TO........Philip O'conall FROM......Sionnaichan am Diolaimadh SUBJECT...SCA Archery [How to make arrows] *LONG* > M'Lord, if you described such arrows herein, I am sorry tosay I missed > it.... Would you please relay design particulars? I would appreciate input on the construction method found below. This is a combination of what Lord Tempus taught the Barony of Darkwater last Thursday, my personal experience, and the tearing apart of a broken Trimaris list-legal arrow to see the construction style hidden by duct tape. I'll keep this on file pending changes and improvements, and post it as significant changes are tested in the field. Having no prejudices in this field, being a relative newcomer, I have no difficulty in trying out new ideas within safety tolerances, and would be happy to hear from others. In service to the Dream, S ***** >>>-------------===) How to Construct SCA Arrows (===-------------<<< By Sionnaichan am Diolaimadh, Barony of Darkwater, Kingdom of Trimaris Revised and Assumed Accurate to 15 April, A.S. XXIV. However, please check with an authority on SCA arrows in your Kingdom as the making of arrows and the requirements for battle may differ between realms. The Author is always open to changes or suggestions; netmail him at 363/69 or contact him via the Barony of Darkwater, Box 1626, Orlando FL 32802 This Method is intended to give a working reference to individuals interested in producing list-legal arrows for bridge battles, archers' battles, crevass battles, or any confrontation where archers are called into play. The Arrows produced by this Method have been found to be the most reliable and stable Arrows, with nary a problem. Sionnaichan's first batch of thirty arrows showed only one unusable arrow after an afternoon's play, which was much less than other archers' differing styles. Items and Tools needed: Standard practise target arrows; strapping tape (the tape with the fibers in it); 1" wood dowel; duct tape (the more pliable type with the visible lines is preferred); closed-cell foam, used for plumbing insulation (size approximately 2" across); shears or a hacksaw; scissors that can be trashed for cutting tape. Procedure: 1. Get an arrow, or multiple arrows. This can be had at stores that sell archery equipment, stores that specialise in sports equipment (Sports Unlimited stores are good ones in Trimaris), et cetera. Make sure that the arrow is rated to the weight of your bow or greater; current maximum poundage for bows in Trimaris is 30# at 28 inches pull. 2. Lop the tip off the arrow (tin shears work well, or a hacksaw). The tip is unnecessary and potentially lethal; I would recommend disposing of it or (as suggested by a McFrugal friend of mine) make it into jewelry. 2a. *Extremely useful tip* Get some colored electrical tape in your personal colors or at random, and place two to four strips of tape evenly spaced near the fletching end. This effectively marks your arrow as yours, as the colors of the fletchings and the tapes are usually unique for your batch, and the tape strips themselves are protected by the strapping tape below. This works much better than magic marker or crayon. 3. Use strapping-tape to cover the shaft of the arrow from about 1/2" from the fletching (the feathers on the end the notch is) to about 4" from the cut end. It works best if you use a tape slightly wider than the arrow's circumference, and run it down the length of the arrow. Carefully align the top and bottom of the tape against the arrow, and wrap one side of the tape before the other. This makes for less, possibly zero, ridges in the tape. 4. Drill a 1" wide dowel about 1 1/2" long with a hole the size of the arrow's shaft, about 1" deep, and place this dowel on the cut end of the arrow. Take a length of strapping tape and go from the point where you stopped wrapping the shaft, around the dowel's "point" end, to the other side of the arrow where it meets the lengthwise tape. You can optionally do another one 90 degrees from that one, to secure it both ways. If the dowel doesn't line up with the arrow exactly, don't worry; you can use the strapping tape to adjust it to some degree. 5. Get some closed-cell foam as used to insulate plumbing, I believe the 1 7/8" size, and use a facsimile of the pattern below [Fig 5A] sized to your foam to cut the notches necessary to make it fit the best. Use strapping tape in an "X" pattern (extended to about the first inch of the foam "bullet") to make this bullet shaped on the side with the most notches, and leave the fletching end open to fit over the dowel. Take about 2/3 of the chunks left over from the notch-cutting and stuff them in the bullet-shaped end, for cushioning. I believe you need 1 1/2" to 2" of "thrusting tip" at the arrow's "point" when done. [Fig 5A] |\/~~~\/~~~\/~~~\/~~~\/| <-- "bullet" or "tip" end | | | | <-- this should be long enough to | Pattern | cover your arrow to the point | | where the strapping tape is. | | |/~~~\______/~~~\______| <-- end towards the fletching. 6. Place the packed foam "bullet" over the dowel, and fit it so that it is true to the line of the arrow. The dowel, as pointed out before, needs to be as well-aligned as possible. Use strapping tape to secure the foam "bullet" in the same style as used to hold the dowel in place; however, the foam "bullet" needs to be completely covered in strapping tape, to prevent broken parts from protruding. Wrap one way, then one at 90 degrees to that one, and then a third and fourth one at 45 degrees from those two to cover the tip completely. Make sure that the seam of the foam is covered by the center of one of the strips of strapping tape. 7. This step intentionally left blank. 8. Wrap a two-inch chunk of duct tape (the cheaper tape tends to be more smoothable, which allows for better aerodynamics) over the strapping-taped "bullet", in the same way that the dowel was covered. *Important fitting tip* Cutting notches in the tip end of the unsmoothed piece of duct tape allows you to form the duct tape to the arrow much more cleanly than by "chunking" it into place; notches at the four places where the tape bends 90 degrees are the best places. 8 cont. Wrap another piece of tape at 90 degrees to the above, using the same tip to make it fit the best. Your finished product should be an arrow covered with strapping tape from the fletching to under where the duct tape meets the shaft, thereby preventing any serious splintering from being exposed. There should be no serious wobbling of the tip when grasped firmly and moved around. You should now have a list-legal SCA arrow for your next war. If you find an arrow has been stepped on by an irate stickjock, keep the parts as just about everything can be used again, if you are careful in disassembling the broken arrow. My thanks to Lord Tempus of Trimaris for extremely useful tips, and for journeying to Darkwater to instruct the Barony on the finer points of combat archery and the construction of arrow. In service to the Dream (and to the purveyors of "feathered death" in all the Kingdoms), Sionnaichan am Diolaimadh mka Matt Drury Darkwater, Trimaris --- ZMailQ 1.10 @1:363/69.0 * Origin: The System(tm) | 407.859.2243 | Many Nets, but for you, (1:363/69)