Primitive Archer
Information and Resources => Trading Post => Topic started by: E. Jensen on December 13, 2017, 12:43:05 pm
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I'd be willing to make some more of these if anyone was interested? PM me. Usually make them to 125gr, 5 degree taper, hardened W1 tool steel with a spring temper.
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Your inbox is full Sir..
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Cleared up
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Are you looking for anything in particular to trade?
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PM sent
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PM sent
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Those only weight 125 grains?
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I've got 2-1/2 dozen to make now. Lemme catch up and then we'll see where we're at.
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I've got 24/30 tapped out. After christmas I'll forge the rest and then grind and harden them. I'm having some trouble keeping the neck centered. The head and the socket are in line with each other, but the neck in between where the dimple/seam is from rolling the fishtail is a real turd to keep centered. This in no way should affect flight or strength, only the perfectionist creator. When I review the youtube videos, it all seems so easy, but there's a key difference. Their mandrels come almost to a point, and mine is ~3/16 fat at the end, same as an arrow shaft after cutting with 3 Rivers five degree shaft cutting tool. They've got to be able to be easily put on a shaft. I could easily grind down my mandrel and they'd be easier to keep centered but that would be a ton of custom fitting for each shaft and I'm not going to do that to you guys. The fatter mandrel is not playing nice when I'm fitting the socket on it, when it gets up near the neck, it gets off center because where the socket is folded over opens up easier than the back and so it gets off center. Every point I forge I try and address this issue, and some are better than others and grinding will mitigate a lot of it but it's frustrating. The points are still absolutely usable but if it's a deal breaker just shoot me a PM and we'll work on it.
In other news, I've contacted a forge about making me some bodkin forging tongs. It's tricky because I forge the socket first and size it, but then need to grip the socket to forge the head, but the long pliers I'm using are deforming the socket even though I've ground the pliers to be as friendly as possible. Its simply a matter of thin walled malleable metal taking stress, it's gonna move. They're going to make me tongs that are basically a 5 degree cone on one end like my mandrel and then the other end clamps it down. This should make forging them a lot easier and faster. Right now I've got to tinker with the socket at the very end by holding the end of the point which is tricky, and then hammer on the tip to punch the socket onto the mandrel, which 50/50 chance deforms the tip, depending on how thin I forge it. I'm forging them thick now so they don't deform but also to allow me to grind it to center if it's a little wonky.
Well that's my update on forging bodkins!!! I like making them and I hope to get better and better. I love shooting them and think they're 100 times better than field points (even if that much more expensive). I've shot plenty of rocks and the tips get rounded after a while but nothing like hitting a rock with a field point, which is a good way to "cold forge" blunt tips for squirrel hunting?! I've never had a point break, even my early ones riddled with cracks from quenching in water (W1 is water hardening but for this size, a fast quenching oil is appropriate).
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All tapped out, final straightening next and then grinding and hardening. Some are better than others but I've finally got it down I think.
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Those are awesome looking! What is it your looking for trade? Cheers- Brendan
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Finishing these up then that's it till spring. I'm getting custom tongs that'll make these easier. But I've got to go to Arkansas for work for a few weeks/months. Then....idk turkey pointers, osage staves, we'll figure it out.
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Sent you a PM. i need your address.
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Well guys, how did I do?
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I received mine several weeks ago. They are very nice. I will put them on arrows for target use. Looks like the should hold up very well.
Thanks for the points.
Kyle
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Got mine! They will be going onto some red osier dogwood shafts for the self bow(s) for target work.
Hawkdancer
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my wife said mine came the day I was flying to Brazil.
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Those look great E.Jensen, send me a PM if you get some more made. I'd love at least a couple for sure. I'm sure I can find something you'd like around here.
Bjrogg
PS if they start up a forge section here I hope you share some of those skills with us. I remember your knives to.
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I think they look great, nice job. :OK
Getting the ash shafts ready for them and looking forward to seein' em fly.
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Those look great! I always wanted to try hunting with them, but they'd have to be 7/8" wide to be legal to hunt with here in Michigan. What are your thoughts on that? I'd love to get some and give it a go, but never found anyone to make them that wide.
Tattoo Dave
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Dave, I'm working on broadheads, because I have the same goal. But it's proving exponentially difficult. I'll keep you posted.