Problems with nocks

Gianrico,
I am puzzled why you have given up self nocks. If the size is right for your string, they should last for a long time unless you hit them in the target with another arrow. If they split, the slot is too narrow for the string. Sinew or strong thread can be used to strengthen the nock if you are worried.

If you wish to add nocks to your arrows, why not try horn nocks? The easiest way to make them is to take a piece of horn and drill a 6 mm hole in it about 8 mm deep. Then make the end of your arrow into a peg 6 mm wide and 8 mm long. Glue the piece of horn on and carve it into shape.

This is a good way to use up bits of horn left over from bow making.

hello,

do it like Bede proposes it.I?ve done 1000s of self-nock the last 12 years and I?ve had less than 10 problems with them.Again the key is your choice of wood,let the growthrings running through the whole shaft,if the growthrings break out at the end where you make your nock,you will have your problem.The horn-nocks are easy to do and very nice.
You really save money when you buy the premium cedar,northern pine,hemlock......arrow-shafts,they are more expensive but you will be happy for a long time with them.
In bowery the easiest way to avoid problems and breakings is to look very carefully at the materials you use.

Self nocks are really Ok as Bede and Rhawk have said. Additionally, the shaft will be stronger if the growth layers are horizonal while shooting. Then the nock will be cut vertically through all the layers. Wrapping below the nock is a must. Also try cutting away below the nock and near the point for a barreled shaft. The best wood shafts are barreled.

Among the other methods for adding a nock is the Mongolian technique where the nock end of the shaft has a long v-groove cut. A horn wedge is glued in place. When dry the nock is carved out perpendicular to the axis of the v-groove and the entire splice is wrapped and painted.

There is nothing wrong with splicing in a hardwood nock by this method. No nocking method is immune to impact from incoming arrows. Horn nocks are just sexier than self nocks. -j-

Thanks to all for your suggestions, I will try some experiences in the next days, then post some images of my work.

About nocks: I am not against self nocks generally speaking, I just find they are not very "attractive", or less sexy as Jack says with humour :-)

I just have a doubt on the "egality" of all nock bulding method: if a self nock is reached by an arrow and it breaks, the shaft need to be cutted and it could result too short. An added nock seems to have a little advantage from this point of view: if it is broken, it is still possible to replace it (if the shaft is not damaged, obviously). But I have no experience in arrow making and this is perhaps too "theoric". On the other side, it is undoubtly true that added nocks requires more work.

I have founded in a site an exemple of bronze nocks (called "viking"):

http://www.fletchers-corner.de/module/k ... w=harbardr

Does anyone know something more about the historical exactitude of this "viking bronze nocks"? They were really used?

TIA for your answers

Gianrico

Gianrico,
I have some Chinese arrows that are made in the manner Jack described, but with an insert of bamboo instead of horn.

In the Grayson Collection are two Mongolian arrows for sur target shooting with horn nocks similar in construction but not shape to Turkish bashpare nocks.

I have heard of wood, horn, antler, bone and ivory nocks, but not bronze. They would be a way of changing the point of balance of an arrow and also good for showing off, but I wonder if they would be worth the trouble.

I'm about to make some "baspare" nocks,

"The easiest way to make them is to take a piece of horn and drill a 6 mm hole in it about 8 mm deep. Then make the end of your arrow into a peg 6 mm wide and 8 mm long. Glue the piece of horn on and carve it into shape"

Is this how you make them? I woud think that some type of tanged wooden or horn piece was inserted directly into predrilled arrow shaft, not the other way around
Could someone put some light on the sobject?

If you use either doweling technique you make a weak spot at the base of the dowel. Therefore use a tusk tenon. a dowel which is tapered to a point.

I make nocks by adding a hardwood plug of a shoot. A shoot has the grain in a circle which is stronger than flat grain. Dogwood rejects from arrow making are good.

Basically a thing like an icecream cone is inserted into a tapered hole in the end of a shaft. Bamboo hollow makes a perfect pilot for the flared bit. In a wood shaft, a very tiny pilot hole is best to drill first.

Glue with wood glue. When dry carve the nock. Wrap with sinew if you have it which lays flatter than thread and does not require knotting.

An arrow can be made from bamboos which are too thin to cut a self nock into.

An old dog bone makes a VERY SEXY nock. Looks just like ivory. -j-

Looking at old arrows, generally the Turkish arrows with applied nocks (bashpare) have a simple untapered tenon on the wooden shaft. the arrows are very light and would not have that much inertia when the string pushes them. This might explain why they did not use Jack's stronger method.

Bamboo and reed arrows usually have the tenon on the nock. In the case of Indo-Persian arrows the wooden inserted nocks are commonly strongly tapered. The ivory and bone nocks often have a shorter parallel tenon. Japanese horn nocks usually have a slightly tapered short tenon.

I have seen references to hardwood nocks that are applied to wooden shafts with a diagonal splice, but have never seen one in the flesh.

In some higher class viking period graves arrows with bronze nocks were found. They were probably mainly for representation, but functional, from some people?s experience they destroy the string rapidly;-)

JJ

I use self nock on wooden arrow ... but sometimes , when I have to make bamboo p'yon-jon , I use nocks made from dogwood branch , like that one :
[external image]
[external image]
bamboo shaft is glued inside the nock ... after that , wrapping with thread is applied ...
on wooden p'yon-jon I rienforce self nock with pieces of plastic cards (VISA , Mastercard , etc ) ... and wrapping ...

I wanna try some bone for nocks ... but what kind of bone ?

Bone cut from the femurs of large cattle is good.