Grinding Your Own....(Bodkins)

[duffontap]

Does anyone have a reasonably easy way to grind out bodkins and drill out a tapered socket?  The ones I've forged are so bad they're not worth using.  I'm having a heck of a time finding reasonably-priced bodkins in the US and I'm not quite rich enough to order them from England. 

             J. D. Duff

[Pat B]

Josh I have a few made by a friend and he said he had the best results wrapping metal around a mandrill for the socket then forming the point.  The ones we tried to drill out didn't work well at all.
    Pat

[ratty]

if there is such a strict definition on the English warbow ,should there not also be the same enthusiasm and strict definition for the bodkins / fletchings & arrow shafts ?

  hand forged?

maybe a NEW thread should be started. WHAT IS "WAR ARROW" ? (just an idea)

[Yeomanbowman]

maybe a NEW thread should be started. WHAT IS "WAR ARROW" ? (just an idea)

Good idea, a section on war arrows would be interesting.  Here are some examples carved on Prince Arthur's Chantry chaple. 
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q280/yeomanbowman/feathers.jpg
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q280/yeomanbowman/shafts.jpg
Note the rounded edges on the back of the fletches and the Tudor bodkins.  They were posted before on the old forum but perhaps some have not seen them, and I think they are worth a look.
This is a replica made by Hector Cole.
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q280/yeomanbowman/Dscn6987.jpg
Sorry for going off tread
Cheers,
Jeremy

[heavybow]

jeremy thats a cool arrow head. hector cole head made differnt tutor head marlon

[DBernier]

JD I just bought 6 of these off of Ebay. Here is the link.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=020&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&viewitem=&item=300114895505&rd=1&rd=1

Will look them over etc.

Dick Bernier
Mebane NC

[duffontap]

Dick, I've looked at those before.  They look nice but I need a 12mm socket as I don't want to taper the tips of my arrow shafts.  Let me know how you like them.  The price is right.

          J. D. Duff

[Loki]

JD,i think Lloyd knows a good supplier on your side of the water.

[DBernier]

JD, I'm thinking of using a 7/16 (.48) dia or even a 1/2 inche dia. shaft. I have not made anything near 1000 grains but will weigh each component and try and get there. I will start with a 34 inch shaft and go from there. I'm thinking of doing a 100# bow.    I can easly pull 85# and would work my way up to 100#+ on my bow flex. It is just a thought and I will see if it all falls in place.

Dick

[Lloyd]

Dick, JD, I have several of those bodkins from the same supplier. If you want to use them for anything more than clout shooting forget it. I've broken the piles off the socket just sticking them in the ground. They look ok but they aren't for serious shooting.

The medium ones average about 350 grains or so. The heavy ones go from 400-600
The large or heavy bodkins can be flush mounted on a 1/2 shaft. The light bodkins will fit flush on a 3/8 shaft.

[Lloyd]

on the subject of arrow heads here's a new type 16a I have in the mail from John Marshall.

1/2" hand forged. Don't know how much it weighs yet.

[DBernier]

Lloyd........That is a SERIOUS arrowhead. Beautiful. Lloyd, is it possable to heat treat the heads? If they are just iron though, I guess not.

Dick

[Loki]

I'm in need of some Forged heads like those,3/8 though,those 1/2 shafts are too heavy for my Bow  .

[SimonUK]

JD, these are the cheapest I've found, 90 pence each from Richard Head Longbows: http://s166.photobucket.com/albums/u118/simon2468/?action=view&current=HPIM0062-1.jpg But they are machine made and only fit a 3/8 inch shaft.

Steve Stratton sells some fairly cheap 1/2 inch machined bodkins DIY Archery.

[Loki]

I have some of those,whilst they look fine they are a little light and i've left a few imbedded in targets  ,worth 80p though!




Hey Simon i'm not sure but i dont think your supposed to post links on here