Mary Rose Replica Bow Build-Along--An Entrance into the World of War Bows

[SteveO]

 Since the topic of home made bodkins has come up, some might want to read how I make mine. It's on about the last post in the spine tester thread in the arrow section. http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,915.0.html

Steve

[duffontap]

Ok, ok, I have to admit it--I'm a lousy, beginner blacksmith.  As my wife always says, I just go 100% with everything I try.  So, I'm trying to forge a bodkin.  I'll talk more about that first of the week.  Take care everyone. 

         J. D. Duff







"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might..."  --Ancient Hebrew Proverb  [i

[duffontap]

SteveO,

Those are excellent looking points.  Much nicer than the ones I made.  I'll post what I've come up with today, then you can make critical comments from your more advanced prospective.  Thanks.

         J. D. Duff

[SteveO]

 I'm just a beginner, J.D.   I put a forge together several years ago and have been learning by the trial and error ( lots of that) method.  It takes me about an hour to make one bodkin so I'm not sure I qualify as an instructor.  The only trick, if you want to call it that, that I've discovered is to make the socket first. It's the hardest part to get right and it's easier for me to make it on the end of a piece of metal long enough so I don't have to use  tongs. I have trouble making a head light enough for practical use, but I'm still working on it. You'll probably figure it out and be able to tell me how!

Steve

[duffontap]

Hello Everyone,

If you’re anything like me, you can’t just stop at ‘mostly home made,’ and just have to have your hand in every possible part of the process.  I have my limits, but at the very high cost of hand-forged bodkins, I knew I had to find a way to make my own.  My first attempt was to make conical bodkins on a lathe.  I drilled the socket to 1/2” and started filing, but it was just taking too long.  As I moped around the house waiting for an idea, my wife reminded me that there is a professional blacksmith who keeps a shop not two miles from my house.  I was on my way. 

One of the funny things about archery is that everyone seems to have some connection to it, and some interest in it.  Every time I tell someone that I build bows and arrows and follow that with a humble request for a favor—every time—they gladly go way out of their way to help me.  Such was the case with John, the blacksmith at Gearhart Iron Works.  I showed him a few pictures and he started to work on a piece of scrap iron.  After a little trial and error, he told me he would be glad to have me come back for a few weekends to try making bodkins out of steel from his scrap bin.  No charge. 

After a couple trips to the shop, I have a few rough-looking bodkins with no socket.  John recommended that I drill them out on my drill press.  I could do that.  Or I could grind them down to wedges or tangs and glue them into a V in the end of the shaft and follow with some epoxy and thread wraps.  I may do that for now.

While I was trying to figure this socket problem out, I posted a request for information on the arrow page of englishwarbow.com/forum/ and was quickly directed to a most helpful video.  It was a 2 1/2 minute video showing a blacksmith making a point from start to finish.  You can download this video for free from englishwarbow.com under their video gallery.  I highly recommend it to anyone with a hint of interest.  I have another appointment this Saturday with John, and hopefully we’ll be able to figure out the sockets together—with the aid of this newfound video. 

Following are a few additional pics of my forging adventure.  For those with great interest, a simple propane forge can be made for the home shop for little more than a $100.  Sounds reasonable to me—maybe some day. 


                J. D. Duff

[Justin Snyder]

Looking good J.D..  I have no doubt you will get them finished.  By the way,  It's not what you know, Its who you know.   Justin

[MattE]

I have a few heads that are forged. The way to make the socket is to flatten out the back of the heads into a sheet of metal and then bend it around a form of the socket. The form can easily be made from scrap rod.This way helps you to keep the weight down,which seems to be the problem most people have with forged heads.

[Pat B]

Josh, I had a blacksmith friend of mine work on a some bodkins a few years ago. He figured out that the easiest way to make the socket was to roll the metal around a mandril then shape the point. We never got the bugs worked out and didn't go any farther with it. I have the few he made. On some we tried to drill out the socket but that wasn't very practical...or at least to us.  Looking forward to this poroject of yours. Keep it up!    Pat

[duffontap]

I highly recommend the video on www.englishwarbow.com   It's a free download and you just need Windows Media Player to view it (Mac OS 10 users need flip-40mac to view it on QuickTime Player). 

The sockets are shaped just as Matt and Pat, hmmm, suggested.  I took this idea to the local blacksmith and he said we could give it a try this Saturday.  He's a high-end iron art dealer, so he has every possible jig--including a large cone that should be perfect for shaping the sockets around.  I'll post some pics of that effort as well. 

Weight is the main problem.  I think a finished point should be pretty near 300 grains for a 1/2" arrow.  That may even be a little high, but I haven't found a lot of good information on bodkin weights.  Can anyone help here?

I may get around to building a little forge for my home shop this Christmas break.  I'll post a brief how-to on here if I do. 

For those interested:  I have pulled my war bow to full draw a few times now.  Now that it's broken in, I think it's drawing something like 110# at 32".  I need to measure it again though. 

Tomorrow is my first day of Yew cutting for the winter.  Looking for the one-in-a-million tree.

        J. D. Duff

[mnewcomb59]

Sounds fun. Remember the higest density staves or billets can come from limbs. Look for the straight limbs.

[duffontap]

You see one here?     There are pretty mixed reviews on the limbs.  I have a really cool limb stave that I need to work up.  Got to go.

          J. D. Duff

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[heavybow]

Good job josh pulling your bow did it loose some poundage? Josh on your points 300 grains sounds good. Some points can be from 200 grains to 700 grains depends on the point. take care marlon

[duffontap]

I don't know Marlon.  When I first finished it, the bow seemed to be maxing out my 100# scale at 28".  Now that it's broken in, it seems to be more like 100# at 30".  I'm perfectly happy in this case.  My original plan was to go for 100# minimum, so coming out 10# over is a bonus.  If I had been concerned about hitting a very specific weight, I would have 'boken it in' much more during the tillering process and taken the final weight measurements at a point where I was confident it wouldn't lose more weight.  Anyway, I like the idea of shooting 110# regularly, and having a couple heavier bows for the days when I feel up to the abuse. 

                   J. D. Duff

[Dane]

JD, regarding bodkin weights, I dont happen to know, but it might be worth contacting a museum or organization that has the type of head in their collection and just asking about data, such as weiging the type of bodkin you are interested in replicating. A few months back, at a local gun show, I saw a dealer with a few okay looking medieval bodkins, but he wanted something like 100 dollars each, and that was more than I wanted to pay, nice as they were.

Hector Cole - I've looked at his site, and he does what looks like lucious work. http://www.hectorcoleironwork.com/index.html. Not cheap, particualrly with the dollar rate, but perhaps he would be willing to share information with you?

[D. Tiller]

J.D. when you get up this way to shoot with us I will bring my scale out of the closet. Goes all the way up to 200#'s. Tried pulling Scotts 100# bow the other day. Way over my head so far. Think I will work up to it slowly by building progressively heavier bows.

D. Tiller