess. Same as a slingshot. As kids we used to cold forge nails into points for arrows and blowgun darts, depending on size. I actually have access to a bunch of barrel hoops which used to be wrought iron. I'm not sure what they are now. Appear to be mild steel. That'd be a good approximation of iron. May gove that a go, but I need a good primitive bow first, so that's the next project.
Almost totally primitive arrows
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Blunts kill by blunt force, I guess. Same as a slingshot. As kids we used to cold forge nails into points for arrows and blowgun darts, depending on size. I actually have access to a bunch of barrel hoops which used to be wrought iron. I'm not sure what they are now. Appear to be mild steel. That'd be a good approximation of iron. May gove that a go, but I need a good primitive bow first, so that's the next project.
For a very nice spike, chuck a 3" long piece of 1/8" round stock into an electric drill. Hold the end of the stock at an angle against a spinning bench grinder wheel, while the drill motor slowly turns.
This will make a beautiful cone type point for you. Prolly good for targets, not hunting though.
This will make a beautiful cone type point for you. Prolly good for targets, not hunting though.
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a ballistic jell torso is not flesh, believe it or not. myth busters got that one wrong.
somehow people believe a couple of geeks in a garage have negated thousands of years of archery knowledge and experience by shooting into a jell torso.:jerkit:
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OP, I'm not sure but I hope you didn't think i meant not to use bindings and just put fiber in your pitch. you still need to bind the point on, the fiber just helps hold the pitch together.
sinew and hide glue work well but still need pitch to make them water proof.
there is a book called "Cherokee Bows and Arrows", by Al Herrin
there's a lot of good info in it. not saying the bowyers bible doesn't. just different info.
sinew and hide glue work well but still need pitch to make them water proof.
there is a book called "Cherokee Bows and Arrows", by Al Herrin
there's a lot of good info in it. not saying the bowyers bible doesn't. just different info.
I didn't take it that way.
another good reference. Dr. Herrin contributed to TBB II
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Well put. A lot of knapped points, stone or obsidian, particularly Atlatl/spear heads, points were socketed to break off inside the animal, leaving a blood trail, increasing blood loss, and cutting deepr and wider wound channels as the animal ran and the projectile tip oscillated around. I imagine an arrow would bounce around quite a bit as well depending on penetration, with similar effect. Long winded way to say a straight puncture/wound channel from a field point won't do as much damage after the shot as a sharp wedge of flaked stone wiggling about on the end of a bouncing stick will. That initial penetration and immediate impact are only half the story. There are reasons humans are the best distance runners on the planet, and instant kills not being a guarantee is one of the big ones. I've had a buck cover 75+ feet even with a heart/lung shot from a 30.30, and I expect our ancestors had a much lower one shot stop ratio than we do now, and spent a fair bit of energy on running down wounded prey. Obviously, this pertains to larger game, but even on small game I'd take a wider, sliced wound channel over a narrower one, even if you are counting more on the 'thump'and maybe 'poke' factors, which seems to have been the sole metrics used by the Myth Busters guys in their dog and pony show.
Also, nice work! I really admire your skill, patience, and willingness to dig in and (literally) make it happen. It's so easy to assume how superior we are to our ancestors because we have such easy access to shiny new toys. It's humbling and gratifying to rediscover what it took to keep ourselves and our families alive and healthy with nothing more than what's at hand and what's between your ears. In complete contrast to that thought, I'd also love to see some of the fruits of your labors in action on Youtube if you get a chance!
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Just so you know, jerk its are there so we know who isnt a very nice person.
If you read what I posted..I CLEARLY typed that I thought they (mythbusters) had missed the fact that you needed blood for a kill. Also, bone is a factor, although not very important, in this discussion.
I hope you are making arrows and enjoying yourself, but 5 posts later, you dont know the people you are posting with, or anything about them.
If you think Mythbusters is how I "figured out" archery, your sadly mistaken...I have been shooting bows for a long time, as have many here.
Most impressive to ME, is that an arrow without a tip, will fly just as straight as one with a tip. That is something they clearly PROVED, and something that I would have argued to the contrary before seeing it.
Anyways, Halo2..sorry for the hijack..I will let it go now. Your arrows are awesome..next time we hang out, I would love to see them fly!!
I will bring a Jelly Torso..and my bows.
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hey, i reread my posts and realized i forgot something.
you mentioned that the pitch got brittle, as I said it happens when you boil it to long. the way to fix this is put a couple of DROPS, as in 2 or 3 drops of turpentine in the pitch. it doesn't take much, and if you put in to much you just have to boil it out. i would advise not doing this in your house, especially if you're married.
I use a hurricane lamp and a tuna can sitting on top with 4 nails wired together to raise it off of the glass chimney/globe to heat up the pitch. its pretty easy to regulate the heat that way. the pitch will harden as hard as it is when you got it off the tree. meaning if its soft when you got it, that's the way it will stay unless you boil off some of the turpentine. takes some practice, but its worth it.
good luck
you mentioned that the pitch got brittle, as I said it happens when you boil it to long. the way to fix this is put a couple of DROPS, as in 2 or 3 drops of turpentine in the pitch. it doesn't take much, and if you put in to much you just have to boil it out. i would advise not doing this in your house, especially if you're married.
I use a hurricane lamp and a tuna can sitting on top with 4 nails wired together to raise it off of the glass chimney/globe to heat up the pitch. its pretty easy to regulate the heat that way. the pitch will harden as hard as it is when you got it off the tree. meaning if its soft when you got it, that's the way it will stay unless you boil off some of the turpentine. takes some practice, but its worth it.
good luck
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As a bow only hunter (gave p hunting with guns over 15 years ago) with modern, recurve, and long bow I can tell you there are many things about this statement that are not true. When I first started hunting with a bow over twenty years ago I was surprised to find deer fell to arrows quicker than large bore guns. I can also explain why it is true. I researched the subject for years and even published information in books and magizines on the subject.
A deer or other large game is more likely o run long disances of 100 yards or more when shot thru the heart with a firearm. In fact even humans live for 19.5 secons when shot thru the heart with a rifle. Calculate how fast a deer runs and it gives them the ability to cover 300 yards. Also, unlike humands that have 100% of the walking control function produced in the brain, four legged criters produce 80% of the walk/run in the spine. his was discovered by animal researchers working on spinal injury repair. They now can fix 98% of the injurys if treatment is started withing 48 hours.
Anothing thing that can occur with firearms is the artery supplying blood to the brain plugs maintaining blood pressure and limited amounts of O2 to the brain prolonging death up to 30 seconds.
A properly/perfecly shot deer won't make it more than 30 to 40 yards when shot with any arrow/broadhead. A sharp stick with now broadhead will kill very quickly too. While deer shot with an arrow can run long distances it is dur to the abgle of the shot and less than perfect placement.