ANST - Information regarding Fellwalker Bolts

Kevin Varner KVarner at PlanView.com
Thu Apr 19 14:00:09 PDT 2001


I have received word back Lady Morgan the Fellwalker. With her permission I
post the following in response to my questions. The paragraphs marked 'A:'
are her words.

1. What is the average weight of one of your bolts?
A: The type with the untapered blunts and full foam taper in front of the
disk weighs 3.5 oz. The type with the tapered blunt and fletching weighs
about 2.5 oz.

2. What is the average assembly time for one bolt? I realize that an
assembly line operation is the most efficient. So hypothetically, how much
time would it take for a dozen bolts to be completed?
A: I can do the fletched variety, but without fletching, in about 5 minutes
each. If I use commercial vanes or fletching adding that doesn't take much
longer. If I use the card fletching it can add around 10 minutes per bolt
(or longer if my hands are wacked, or if I'm doing it in a car on the way to
an event ;-).

3. What is your rate of breakage? They look pretty sturdy. Have you actually
had any break would be the better question.
A: In 5 years of test and then legal use, there've only been 5 broken bolts,
and all were broken deliberately (someone snapped the heads off by cocking
the shaft at a right-angle under his knee cop). This stopped when the SEM
announced whoever it was would permanently lose his authorization card
SCA-wide.
The fletched variety, the card fletch lasts about 3 wars for me, then needs
to be replaced. Feather fletch is pretty, but you really only get one war
out of those (so I keep a few feather fletched for 'special occasions'

4. What kind of bow do you use? I have a crossbow built by master Iolo.
There is no wat I can see right now that a Fellwalker bolt could be shot
from my bow without significant modification. Admitted i have a target
crossbow with a rolling nock. the width of the roller is 1-1/4".
A: These are designed to be used by golftube crossbows.
The non-fletched versions would probably work using Master iolo's conversion
plans to turn one of his target bows into a slurbow to shoot golftubes (add
half-tube to top of the bow, build up string in center serving to contact
more of bolt, but that would fall under 'significant modifications'.
Since you have a target crossbow... if you have any access to 1-1/4" outside
diameter Siloflex, please try taping (through the tube and around the ends a
2" or so piece of Siloflex to the top of one of your combat bolts, about
1/2" from the nock end, and see if that will fly. I can't find Siloflex here
to try it, but I think it should work. If the Siloflex doesn't crush/crimp
permanently when stepped on (which would enable it to fit through a helm
grill), that might be a reasonable alternative for target crossbows.
((She lost me a little on this explanation so I requested a clarification.
Essentially you are piggy backing a tube of Siloflex on the fletched end of
the bolt. Somewhat like a 747 hauling around the space shuttle.

I do not know if this will help anybody or not. They use a specific crossbow
to shoot these things. You can see pictures of them and their pricelists at
http://fellwalker.com.

Ld Duncan MacConacher
Bryn Gwlad

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