How to Make Arrows for a Bow?

How to Make Arrows for a Bow: A bow and arrow were used for hunting and warfare since ancient times. It’s one of the oldest weapons still in use and has been used to bring down countless wild animals, as hunting with a bow and arrow enables people to kill their prey from a distance quickly.

How to Make Arrows for a Bow

Moreover, bow technology has advanced to improve accuracy, control, design customization (compounds), and consistency. Today’s bows are designed with a strong emphasis on efficiency and precision. They are more capable and of higher quality than in the past. Though traditional bows and arrows had lost their charming these days, we shouldn’t forget that they can still be helpful today.

DIY Arrow Making Process

Afterward, making your arrows from scratch is really too complicated, but it may prove really helpful when you’re stuck in the wilderness without a weapon. Thereby, here I am writing this article which is all about how you can build a traditional arrow from scratch. It’s more of an assembly process than a construction phase.

Tools

• A sharp knife to cut the branches. You might need something else for cutting and smoothing arrows.
• Glue gun or hot glue sticks
• Hot melt glue
• Rag
• Sandpaper
• Miscellaneous tools like pliers, hammer (optional)
• Spray paint
• Bow, of course! You will need a bow to shoot them with.

Step 1 :

First, choose sticks to serve as arrows. It will be easier to shoot the arrows if they are made of straight pieces of wood. Also, the wood should not be green and should be dry. However, the arrow’s length should be the same as the bow or half the length of the bow’s drawback because an arrow that is shot can’t be pulled back to the bow.

These are some additional items to consider:

• In the case of Greenwood, allow sufficient time for the wood to dry naturally, as the sap may ignite if dried over a fire.
• Goldenrod and Mullen are sturdier than most plants, so you can use them to make good arrows.

Step 2: 

Now, after chosen the wood, it’s time to shape the arrows. Using your knife, shave off most of the excess wood from the arrow’s sides. You must then smooth the wood all around the circumference. Then, straighten the arrow by gently heating it over hot coals, being careful not to scorch the wood, and then holding it straight while it cools. Carve a notch in the tip of the arrow to hold the bowstring. This notch is known as a ‘nock.’

Step 3: 

Then, next sharpen the arrow’s point. Usually, the most basic type of arrowhead is a point carved on the front of the arrow shaft. You can fire harden the point by gently heating it in coals after cutting it with a knife.

Step 4: 

Now, it’s your turn to construct an arrowhead. Here are some materials you can use: glass, stone, metal, or bone. You could use a small rock or hammer to chip your material into a point and then attach it to the tip of the arrow. If you want to attach the arrowhead to the shaft, you can do it by notching the wood, making a U-shaped groove in the wood, inserting the arrowhead into the groove, and then lashing the head to the shaft with string or cord.

Step 5:

Fletchings can improve the flight of an arrow, but they are not required to make a field-ready weapon. Therefore, if you want to make your arrows better, you can add fletchings to the back end. You will need to find feathers and glue them onto the arrows. You can split the back of the arrow, insert the feather, and secure it with a thin thread wrapped around the fletching. If you follow this method, nearly anything can serve as your fletching.

Usually, arrow fletchings are similar to rudders on ships or small planes. They direct the arrow through the air to achieve greater accuracy. The feathers of an arrow are similar to the wings of a glider. However, if you want to have the best-looking weapons, you will probably need fletchings. Otherwise, it is not essential for survival situations.

Things Need to Know When Making Arrows for a Bow

• Tree branches, which you will find in woods or anywhere as long as they are straight.
• Arrows need to be harder than your bow, and this means fire hardening them!
• The average length is 27-30 inches.
• Don’t go over 30″ because it won’t work as an arrow if the weight distribution of the wood becomes unbalanced
• Regarding nock size, I would advise pushing the nock on before determining its size.
• Go for clear tips if you’re planning on shooting them.
• Offset nock is best as it allows you to shoot straighter.

How to Make Primitive Arrows?

Making primitive arrows is pretty simple and easy to do. You just need a few pieces of wood or bone and something to make the point out of.

Things you will need A pocket knife or survival knife, a small piece of rawhide cord for string or leather thong(s), small branches for arrow shafts, a drill with a blunt bit, and your bow. If you have deer antler tips, that would be even better. The smallest they are, the easier they will be to work with! Once you have gathered all this together, get ready to make your arrows!!!

How to Fire Harden Arrows?

• First, you need to gather some firewood and lay it on the ground in a ring shape.
• Then take an arrow and hold its tip into the fire, don’t let it burn or get too close! Heat them until they’re glowing red
• After your fire burns out and there are no more flames left, place your arrows into the fire pit once again (the ashes can be put away later). Leave it overnight.
• The next morning, remove your arrows from the fire pit carefully and do not touch them with bare hands until they cool down.
• Don’t worry if they heat up again when you handle them because this happens quite often
• Now that your arrows are cooled off, attach them to your bow and aim them into some soft ground. You will notice that after you shoot it, the arrow is much harder than before!

Final Verdict

If you are just getting into archery or bow hunting and don’t want to spend money on arrows, you can make your arrows instead of buying them. And since you’ll be the one making the arrows, you’ll have complete control over what you shoot. If you want to be able to make your arrows, this article is just for you.