Select fletchings

Jack, very nice feathers you got! The brown feathers must be primaries or secondaries of pheasant. The blue ones must be blue slate turkey. The only thing is that I think the pheasant feathers are too soft in comparison to turkey primaries.
I know you're going to make very nice arrows.

Jack,
They are lovely feathers. Are you going to use the Japanese style for your whistling arrows: two big high feathers and two small low feathers?

Jose; The brown feathers; I believe are Peacock, All three sets came off three secondary wing feathers. (and an extra set remains) The blue are from three secondaries. All are soft feathers.

Bede; I have seen that format on Korean arrows. These arrows are mutts; bamboo shafts, SRMS Mongol crest, three and four fletch, homemade whistles. Just finished two. Am happy. I know one whistle works because I retro fitted it from another experimental arrow.

I enjoyed your whistle arrow which you employed against the Mongolian target at WTAF.

When I shot mine at the archery range, another shooter just had to come out to the target to see how it was made. -j-

The Japanese style used for kabura-ya and hikime-ya usually worked with two big golden eagle feathers and two small peacock tail feathers (or sometimes hawk). It works like a flu-flu arrow. Any other type of feather would look different and small in comparison to the raptor feathers used as the 2 main feathers. But that's what's available, besides that real raptor feathers are still offered to the public in Japan. Even short Uchi-ne are fletched in this style.

By the way, Bede and Jack, do you make your own whistling arrowheads? I'd like to see how they look.

Jos?,
The side feathers I have seen were pheasant, not peacock. The top and bottom feathers were a left and a right hand feather arranged so that the upper, more colourful side of the feather is outwards towards the viewer.

This sounds as though it would not be very aerodynamic, but they have been used for a long time.

I make my own whistling heads, but I have bought some modern metal ones that worked.

Bede, you are right. I wanted to say pheasant instead of peacock. I always confuse these words when I write in English. What I didn't know is about the big feathers are of different hands. The ones I saw and the ones I made are from the same wing. I have to say the ones I saw are modern arrows. Maybe in the past were made like you say. That's interesting to learn.

I have a video of someone in a Japanese arrow shop making one. I will check if some people still make them the way I remember.

Bede, Jack, can you show us some pictures how you work on these whistling arrows??!

Anyone would be very interested, I guess;-))

Best regards, JJ

Two finished arrows.

The finished fletches.

The whistles, both made from brass bells. The thing that I have learned is that the support for the whistle is in front, with the base sealed for no air flow.

Jack, that's a good job. Nice finished arrow, it's interesting that you turned a musical object into another.

Since we're talking about whistling heads, this is the only picture I have of mine. It's Japanese made, a gift from a good friend in Japan. The arrow was made by me besides the wooden head. I use to shoot this arrow fro New Year to bring good luck :)

Jose; Can we see a closeup of your arrow and especially the whistle. -j-

Jack, I took pictures. Here's my small hikime. It's hollow wood, with a metal point, an inner stick to insert inside the bamboo shaft and laquered with urushi. For the arrow, I used white feathers, white silk bindings and a horn nock. The bamboo shaft is stained in a dark tone. White and red silk bindings were used next to the head.
It's wisthles louder than the kabura heads but not as loud as the big hikime used in the shinto ceremony "Hikime no gi". Those are twice or even bigger.
I'm fascinated by whistling heads, I have a small collection of them but I'm looking for different types. I've seen many pictures of Korean style heads at the world festival but I never was lucky to purchase one of them.

Jose; You have done a good job but I cannot make out details because the pictures are not close enough.

Those tracking the progress of my whistling arrows; the small one is very loud and successful. The large lumpy one does not whistle at all. I experimented with it drilling and taping over various holes with no success-no whistle at all. Will work on with this one.

This image is of accurate historic Korean whistle reproductions of the Young Jip Bows and Arrows Museum in South Korea.

I am sure that others would cherish a good image or two of your Japanese whistles, up close. -j-

Ok, here's a closer picture of the same head before the final touch that I found in my computer. Hope it helps.

I think I'm going to change the original subject but I found several whistling samples in my computer, taken from the Grayson collection. I feel it's interesting to share.

A few more...

Made with horn/antler/ivory

...

Silk Road Museum Seoul, probably Mongol.