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Goshawk — Custom Red Arrows
Published: 2012-03-28 22:09:32 +0000 UTC; Views: 988; Favourites: 11; Downloads: 0
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Description
After being an archer in the SCA for almost four years, I finally got around to custom making my own arrows. I wanted to get away from the look of modern arrows, so they are done entirely by hand, with the exception of a little help from a scroll saw to cut the nocks and cut them to length as well as the use of a tapering tool for the points.The specs:
5/16" Port Orford-Cedar shafts, cut to 26" long
self nocks
linen thread for the thread wrap
100 grain field points
acrylic paint, mixed myself
shellac for sealing
Note that the shafts were a gift from a friend. I did not make them myself; I am not that much of a masochist.
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Comments: 11
Nicely done. (Gorgeous would be the prcie wording)
Have you shot them yet? If so, do they fly well? How did you attach the field points or are they handmade, socketed points, hand-crafted as well?
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Thank you! I have shot them, and they seem to fly pretty well, but I can't tell that well yet because I need to get back on my archery game first. I've been out of regular practice for over a year.
I put the field points on with high temp hot glue. You melt the glue with a torch, scoop some of it with the open edge of the point, and stick it firmly onto the arrow point. It's stupid easy and holds very well. Note that I specifically use HIGH TEMP hot glue.
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Thanks. I am an artist; anything I make for myself is going to look nice.
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lol Why doesn't anything I ever make turn out good then?
I'm not an artist? TT3TT
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*shrug* No idea. Practice practice practice? There's also something to be said for my natural talent and years of training in art.
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These are lovely! Did you dip the back ends in the acrylic mix as well? I'm making a set of bamboo arrows (still in the early stage) and I'm considering dipping and cresting them. So I was wondering whether using the acrylic paint was comparative to brand name arrow dipping and cresting paints (which are considerably more pricey)?
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I did not dip them. I marked off where I wanted the crowning to be with pencil, put tape at the edge, and applied the paint with a brush. The resulting color is vibrant but still allows the wood grain to show through. It's not shiny and opaque like the brand name dipping and cresting paints and lacquers are. I suppose if you applied multiple coats of the acrylic, you could get opacity like that of the brand names, but that's not what I like, so I have not tried it.
Make sure that you pay attention to the lightfastness of the acrylic paint. Not all acrylics are created equal.
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Oh, ok, thanks! I'll definitely consider it as an option
And yeah, lightfastness is good to pay attention to regardless of what form of pigmentation I use
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