Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => English Warbow => Topic started by: duffontap on June 04, 2007, 11:52:25 pm
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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
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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
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:-\ 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) :)
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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
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jeremy thats a cool arrow head. hector cole head made differnt tutor head marlon
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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
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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
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JD,i think Lloyd knows a good supplier on your side of the water.
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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. :o 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
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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.
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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.
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t46/lloydwwinter/Archery/JohnMarshalltype16A1.jpg)
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t46/lloydwwinter/Archery/JohnMarshalltype16A2.jpg)
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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
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I'm in need of some Forged heads like those,3/8 though,those 1/2 shafts are too heavy for my Bow >:(.
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JD, these are the cheapest I've found, 90 pence each from Richard Head Longbows: http://s166.photobucket.com/albums/u118/simon2468/?action=view¤t=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.
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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!
(http://img472.imageshack.us/img472/7176/reytryms0.th.jpg) (http://img472.imageshack.us/my.php?image=reytryms0.jpg)
Hey Simon i'm not sure but i dont think your supposed to post links on here ;)
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Hey Simon i'm not sure but i dont think your supposed to post links on here
Oops! sorry. Moderators, please feel free to remove that.
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I think because this is a magazine's site they only allow the people who advertise in it to have links up,i'm not sure but i think i read that somewhere ???.
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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
They are steel, not iron and they are hand forged so I assume they are heat treated. I specified this one to be forge blackened, but my last set of bodkins were bright polished. The smith will also do 3/8" but I have to warn you that hand forged war heads are very pricey and the price is the same from 3/8 or 1/2" sockets (good for me with 1/2" sockets, bad for you if you need 3/8"). I paid 15 British Pounds for that single head. And John is a lot cheaper than some of the big name English smiths. I've seen similar heads from other folks go for as much as 25 GBP which is $50 USD give or take. If you are interested shoot me a PM with your email address and I'll pass your address along. I haven't done any armor shooting with any of John's heads but I had a hell of a time doing a minor sharpening job on a bodkin I got from him. They seem plenty hard to me. This is the first of his broad heads I've bought. I'll give a more thorough review once I get my greedy little hands on it. I already have several shafts prepared. All I need to do is see which one it fits best then fletch it and glue the point on. I can hardly wait ;D
PS, hand forged bodkins are about 1/3 the price of broad heads. Just wait until you start looking at swallow tails! The sticker shock could put you in the hospital!.
The top bodkin in the pic below is hand forged. The swallow tail is Indian Damascus and the bottom two are commercial bolt heads.
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t46/lloydwwinter/Archery/wararrows_heads.jpg)
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I need some Forged heads for my new arrows so i'm definetly interested in some from John,his heads look as good as the others i've been looking at from,Cole,Stanley etc..
I better not mess these arrow's up! :'(
I'll pm you my email mate.
Andy
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You're right, no mistakes allowed with L25 swallow tails! Or even those measly little L6 bodkins. ;)
Check your mail Andy.
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I've forged my own its quite simple. start with round or square stock the size u want the socket to be, i use colled rolled mild steel it seems to be just a bit harder than hot rolled.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/usmcsniper8472/forgeingbodkins.jpg)
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I've ordered a 14c,a type 7 and a 8b ;D,should be here next week!i'm on pins :D.
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USMC,
How long did it take you to get proficient at making the sockets?
J. D. Duff
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oh one or two tries but i have prior blacksmithing experience. i used a piece of 3/8 stock ( for 3/8 arrows) and ground the taper i wanted on it then used it as a mandrel. ive designed a set of tongs that will make it even easier just haven't made them. they are based of a pair of modified tongs i saw a demonstrator use to roll a cup for a candle holder. let me draw them up for u.
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ok hope my sketch makes sense i did it just a couple minuets.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/usmcsniper8472/knives/bodkintongs.jpg)
was thinking u could modify a pair of chain makers tongs like these
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/usmcsniper8472/knives/chainmakertongside.jpg) they are a bit pricey though
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I think because this is a magazine's site they only allow the people who advertise in it to have links up,I'm not sure but i think i read that somewhere ???.
Links to a photo hosting site is OK. It's links to a business site that does not advertise with PA that is not allowed. We do this as a courtesy to the ones that advertise with PA.
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USMC,
Thanks so much for taking the time to do that. I'll take the picture to my local blacksmith to see if he'll help me build some tongs like that. I'll let you know, too.
J. D. Duff
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My heads arrived from John Marshall,i'm over the moon with them ;D.
(http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/2388/headsir2.th.jpg) (http://img239.imageshack.us/my.php?image=headsir2.jpg)