ARCH - [SCA-MissileCombat] fitz-rauf combat arrow (draft 3)
Harry C. Billings
psobaka at mail.myriad.net
Thu Mar 22 18:40:22 PST 2001
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>Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 09:16:35 -0800 (PST)
>From: John Edgerton <sirjon at netcom.com>
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>Subject: [SCA-MissileCombat] fitz-rauf combat arrow (draft 3)
>
>From: John Edgerton <sirjon at netcom.com>
>
>Here is the latest version of the article for those that are interested.
>The main change from the old draft is in the location and size of the
>weight relief holes.
>
>Jon
>**************************************************************************
>
> DRAFT 3
>
> The Fitz-Rauf Combat Arrow
> experimental mark II
> by Sir Jon Fitz-Rauf
> O.L., O.P., R.C.A., R.C.Y.
>
> The Fitz-Rauf combat arrow is an attempt to improve the safety
>and accuracy of the SCA combat arrow while increasing its durability and
>reducing its cost.
>
> The tapered shape of the blunt reduces turbulence and drag which
>slow down an arrow in flight. The light weight of the UHMW and the weight
>relief holes which further reduce the weight of the blunt allow a greater
>initial velocity. This increase allows a flatter trajectory making aiming
>easier and increases the maximum range.
>
> The UHMW and fiberglass improve safety by eliminating the chance
>of injury due to a splintered shaft or the shaft punching through the
>blunt. The HTM ABD nock reduces the chance of an arrow nock entering the visor
>slot or bars of a helm and greatly reduces the chance of injury due to a
>bounceback.
>
> The initial low cost and durability of the materials lower the
>repair and replacement costs.
>
> When tested for maximum range this design went approximately 23%
>further than the same shaft, fletch and nock with a Baldar blunt, shot
>from the same bow, for a average distance of 79 yards.
>
> The arrow: blunt, shaft and nock, except for the feather fletch
>is virtually indestructible. A side benefit of the long taper is that the
>arrows pull easily from your quiver with hanging up on other blunts.
>
> This combat arrow consists of a 1/4 inch fiberglass shaft, a 2
>&1/2 inch tapered UHMW blunt, five inch feather fletches and a HTM anti-
>bounceback device nock. The blunts cost about 40 cents depending upon
>where you buy your UHMW, padding material, tape and glue. The shafts
>cost can cost about 80 cents to a dollar, again depending on your source.
>The feather fletch is about 20 cents to 75 cents depending upon length
>and supplier. And the HTM blunt for the ABD nock cost about 80 cents to a
>dollar. This, with the tape for the shaft, adds up to about $3.30 for the
>complete arrow.
>
>
>
> CONSTRUCTION
>
>SHAFT CONSTRUCTION:
>
>1)CUTTING
>
> You should first determine the length you need for the shaft,
>allowing for both nock and blunt, this will be about 29 & 3/4 inches. An
>indelible marker is best for marking the fiberglass. The maximum draw
>length of the arrow is twenty eight inches from the bottom of the nock
>slot to the bottom of the blunt, but your shaft will be longer than that
>by the length of the shaft that is inside the blunt and as well as the
>length of shaft in the nock.
>
> In cutting the fiberglass, you need to take care to avoid
>breathing the dust or getting it in your eyes. It is not toxic, but can
cause a
>sore throat and itchy eyes. Cutting should be done outside to avoid build up
>of dust in the air inside. If you wear a dust mask and goggles, you can
>reduce the chance for irritation. You should also wear gloves to help avoid
>skin irritation.
>
>2) SANDING
>
> After you have cut the rod to length, you will need to sand the
>full length of it with some medium grit sand paper. The rod has a very slick
>surface that needs to be roughened to make a better surface for both
>gluing on the head and fletching or applying the tape. Remember, avoid
>the dust while you are sanding. You can also remove the slick surface by
>wiping the surface with an acetone dampened rag.
>
>4) FLETCHING
>
> I use five inch feather fletch on the shafts. It is more
>forgiving of a poor release than plastic vanes. Fletchtite does not seem to
>work as well as 3M Super Strength Adhesive or Duco cement. Fletching tape
>also works very well, all of my current fletches were first attached with
>fletching tape and then glued and none have come off.
>
> In order to use a fletching jig for the arrows you will need to
>use a 1/4 inch slip on nock on the end of the shaft. Do not glue it in place
>and then remove it when the arrow is fetched and then reuse it on the next
>arrow.
