Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: JackCrafty on June 11, 2009, 03:26:31 pm
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Here's some pics of the latest set of Apache arrows I'm making for a friend of mine. They are "working" reproductions...but they will only be used for display display and instructional purposes.
Materials:
Shafts: phragmites reed
Foreshafts: Chinese privet
Feathers: domesticated duck
Wrapping: elk leg sinew
Glue: fish glue
Red Paint: red ochre + shellac (button-lac)
Black Paint: lamp black + shellac (button-lac)
Finish/Sealer: shellac (dewaxed blonde)
Arrowheads: obsidian, steel, and heat-treated Edwards chert
Arrowhead Glue: 1:2:1 Mix (by volume) beeswax + pine rosin + osage wood dust...and a little lamp black added for color.
Stone/obsidian arrowheads weigh in @ 20 to 22 grains each. Steel arrowheads @ 40 grains each.
Stone arrowheads are made in the "desert side notch" tradition. Steel arrowheads are made similar to trade points found in West Texas & New Mexico.
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1146.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1147.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1150.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1151.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1152.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1153.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1154.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1156.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1157.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1158.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1159.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1160.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1161.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1163.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1166.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1168.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1169.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1175.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/06-11-09/DSC_1185.jpg)
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Patrick those are some nice arrows, lot of hard work went into them. 8)
Tina
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I couldn't agree more Patrick - your doing some mighty fine work out there! Wish work didn't get in my way so much ;D.
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Thanks Tina....it's only hard work if I didn't enjoy it. ;)
Paul, thanks. You workin' in Austin?
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Those are great looking arrows, Patrick. I really liked those guinea-fletched ones you had at Tennessee, too.
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Yep, on the north side for now. Gotta lot of work coming up here in the next few years - man, I love this part of TX :).
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Awesome arrows Pat, I love the one you gave me at Pappy's :)
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Patrick
You do some amazing work, those are some absolutely beautiful arrows. You are a true artist.
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As always Patrick, incredible!!! 8)
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Great work!!!!
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Beautiful arrows.well done. :) I love the one you gave me at the Classic,a piece of art in my mind. :)
Pappy
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awesome arrows! good coloring job.
how long is the steel point's part which is covered by the shaft? (i don't know if you will understand this).
do you have a picture of an unmounted steel point?
thomas
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Great Job on those Apache arrows...they look spot-on just like the originals I've seen.
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Thanks for the complements guys. :)
Thomas, I didn't measure them ...but the tangs on the steel arrowheads are about 3/8" long. If you look at trade points found in the Southwest, you will see that some were small, diamond-shaped, and with short tangs. Of course, there was a lot of variation in trade points and the NA's themselves made arrowheads from steel also. There was a lot of variation not only between tribal groups but within the tribes and even within the same set of arrows. There is no "standard" shape.
The sharpening of the trade points varied also. Some were not sharpened at all, some were bevelled one one side of each edge, and some were bevelled on both sides of each edge.
Hope that wasn't too much info.
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Really Nice Arrows Patrick :).PK
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never too much info ;D
thanks alot patrick!
i will try to make an arrowhead like yours. i got an angle grinder and an old cirular saw blade...
thomas
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nice colors, how exactly did u make the red. Im new at making paint and i have the red ochre but i just cant make it into paint
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Dmann, I'll try to explain the way I make my paint. I wish I had more pictures....
First I buy the pigment and the shellac.
I prefer to buy the pigment because it's already finely ground and contains no impurities.
The shellac I buy is called button-lac.
I crush it before dissolving in denatured alcohol.
(with a little helper, of course...the kids really enjoy the painting-making...)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/02-07-2009/048.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/02-07-2009/051.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/02-07-2009/053.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/02-07-2009/054.jpg)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/02-07-2009/059.jpg)
The crushed shellac is then dissolved in about twice as much alcohol (by volume) as the shellac.
It normally takes 3 days for the shellac to dissolve.
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/02-07-2009/058.jpg)
The shellac mixture is then strained, and then I add enough pigment to make the paint opaque (non-transparent).
This particular type of red pigment that I use is rather gritty, but I think that adds to the "primitive" effect.
I usually allow the paint to dry for at least 12 hours before I handle it...even though it will be dry to the touch after only a few minutes.
It gets really hard and will stick to almost any surface.
You can also mix the pigment with egg yolk, hide glue, beeswax, or pine rosin. The egg yolk is probably the easiest. The hide glue needs to be thinned with a little water before you add the pigment....so it won't gel too quickly. The other two will need to be warmed up before you can paint with them. The beeswax has a lower melting point than rosin, so it will be easier....but neither will be easy to paint with...and will tend to drip and run if you heat up the paint too much.
Of course, there are those that will say, "Just get some acrylic binder 'cause it's cheap and easy!". That's all well and fine. Personally, I like to experiment with and use the stuff that was available before 1900.
A good place to look for instructions on making your own paint is art supply websites. They sometimes have tutorials on how to make you own "historically accurate" paints.
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Patrick, Where do you get the shellac "buttons"?
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Pat, I knew someone would ask me that....
Let me look. I'll be right back. :)
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Here's the link:
---http://www.shellacshack.com/purchase-shellac-flakes-1.html
The "Light Pure Buttonlac" is about half way down the page.
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Thanks! Sorry to make you strain your brain! ;D
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Very nice looking work. They would be a very prized posession.
Ronnie
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Thanks Ronnie. :)
Pat, it's not a problem....brain strain is, uh, ....very much a part of my day anyway.
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Very nice arrows and great information. I notice a few jars in your pics.... how long will that paint last sealed in a canning jar like that?
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Aosda, shellac has a shelf life of less than 6 months in most cases. Dewaxed shellac lasts about half as long. Dry shellac flakes last about 2-3 years before they become difficult to dissolve. The type of jar doesn't make too much difference as far as shelf life, but the more air-tight the lid the better, obviously.
The mix I use for paint is a 4# cut in woodworker speak. If you don't speak woodworker...that means 4oz of shellac (by weight) to 1 cup of alcohol. I don't usually measure mine...I just use about twice as much alcohol (by volume) as shellac.....because I don't like taking the extra time it takes to set up the scale. If the mix seems a little thick...I just add more alcohol. Different pigments react differently when mixed with shellac, so you've got to experiment.
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Good info, thanks.