making reed arrows
Dear friends,
Please could you share your experience with making reed arrows? There is a table of steppe archers broadheads in Osprey publication "Attila and the nomad hordes" describing different types of war points. The shape of some of theese war points- especially Hunnish ones, suggests that they fit to a tubelike shaft. The author of this publication states, that the reed plant was used for arrow making by theese nomad tribes. Have you any information about a kind of useable reed for it?
Many thanks to evrybody who can contribute with any information regarding this topic.
Michal
Please could you share your experience with making reed arrows? There is a table of steppe archers broadheads in Osprey publication "Attila and the nomad hordes" describing different types of war points. The shape of some of theese war points- especially Hunnish ones, suggests that they fit to a tubelike shaft. The author of this publication states, that the reed plant was used for arrow making by theese nomad tribes. Have you any information about a kind of useable reed for it?
Many thanks to evrybody who can contribute with any information regarding this topic.
Michal
You can use river cane, or any other reed which is solid enough. You can use bamboo too, but take care that the bamboo is not to heavy. I don?t know if there is any historical evidence for the use of bamboo as a material for arrows-shafts consisting of three parts, but well done they work well.
You should insert nocks made of horn or a hardwood and a foreshaft made of hardwood too.
I don?t think that these war-points were joined directly to the reed, reed-shafts need a hard fore-shaft.
Michael
You should insert nocks made of horn or a hardwood and a foreshaft made of hardwood too.
I don?t think that these war-points were joined directly to the reed, reed-shafts need a hard fore-shaft.
Michael
Ancient Egyptian reed arrows are identified as Phragmites australis (formerly communis). They have a hardwood foreshaft and a wooden or ivory nock piece.
Hindustani reed arrows have hardwood, ivory or bone nocks and often have the tang of the arrowhead inserted directly into the reed.
I am not sure of ancient Chinese bamboo arrows, but modern Korean ones have hardwood nock pieces and hardwood foreshafts.
Unusually Roman reed arows from Dura Europus have self nocks, but still have hardwood foreshafts.
The primary sources for Western arrows described as reed would have been Phragmites australis and Arundo donax, a much larger reed-like plant.
Bamboo is a good subsitute for practical arrows. All of these arrows were bound with sinew at the nock end and sinew or metal or horn at the arrowhead.
Hindustani reed arrows have hardwood, ivory or bone nocks and often have the tang of the arrowhead inserted directly into the reed.
I am not sure of ancient Chinese bamboo arrows, but modern Korean ones have hardwood nock pieces and hardwood foreshafts.
Unusually Roman reed arows from Dura Europus have self nocks, but still have hardwood foreshafts.
The primary sources for Western arrows described as reed would have been Phragmites australis and Arundo donax, a much larger reed-like plant.
Bamboo is a good subsitute for practical arrows. All of these arrows were bound with sinew at the nock end and sinew or metal or horn at the arrowhead.
I have been experimenting with bamboo and must say its a proper material. It has to be straightened by the heat of a gasburner, alcohol burner or something in this way. If this is done, I?m grinding the nodes. I insert hardwoodnocks. This makes it surely important to cut the nodes of to insert them into the hollow part of the shaft. The arrowhead can be a suitable targetpoint or I do agree to Redhawks answer with the foreshaft.
It stays straight much better than pine or other wooden shafts, I`m willing to say it stay straight for eternity.
It stays straight much better than pine or other wooden shafts, I`m willing to say it stay straight for eternity.
Thanks to all for answers. If i will get any other informations, or my own experiences i will sent them.
Michal
Michal