>
> After the fletching has set, I run a bead of the glue down both
>sides of the base of each fletch and a drop at both ends. If you want, you
can
>also wrap the ends or the whole length with thread as well for greater
>security and a more period appearance. Because of the size and weight of
>the blunt head, I prefer to use a five inch fletch to help stabilize the
>arrow in flight more quickly. But shorter fletches, with less drag, may
>be used to increase the maximum range.
>
>5) TAPING
>
> You can tape the shaft with whatever tape is required in your
>kingdom. However I have found that a good quality electric tape such as
>3M works best. It sticks well and goes on smoothly. Since the arrow
>will not break, heavy tape is not needed. Some of my combat shafts are almost
>three years old and still have their original tape. If you carefully run
>the tape parallel to the shaft it produces a smoother covering than using a
>spiral pattern. There are less leading edges to peel up an create drag.
>You should run the tape from the front of the fletching to at least one inch
>up onto the blunt. You will need to run two strips of 3/4 wide tape, one is
>not wide enough to cover the full circumference of the shaft.
>
>6) HTM ABD NOCK
>
> First cut off the thin 1/4 long section of the HTM blunt, so that it is
>shorter. Then using two or three hacksaw blades bound together, depending
>on the diameter of your bow string, you cut a slot in the center of the
>face of the blunt. Make sure that the slot is centered and perpendicular. You
>can cut the slot a 1/4 to 5/16 inch deep.
>
> Another method of mass producing them that I have used is to use a
>router and router table with a jig to guide the blunts. A 1/8 inch veining
>bit can cut the slots. I used a length of wood the width of the blunts to
>push them through the jig. The string should slide easily into the slot, but
>will not fall out. You can use a small flat file to adjust the nock slot to
>the correct fit. It should just hang on the string, but fall off if you tap
>the string.If the nock is too tight it can cause erratic flight. If you have
>a small round file you can enlarge the bottom of the slot making a form of
>snap nock. If you taper the mouth of the slot in to a "V" shape it will be
>easier to guide the string into the slot.
>
> Make sure the nock is a snug fit on the shaft then remove and glue it
>in place. For 1/4 inch shafts you can build up the diameter with electrical
>tape or with heat shrink tubing. You need to make sure the nock is aligned
>correctly with the fletching. Then glue it in place.
>
> When the glue has set you can add an indexing point to make it easier
>to locate your shaft on the string when nocking your arrow. This is done by
>inserting a short length of 1/8 inch diameter fiberglass or shatter proof
>plastic rod into a hole drilled about a half of an inch below the face of
>the HTM through the HTM and part way through the shaft. It should protrude so
>that your thumb can feel the rod, then you fit the arrow to the string so that
>your thumb would end up on top of the bow string.
>
> To do this you clamp the shaft near the HTM and drill a 1/8th diameter
>hole through the HTM and about half way through the shaft. Then remove the
dust
>from the hole and squeeze a drop or two of glue into the hole and insert the
>1/8th inch rod. When the glue has set you use a small flat file to file back
>the front side of the rod so that it slopes backward and then you round off
>the remaining edges. Finally you coat this with glue to help round things
>off. This is done to prevent the edge of the rod from scratching any exposed
>skin that it might hit.
>
>
>
>TAPERED BLUNT CONSTRUCTION:
>
> To make the tapered blunts you will need more tools and a
>somewhat higher skill level than for the simple cylindrical UHMW blunts.
>
> The finished shape of the UHMW section of the blunt is that of an
>ice cream cone. A 1/4 inch thick 1 & 1/4 inch wide disk set on top of a 2 &
>1/4 inch wide by 1 & 1/2 inch long truncated cone with 1/2 inch wide
>tip. The padding becomes the ice cream scoop on top.
>
> To make the tapered blunt you will need a means of grinding or
>shaping the taper. An open mesh grinding/cut off disk works well. This
>should be backed with one of the solid disks that come in the same
>package to make it more rigid. I mounted it on my small bench grinder.
>But it could also be mounted on a heavy duty drill motor mounted in a vice,
>etc. Or it can be mounted in a table saw. If you plan to use a jig for guiding
>the rod at the correct angle for the taper, the table saw is an easier way to
>go. The blunt is then mounted on a drill motor which rotates it against
>the turning grinding surface and shapes the taper.
>
>1) Cutting to length.
>
> The fastest way to cut your 1 1/4 inch diameter UHMW to the 2
>and 1/2 inch length is to use a table saw with a guide and stop for the rod.
