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Homemade broadheads
13 December 2012, 20:23,
#1
Homemade broadheads
Hi,
I've been toying with the idea of getting a horse bow for the kit, something nice and compact. I use to shoot compound bows but would find it difficult to maintain one without all the proper kit so figured id keep it simple.

This lead me to start looking at broad heads and other tips and I got thinking about making my own.

Do you think cross cutting an arrow shaft at one end and securing 4 Stanley knife blades with epoxy resin would be a decent enough emergency broad head? You could pack part of the shaft with epoxy to give it a little weight and strength. I know its not gonna be as good as shop bought one, but shop bought ones won't last forever.

Anyone already done something similar?

UF
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13 December 2012, 20:33,
#2
RE: Homemade broadheads
(13 December 2012, 20:23)UncleFester Wrote: Hi,
I've been toying with the idea of getting a horse bow for the kit, something nice and compact. I use to shoot compound bows but would find it difficult to maintain one without all the proper kit so figured id keep it simple.

This lead me to start looking at broad heads and other tips and I got thinking about making my own.

Do you think cross cutting an arrow shaft at one end and securing 4 Stanley knife blades with epoxy resin would be a decent enough emergency broad head? You could pack part of the shaft with epoxy to give it a little weight and strength. I know its not gonna be as good as shop bought one, but shop bought ones won't last forever.

Anyone already done something similar?

UF
It might work at a pinch but the shaft will need binding behind the cut to reinforce it, the arrow might last longer doing this but I wouldn't like to take a bet on it lol,
Seriously though! if you learn to knap flint arrowheads you will be self sufficient for life, and can always fall back on your knapping skill when there is no metal to be found, your great ancestors used it to put meat on the table (cave floor)
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13 December 2012, 21:02,
#3
RE: Homemade broadheads
Hammer an old teaspoon flat, shape with file and hacksaw. You could heat it up and drop it into water to harden in.
It is then sharpened into a lovely broad-head.
Woe to those who add house to house and join field to field, Until there is no more room, So that you have to live alone in the midst of the land!
Isaiah 5:8
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13 December 2012, 22:23,
#4
RE: Homemade broadheads
Get charity shop carving knives and angle-grind broadhead sized blanks then file and sharpen.Would be useful to have a shop bought one as a template.Alternatively,sections of industrial width hacksaw blade.Be interesting to know how native-americans of the mid 19th century adapted bits of scrap metal to replace their flint arrowheads.Perhaps they stuck with flint and other non-metallic materials.
Suburban neighbours= stranger- danger.
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14 December 2012, 03:29,
#5
RE: Homemade broadheads
Native Americans had several favored items for making broadheads, the most favored being barrel hoops.

Iron trade heads were popular giveaway items during negotiations and blacksmiths forged heads and sold them to the government trade houses. They were difficult to move because no one wanted them. The use of bows disappeared with the frontier as it moved west.

As soon as contact with Europeans occurred the Indians were after GUNS as their ultimate hunting tool. By 1625 the Iroquois elders were complaining that the men had lost the skill of knapping and no one could make stone points any longer. By the 1650s the Cherokee had a consistant trade line going between the eastern mountains and Spanish Florida trading Spanish guns for deerskins.

Only the very poorest and most backward of the Indian tribes continued the use of the bow after trade goods appeared.
__________
Every person should view freedom of speech as an essential right.
Without it you can not tell who the idiots are.
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14 December 2012, 06:36, (This post was last modified: 14 December 2012, 06:38 by UncleFester.)
#6
RE: Homemade broadheads
(13 December 2012, 20:33)Tartar Horde Wrote:
(13 December 2012, 20:23)UncleFester Wrote: Hi,
I've been toying with the idea of getting a horse bow for the kit, something nice and compact. I use to shoot compound bows but would find it difficult to maintain one without all the proper kit so figured id keep it simple.

This lead me to start looking at broad heads and other tips and I got thinking about making my own.

Do you think cross cutting an arrow shaft at one end and securing 4 Stanley knife blades with epoxy resin would be a decent enough emergency broad head? You could pack part of the shaft with epoxy to give it a little weight and strength. I know its not gonna be as good as shop bought one, but shop bought ones won't last forever.

Anyone already done something similar?

UF
It might work at a pinch but the shaft will need binding behind the cut to reinforce it, the arrow might last longer doing this but I wouldn't like to take a bet on it lol,
Seriously though! if you learn to knap flint arrowheads you will be self sufficient for life, and can always fall back on your knapping skill when there is no metal to be found, your great ancestors used it to put meat on the table (cave floor)

Good idea and time proven but can't say Ive stumbled across much flint out my way it's all limestone round these parts (Lincolnshire) any ideas here to find a decent supply, what sort of areas is flint more common?


(13 December 2012, 21:02)Tibbs735 Wrote: Hammer an old teaspoon flat, shape with file and hacksaw. You could heat it up and drop it into water to harden in.
It is then sharpened into a lovely broad-head.

That's a good idea post apocalypse, I'll have to give it a go some point at work on the anvil and shaper it on the linisher (purely for speed)


(13 December 2012, 22:23)ObongoPox Wrote: Get charity shop carving knives and angle-grind broadhead sized blanks then file and sharpen.Would be useful to have a shop bought one as a template.Alternatively,sections of industrial width hacksaw blade.Be interesting to know how native-americans of the mid 19th century adapted bits of scrap metal to replace their flint arrowheads.Perhaps they stuck with flint and other non-metallic materials.

