Sticks and Stones: birth and journey of an arrow

[Fletch]

This is a great thread! I get hot when I lose a store bought arrow. I would have a melt down if I lost one of those lol!!

[dinorocks]

1 hour ago, Fletch said:

This is a great thread! I get hot when I lose a store bought arrow. I would have a melt down if I lost one of those lol!!

When I make arrows, I handle them with extreme TLC (like I'm making fine furniture)....then I go outside and stump shoot with them ;-)..I like to think that the scratches and dirt give the arrows character!

[dinorocks]

Last night (after helping my brother track and recover his deer with my canoe), I attached the fletching to the arrow shaft with a little hide glue and set the arrow off to the side to dry.  This morning before work I processed my deer sinew in preparation for wrapping the stone point, fletching, and nock. 

Regarding sinew, there are two types I use as mentioned in an earlier post…backstrap and leg sinew.  In the photo below I’m holding the backstrap sinew from my recent deer and a hank of leg sinew (both processed and unprocessed).  I “process” the leg sinew by loosening the fibers with a wood mallet on a wood block…dry leg sinew is very hard and extremely fibrous (and intertwined).  I use leg sinew to back my selfbows.  I separate the fibers and wrap in small bundles (there is a bunch of processed sinew in the vacuum sealed bag in the photo ready to back another bow).  Also, in the photo is back sinew from an elk…I know a butcher in MT that supplies me with elk sinew…its very long and in turn is much easier to sew with.

Now that my deer sinew is dry, I bend it to separate the long fibers, remove any non-sinew membranes, and pull off what I need.  I then rehydrate the long fibers in water (I like to line a frisbee with paper towels, add water, carefully lay out my sinew strands, and cover with paper towel so the entire fiber is in contact with water).  I learned that if I simply put the sinew strands in the frisbee with water, they float around and then tangle with each other and are very difficult to separate.

Later I’ll continue to process the sinew so it is ready to use for wrapping my stone point, fletching, and nock.

Stay tuned!

 

[grampy]

This thread is so interesting and educational!! I can't get enough! Thank you dinorocks.

[left field]

Very cool. When will we see you on Alone?

[dinorocks]

1 hour ago, left field said:

Very cool. When will we see you on Alone?

My friends and family tell me that the producers of Alone would love to have me as a contestant as I would never come out of the woods to claim my prize!

[Swamp_bucks]

19 minutes ago, dinorocks said:

My friends and family tell me that the producers of Alone would love to have me as a contestant as I would never come out of the woods to claim my prize!

I would believe that.  

[dinorocks]

After stripping bark off about 1/3 cord of wood this evening for my sugar shack/trapping outpost remodeling project, I got back to my arrow.

Earlier I reinforced the fletching and nock with several wraps of hydrated sinew....once hydrated it’s very pliable...when the sinew dries, it tightens up nice. Sometime I put hide glue on the sinew but It’s typically sticky enough.  I like to put a couple half hitches in the sinew as I finish my wrap.
 

My next step was to fine tune the shaft where it connects to the point...I want the transition seamless so there is nothing preventing the arrow from slipping right through my quarry. After a little sanding to “barrel” the end of my shaft, I smeared more of my pine tar mixture to fill in any slight gaps where the point and wood meet.  I use a hot knife as a putty knife to move the tar exactly where I want it.  Next I wrapped the point end with sinew.  The point is already securely set From the tar so the sinew is mainly to reinforce the shaft...I don’t want the point splitting back into the shaft on impact as I will loose all the momentum of the arrow.  I want to make sure I only single wrap the sinew down the shaft as, again, I don’t want anything on the arrow to hang up (slow) the arrow upon impact. 
 

During the making of the arrow I described for you, I also made two more arrows the exact same way.  I put field tips on these so I can practice as all the arrows I shoot vary a bit.  Once I’m comfortable with the way they shoot, I plan to put another stone point on one and a blunt on the other for a squirrel or rabbit while I’m out hunting.

With all the pieces and parts assembled, now the only thing left to do is to harvest!

stay tuned!!

 

[Otto]

Great thread Dino, can’t wait to see you close the loop with a harvest.

[crappyice]

I appreciate with great admiration what you are doing and the fact that you are sharing it with us. All the “great thread” comments seem most appropriate considering the production of actual thread from sinew!


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[Fletch]

When the apocalypse comes will you be my friend?? Lol

Beautiful work. I am looking forward to seeing your success in the woods!

 

I get all proud of myself for gluing rubber/ plastic fletchings on my arrows!!

 

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[Arcade Hunter]

That is amazing, Dino.  

[johnplav]

When that arrow successfully harvests a deer... I expect a forum-wide celebratory beer!

[cdbing]

Thanks for sharing Dino. I have a much greater appreciation of what it takes to make a primitive arrow. Very impressive.

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[left field]

Can we see the bow? 

[crappyice]

Can we see the bow? 

He’s using right now (in the Live from the woods thread)


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[left field]

14 hours ago, crappyice said:

He’s using right now (in the Live from the woods thread)

Just saw. Thanks.

Edited October 24, 2020 by left field

[dinorocks]

On 10/23/2020 at 2:22 PM, left field said:

Can we see the bow? 

This is the selfbow I’m using this season...Osage orange wood backed with rattlesnake.  I made this bow a few years ago and really like the feel of it...it is about 47# at 26”.

[moog5050]

4 minutes ago, dinorocks said:

This is the selfbow I’m using this season...Osage orange wood backed with rattlesnake.  I made this bow a few years ago and really like the feel of it...it is about 47# at 26”.

Does the grip serve as a rest or do you shoot off your hand.  Nice work as usual Dino!

[dinorocks]

I have a very small piece of leather on this bow for a shelf...need to canter the bow ..still rides across my hand (you can see the cuts in my hand from the fletching)

[left field]

7 hours ago, dinorocks said:

This is the selfbow I’m using this season...Osage orange wood backed with rattlesnake.  I made this bow a few years ago and really like the feel of it...it is about 47# at 26”.

Did you kill the rattlesnake merely by staring at it.

[Marion]

Did you kill the rattlesnake merely by staring at it.

He just took of his buckskin and it died of fright

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[OldBrian]

Dino,

Good luck on your quest to take a deer with a stone point. I believe you can do it and boy what a accomplishment it will be when it happens. Take care, Brian

[stoneam2006]

One of the coolest threads I've ever seen

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[dinorocks]

The arrow and I have been out on many journeys since it’s birth but we have yet had an opportunity at the right shot.  Below are some photos of our journeys.  I’m confident we will harvest soon!

Stay tuned!