>You must first make sure that the blade is vertical at 90 degrees and that
>your guide is holding the rod 90 degrees to the saw blade. If your cuts are
>not square and true, you will have problems later in grinding, drilling and
>in the flight of the arrow. You should ran a few test samples and check them
>with a square to be sure they are cut correctly.
>
>2) Marking the center.
>
> In order to keep your blunt from wobbling when grinding or in
>flight, the shaft hole must be centered and straight. To do this you can use a
>center finder to mark the center of the blunt. A center finder is a tool
>used for marking the center of rods and other round items. It looks like
>a 'V' with a small bar dividing it exactly in half at the junction. You
>place the rod in the 'V' and using the bar as a guide, take a fine point
>indelible marker pen and draw a line all the way across the face of the
>blunt. You then turn the blunt 90 degrees and draw a second line intersecting
>the first at 90 degrees. This intersection is the center of the blunt where
>the shaft hole will be drilled. You should now take a punch or awl and make
>a dimple at the center. Then repeat the process on th eother end, the four
>radii lines are the guides for locating the weight reduction holes.
>
> When you have marked the center, then measure down a 1/4 inch
>from the face on the sides and mark a line around the blunt, this will be
>the top guide for the grinding.
>
>3) Drilling. Jig construction.
>
> For the drilling operation you will need a drill press, a jig for
>holding the sections of rod perpendicular to the drill bit and sharp
>drill bits. This is important for the grinding of the blunt as well as final
>accuracy.
>
> I used a simple jig made of a six inch length of 1 by 4 with two
>pieces extending 2 inches above the top of the base board. The side
>pieces were glued and screwed to one side and the end of the board. You
need to
>make sure that these side pieces hold the rod at 90 degrees to the top of
>the base board on which they are mounted. This jig will be secured to the
>base of your drill press with bolts, clamps, etc., so that when it is
>positioned it will not move accidentally, but will still be able to be
>adjusted when needed.
>
>4) Drilling - jig alignment.
>
> Before you secure your drilling jig, you need to place a blunt,
>with the center marked, in the jig and line up the 15/64th drill bit over the
>center mark. When you have the bit centered, then you may secure the
>jig. Now if your drill press has a depth stop set it for one inch or mark the
>bit with tape, etc. You can hold the blunt in place with a clamp if you wish.
>But, I held mine in place with my gloved hand.
>
>
>5) Drilling - shaft and weight reduction holes
>
> You may now start drilling the shaft hole, making sure that the
>blunt remains unmoved in the jig. Now remove the blunt and measure to be sure
>the shaft hole is centered and is perpendicular. If it is, then drill all
>your shaft holes, checking every so often to be sure they remain centered.
>
> You now replace the 15/64th bit with a 3/8th bit and loosen the
>jig. You will need to place a center drilled blunt, face up, in the jig and
>center one of the radius lines for the reduction holes under the bit. The
>reduction holes should all be located between the center and the outer edge
>of the blunt on the radius lines. You then secure the jig, set your depth
>gauge to 1 inch and drill the four reduction holes.
>
> You do not need to move the jig for drilling the four reduction
>holes. Just rotate the blunt 90 degrees to the next line. Drill all your
holes,
>checking to make sure they remain properly located.
>
>6) Grinding the taper.
>
> First set up your grinder, table saw or drill motor with the
>grinding disk. If you are using a drill motor then set it up so that there
is a
>surface to rest and steady your arms upon when grinding.
>
> If possible the drill motor you use for rotating the blunt should
>be a variable speed motor.
>
> Now take a 3 inch long 1/4 -20 bolt and cut off its head. You
>then secure it firmly in the drill chuck. Take the drill motor in one hand and
>the blunt in the other and place the bolt into the 15/64ths shaft hole and
>start the drill... slowly. The blunt will be screwed onto the bolt. Be sure
the
>bolt goes in the full one inch. If you have done the proceeding steps
>correctly, there will be little wobble to the blunt as it rotates at full
>speed.
>
> Before you start grinding, make sure you are wearing glasses or
>goggles and if you wish a dust mask. The particles that fly off are not
>sharp or toxic(UHMW is a from of paraffin, similar to that used in
>candles). But, there is a great deal of residue from grinding for you are
>reducing the rod by almost half its volume. This can make a real mess of
>your work space, clothing and hair. It brushes off, but is a real
>nuisance.
