Finally finished!

[Lloyd]

I finally finished my swallow tails. I finished the 1st one almost 6 months ago, and I just finished the last of them. These are by no means a matched set.
The weights go from 1200 to almost 1800 grains. Two of them are almost an inch longer than the rest, the long ones are 36.5 with a draw length of
33, the rest are 35.25 with a draw length of almost 32". 5 of them are fletched with peacock feathers, but I ran out of white peacock so the last one is
fletched with 3 turkey feathers. All are ash and fletched with 9 inch feathers and bound with red silk. 5 of them are 1/2" barreled to 7/16 at the point and 3/8 at the nock.
The other one is 7/16 at the point and 3/8 at the nock.

[Loki]

Stunning!
The whippings incredibly neat,i hope to get mine as good as that one day  .
Is the binding under the nock necessary or just for show? i didnt think it was needed if your adding a horn insert,i never put any on my last ones  .
I can imagine the fletches sticking out of six dead destrier's  .


Happy Solstice folks!!

[heavybow]

Lloyed those are some nice looking arrows. marlon

[DanaM]

Wow, stunning stickers.

[ratty]

they should go well out of an 150# warbow

looks like your going to be shooting lots of horses

just an observation did you countersink your whipping?

[Loki]

Hi peasant!

[duffontap]

Man, those are some very nice arrows.  Are those swallowtail heads vulnerable to breakage during practice shots?  Absolutely beautiful work.

          J. D. Duff

Hey peasant--welcome!

[ratty]

hello Ive changed my name to provent confusion

[duffontap]

hello Ive changed my name to provent confusion

Ha, ha.  Mistaken identity huh?  Well, welcome anyway.

            J. D. Duff

[Lloyd]

Loki, I'm not sure the nock binding is necessary but I figure better safe than sorry. Practice (a lot) makes perfect (kind of).

Pleb, no I didn't countersink the whipping, but some of the fletchings have fairly thick quills, and on those the thread did sink in a little. So there may be some countersinking but it was entirely accidental. The thread is definitely sitting on top of the shaft. That thin silk thread can be treacherous. If you wrap your bindings too tight it can actually cut through the feather. Hence the running out of white peacock feathers before the set is done.

JD, yes they will break if they hit a hard target. And then I will cry like a baby. Then I will swear like a sailor.

Marlon, now that those are done I can concentrate on yours.

Thanks for all the kind words everyone. I'll post more as they are finished. I have some type 7s in the works now, and then probably some lightweight (a mere 700 grains or so) 3/8" galling arrows with type 8s I think. If anyone has any 9" goose or swan they want to trade let me know.

[david w.]

nice arrows.  Im in the process of making one

[Loki]

Loki, I'm not sure the nock binding is necessary but I figure better safe than sorry.

I had one spilt on me this morning,luckily it was just a practice arrow with a field pile.I'm going to bind all my nocks from now on,especially with the heavy heads.

[markinengland]

Very nice arrows. Have you shoot them yet?
I was interested to read in Hugh Soar's Secrets of the English Warbow that the swallowtail was so effective at armour. This head seemed almost as effective in most instances as the bodkin, probably due to the weight as much as anything else.
Mark in England

[SimonUK]

Very nice arrows. Have you shoot them yet?
I was interested to read in Hugh Soar's Secrets of the English Warbow that the swallowtail was so effective at armour. This head seemed almost as effective in most instances as the bodkin, probably due to the weight as much as anything else.
Mark in England

Isn't it the case that a flatish head pierces armour best? I've not seen the armour piercing DVD from SPTA, but I heard rumours that a lozenge shaped head worked best. Does anyone know exactly what type of head that was? e.g. type 16 or tudor bodkin for example?

[Loki]

Do you mean the 9A?