posted
Excellant tutoral, Mickey. I never thought of tracing the head first then cutting it out. I usually just cut a wide slot with the bandsaw and open it to fit the point with sand paper and a thin knife blade. Your way would be lots quicker. I'll try it on my next one. I have not yet taken an animal with stone. I've been trying for the last couple of years but as of now, nothing. Pat
ps. One thing that I have noticed about some stone heads(I'm not a knapper) is that looking at the face of them they may look great but turn them on edge and that's not always the case. Many that I've looked at are curved along the edges and not appropriate(at least to me) for a hunting point. It makes it very difficult to mount these heads so the arrow spins true and this will reduce the penetration of the arrow. For those looking for stone heads for hunting arrows look at the edge cross section and be sure that it is symetrical and not curved.
-------------------- Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes! TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 10082 | From: Brevard, NC. | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
TexMex, I think 3 Rivers carrys Pine Pitch and probably Pine Hollow Longbows carries it too.
Pat ... as you so correctly pointed out not all flint heads are created equal. I picked up a dozen flint heads out west in AZ a few years ago that they had in a bowl in some souvenir shop cheap that would not make good big game hunting heads but would make great small game hunting heads.I picked thru the bowl and skipped the curved ones like you talked about, and only got the ones that were straight but too small, or had a poorly shaped tip for a big game head. That tanged head that I mounted in the pictorial didn't have the best side profile you'll probably notice, IMO not good enough for a big game head, but like I said perfectly adequate for thumping squirrels, rabbits or grouse.
-------------------- There is always someone that knows more than you, and someone that knows less than you, so you can always learn and you can always teach Posts: 12891 | From: Cincinnati, Ohio | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Can anyone provide some contact information where you can buy good stone heads for big game? Was also wondering about how important grains of arrow weight or spine is for those of you who shoot stone. Your input is appreciated...
-------------------- "Earth has no sorrow which Heaven cannot heal...." - Baptist Minister Posts: 1285 | From: Pennsylvania | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
I think you could probably get some from 3 Rivers or Pine Hollow Longbows, or maybe some of the knappers on this site would want to swap you something for a head or two.
I don't worry much about grain weight on the heads themselves, just overall arrow weight. Most of the heads will run between 125 and 145 grains from what I have seen.
-------------------- There is always someone that knows more than you, and someone that knows less than you, so you can always learn and you can always teach Posts: 12891 | From: Cincinnati, Ohio | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Thanks Mickey. How can we tell if a stone head is sharp enough to use for big game (deer) ? They don't feel like a sharp metal head. ChuckC
Posts: 3700 | From: Deforest, Wisconsin | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
Thanks Killdog. I just mounted a couple more last night getting ready for a trip to Texas.
Chuck that is a tough one and to tell you the truth I don't now if I have an adequate answer for you. I have an article coming out in a future issue of PA in which I expressed similar concerns. They can feel somewhat sharp, but not sharp like a 22 1/2 degree shaving sharp metal edge, yet because of their design still cut and penetrate as well as a modern head. If you have some heads that are "new" in other words freshly knapped by a reputable knapper chances are they will be sharp. If they have been in the dirt for years they will for certain not be sharp enough to hunt with. If you have doubts you can take a copper flaker and take off small flakes off the edges to reveal new edges to resharpen.
Having taken deer myself with a flint head and see the success of others such as Dean Torges, Tim Ott, Flntknp17 (Matt Graesch), DTala, Doug Campbell, Mark Baker, Killdeer, Osagetree, Wile E. Coyote (most recently) and others I no longer have any trepidations about using stone points. If I do my job and put the arrow where it belongs, the ancient rock will do it's job.
-------------------- There is always someone that knows more than you, and someone that knows less than you, so you can always learn and you can always teach Posts: 12891 | From: Cincinnati, Ohio | Registered: Mar 2003
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mysticguido
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posted
Question:
before tying/wraping the sinew how do you test it to see if it's spins true? ( I know just like any other kind of BH ) but are you looking for a wobble at the point or where it's joined to the shaft? Also if your cut in the shaft isn't just right doesn't that mess up the true spin as well?
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Sal if you are using the pine pitch you can heat it up and re-adjust it if need be, but if you look at the pics on page 1 and see the one where you are looking down the shaft, if the tip lines up with the centerline of the shaft it should spin true. My heads mount tight enough in the slots that I can spin them on their tips and look for wobble.
I just took these 2 pics. In this first pic, the head is in the slot but not glued in
In this second pic (it's not really blurry) the head is standing on the tip and spinning at a high rate of speed. If it spins like a top, with no wobble, it is true.
If it spins like this I can glue it, sinew it and shoot it and it will fly true. If the head is straight the slot must be straight. If the head is not straight then the slot must be made in the shaft to that it comes out straight, but I try to work with straight heads only.
-------------------- There is always someone that knows more than you, and someone that knows less than you, so you can always learn and you can always teach Posts: 12891 | From: Cincinnati, Ohio | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Sal here's what I mean by the tip lining up with the centerline of the shaft (see I learned a new trick tonight hee hee)
If the very tip is to the left or right of this centerline it won't spin or shoot worth a durn. It will be very noticable if it is off when you try and spin it.
-------------------- There is always someone that knows more than you, and someone that knows less than you, so you can always learn and you can always teach Posts: 12891 | From: Cincinnati, Ohio | Registered: Mar 2003
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Sal, I like using pine pitch glue for hafting points because it is adjustable at any time with a little heat. When I haft a point I pre-fit the point in the slot , remove it, drip molten pitch into the slot and push the "pre-heated" point into place. As it cools a bit I do spin tests and adjust as needed. Then, when ready, I wrap with sinew(that I've chewed) and when dry, I spin it again to be sure it's true before I seal it. Some times you will have to reheat the point (only) and adjust it. Be sure that the point lines up both horizontaly and vertically with the center line of the shaft. Pat
-------------------- Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes! TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 10082 | From: Brevard, NC. | Registered: Apr 2003
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