>
> You now turn on your grinder and drill motor to full speed and
>place the bottom edge of the blunt against the disk at the angle that would be
>formed by a line going from 1/4 inch below the face of the blunt to
>within an 1/8 of an inch of the edge of the bolt where it enters the blunt.
You
>press the blunt firmly against the grinding disk until all the excess
>material is removed. Then using the disk, slightly round off the leading
>edge of the blunt. You can now unscrew the blunt from the bolt. Take
>care for the blunt will be hot from the friction of grinding.
>
> You should drill a glue relief hole using an aprox 1/16th drill bit in
>the blunt interescting the bottom of the shaft hole. This allows the excess
>glue to leave the hole when you insert the shaft.
>
>
>7) Seating the blunt.
>
> You can now take a indelible marker and make a mark one inch back
>from the end of the shaft, this is a depth mark for inserting the shaft
>into the blunt. Then put a few drops of glue into the shaft hole. Crazy glue
>seems to work well. The shaft should have its leading edges slightly
>rounded off for ease in insertion. Now grasp the blunt and shaft in
>either hand and force the blunt onto the shaft as far as you can, this will
not
>be very far.
>
> Next nock the arrow to your bow and point it at the floor from
>about a foot away. You should be sure that the shaft is perpendicular to the
>floor when you release. Come to a quarter draw and then release and repeat
>until the blunt is seated all the way onto the shaft. The one inch mark
>on the shaft will help determine when it is fully seated. The UHMW has a
>little give to it which allows a tight force fit.
>
>8) Taping the Blunt.
>
> You may now cut your foam. The minimum thickness is one half
>inch, there is no maximum. I have had good results with some soft Neoprene
>rubber. It has not packed down under impact and the bounce back seems to
>be less. Do not use a foam that does not spring back after impact. You
>should test a piece of the foam by placing it on a hard surface and
>striking it several times with a hammer., it should rise back up. If it stays
>flat do not use it. If you have an 1-1/4 inch hole punch, use it to cut out
>your foam. If not use scissors to cut a 1-1/4 inch square. You should glue
>the foam to the blunt using contact cement, 3M adhesive or similar cement
>and let it dry. When the glue has set you can trim the square of foam
>round with scissors.
>
> I am currently experimenting with the use of two different types
>of foam to see if combining different materials can lessen the bounceback.
>
> At this point if you want a flat face you are ready to tape the
>head on. But, if you wish a 3/4 thick or thicker rounded face blunt, you need
>to trim it round. (Note: The striking face of a blunt may be rounded to no
>less than the radius of the blunt. e.g. A 1-1/4 inch blunt may be rounded to
>a radius of no less than 5/8's of an inch. This rounding rule is at the
>choice of each kingdom.)
>
> To cut this radius you can make a template, with the correct
>radius cut out, to use as a guide. You turn the shaft with one hand, while you
>trim the foam with the scissors and check the final shape with the template.
>
> At last you are now ready to tape the blunt onto the shaft. I
>used four strips of 3M electrical tape about 9 inches long. You center your
>first strip of tape over the face of the blunt and then, while stretching it
>slightly, run it down the sides of the blunt and onto the shaft for about
>an inch. Repeat this with the second strip laying it at ninety degrees to
>the first. The third and fourth strips fill in the spaces between the first
>two. Then take an approximately four inch long strip and wrap it around the
>base of the blunt onto the shaft covering the four strips of tape on the
>shaft. You should try to make all the taping as smooth as possible. Non-
>smooth surfaces cause drag and drag slows down the arrow.
>
> The last step is to identify your arrow using an indelible marker.
>This serves three purposes. 1) It identifies the maker of the arrow,if the
>arrow is incorrectly made. 2) It aids the return of lost arrows. 3) And
>when you make that long shot kill at 80 yards, your victim can learn who
>hit them. Your arrows should be clearly marked with your SCA name and
>local area. For interkingdom wars, you should include your kingdom as
>well. You can also use colored tape to crest your shafts for easy
>identification at a distance or when inspection and sorting arrows.
>
>
>**********************************************************
>
>
> If you should make any of the arrows and test them and then find
>any way to improve the design or make the construction easier, please let me
>know so that the improvements may be put in the final article.
>
>Sir Jon Fitz-Rauf c/o John R. Edgerton
>7662 Wells Ave
>Newark, CA 94560-3530
>sirjon at netcom.com
>
>
>
>
>
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Plachoya Sobaka insignificant archer; Ravens Fort, Kingdom of Ansteorra
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