That's a good one too, I thought about the Stanley blades as by crosscuting you could have a 4 barbed broadhead plus my local boyes sell packs of 100 for about £1 so that's 25 or 50 arrows sorted depending if you go 4 or 2 blades per shaft.

I'm licking the spoon one best so far, anyone else got any tried and tested methods?

UF
Should say liking the spoon not licking bloody iPad!
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14 December 2012, 10:58,
#7
RE: Homemade broadheads
(14 December 2012, 03:29)Mortblanc Wrote: Native Americans had several favored items for making broadheads, the most favored being barrel hoops.

Iron trade heads were popular giveaway items during negotiations and blacksmiths forged heads and sold them to the government trade houses. They were difficult to move because no one wanted them. The use of bows disappeared with the frontier as it moved west.

As soon as contact with Europeans occurred the Indians were after GUNS as their ultimate hunting tool. By 1625 the Iroquois elders were complaining that the men had lost the skill of knapping and no one could make stone points any longer. By the 1650s the Cherokee had a consistant trade line going between the eastern mountains and Spanish Florida trading Spanish guns for deerskins.

Only the very poorest and most backward of the Indian tribes continued the use of the bow after trade goods appeared.
Most interesting.Thankyou.

(13 December 2012, 20:33)Tartar Horde Wrote:
(13 December 2012, 20:23)UncleFester Wrote: Hi,
I've been toying with the idea of getting a horse bow for the kit, something nice and compact. I use to shoot compound bows but would find it difficult to maintain one without all the proper kit so figured id keep it simple.

This lead me to start looking at broad heads and other tips and I got thinking about making my own.

Do you think cross cutting an arrow shaft at one end and securing 4 Stanley knife blades with epoxy resin would be a decent enough emergency broad head? You could pack part of the shaft with epoxy to give it a little weight and strength. I know its not gonna be as good as shop bought one, but shop bought ones won't last forever.

Anyone already done something similar?

UF
It might work at a pinch but the shaft will need binding behind the cut to reinforce it, the arrow might last longer doing this but I wouldn't like to take a bet on it lol,
Seriously though! if you learn to knap flint arrowheads you will be self sufficient for life, and can always fall back on your knapping skill when there is no metal to be found, your great ancestors used it to put meat on the table (cave floor)
Part file/grind bullet-points.Hacksaw groove for diy broadhead.Spot-weld or epoxy in place.Saves grooving shaft.Kitchen Devil knives would be good,but usually stainless so harder to work with and not spot-weldable on my apparatus which is mild steel only.
Suburban neighbours= stranger- danger.
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14 December 2012, 13:59, (This post was last modified: 14 December 2012, 14:02 by Tartar Horde.)
#8
RE: Homemade broadheads
Uncle Fester, you should be able to find flint in Limestone/chalky areas. Just over the Humber bridge into Lincolnshire the motorway cuts through the bedrock you should find flint there, so I would look around your area for road cuttings or old abandoned railway lines. On the North East Coast the only flint I find is known as "erratics" and is found in the boulder clay. It is in "nodule" form and is pretty nasty but it's all I've got. The best flint is found in Bands that run through Chalk seams, Cliffs etc and you find it in blocks surrounded mainly by a chalky concretia on the outside, this type of block flint is fantastic to use as you can knock large flakes from the edge of the platform and make long leaf blades.
(13 December 2012, 21:02)Tibbs735 Wrote: Hammer an old teaspoon flat, shape with file and hacksaw. You could heat it up and drop it into water to harden in.
It is then sharpened into a lovely broad-head.

great ideaBig Grin never thought of that, the shaping is nearly done for you isn't it, bit of sharpening job done
have a thanks
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14 December 2012, 14:05,
#9
RE: Homemade broadheads
its good to know how to do this, would be handy to know after TSHTF but for now, i use "Bodkins" very sharp, and can be bought for £1.05 each ready to use.
Some people that prefer to be alone arent anti-social they just have no time for drama, stupidity and false people.
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14 December 2012, 14:37, (This post was last modified: 14 December 2012, 15:04 by Tartar Horde.)
#10
RE: Homemade broadheads
I use Bodkins myself and they certainly do the jobSmile I think I got the last lot from Richard head Longbows. i certainly would give knapping a go Big Paul, you will be surprised how instinctive it will be for you, and I have faith that in only a few days you will be able to turn out arrowheads. I bet you already have all the tools you need to start now.
1xbit of leather to hold the flint in your left hand (right if left handed)
because flint is very sharp and will cut you to the bone before you know it.
1x something to knock flakes off the main block of flint, I have used small hammers/geological hammers/Hickory handles from small axes etc are ok too and sound nice when they hit the flint. Our ancestors used Red Deer antler, if you can get this it is the best (get me someBig Grin)
The next tool you need is something that tapers to a point but not too fine, again antler was the prefered material but you can use hardwood or even something like a metal punch that is rounded off at the tip. With this tool you "pressure flake" the edge of your arrow head snicking off little semicircles of flint on opposite sides till you get the desired shape. Making flint arrowheads is definately a "zen" moment as you can lose yourself for hours.
Before you get to the pressure flaking stage you will have to prepare your flint block from which you will strike blades. The goal is to strike the block on an edge that will result in a flake of flint falling away that is not too thick and short. You do this by "preparing a platform" which means you will knock off any irregularities or lumps etc from the area you wish to strike to get the flakes, so you have a nice edge to hit.
That's it basically, the rest you will learn yourself, and your arrowheads will also be unique to youBig Grin
Here ya go fella's all you need to unleash your inner Cro-Magnon

http://www.beyond2000bc.co.uk/equip.html
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