Arrow fail . . . 3 ways.

[Prarie Bowyer]

So I made a bamboo arrow modeled after the Primitive Bowfishing video by Yoyindo on You Tube.  I was perty.  . . to look at. 

1)  Too light.  No real penetration unless shooting point blank.

2)  Buyant enough that even the stone tip floats.  I think I could penetrate 1' into the water at 20 feet out.

3)  Need about 5 more feet of line on my reel.  Why are they alwayse just out of reach?


4) Socket for detatchable tip WAY too weak.  Snapped it off in my shaft on the first fish.

5) Stone tips need to be seated further back in to shaft, Laced Tighter, and probably need something more than TB3.

Just my thougths.  It was nice nice to shoot the arrow.  See it NOT return to the surface and feel the tug of life on the other end.


So How to add weight to these arrows?    I like the idea of a smaller head for better penetration.

How to get tips a bit thinner at the back so I can get them deeper in the shaft?  That is a knapping skill issue.

[hedgeapple]

My first couple of thoughts for adding weight are:  If by chance you've every made round ball for a muzzleloader you my have a lead melting pot and might be able to pour hot lead down the bamboo.  I don't know if the hot lead would burn the bamboo or not.  That stuff cools pretty quickly.  Or out could break open a shotgun shell and poke the shots down the bamboo adding glue occassionally to keep them from rattling.  Or, fly tyers use a lead thread to wrap around their hooks to make theme sink.

[Prarie Bowyer]

I was thinking eitehr a bigger head (longer), or sand in the shaft.

[madcrow]

I have melted lead into tonkin cane before.  I just held a 158 grain lead wadcuttet over the hole with pliers and heated it with a torch.  It didn't burn through.  Also you can melt plumbing solder into the hole.

[Prarie Bowyer]

As bird point they are great.  I like the floating arrow int that it dosen't get hung up on everything.

[Pat B]

I've used sand in cane arrows to add tip weight. You can also get brass rods that fit the center hole and, with the use of a little TBIII, it will stay put.

[crooketarrow]

  I made fish arrows once for some out of cain and used finishing nails all but to the last 4 inchs  I add lead but small low cut feathers. Yuo have to get rid of the air inside the shafes. The solider and heavyer the arrow the deeper it go's.