Horn nocks for an old bow

[johnnyrazorhead]

I need some help with a little project and thought this would be the perfect place to get some advice.I recently aquired an old osage and bamboo backed D-style longbow that was made by and belonged to A.J. Michelson. For those of you that haven't heard of Mr. Michelson,he was born in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and later lived in the Flint,Michigan area.He was a prominent attorney as well as the first president of the N.F.A.A.,the Michigan Archers Association,and the Michigan Bowhunters organizaton.He was instrumental in drafting up the legislation for the first bow season here in Michigan in 1937 and was a tirelass supporter of bowhunting and archery.He was friends with Fred Bear,Tracy Stalker,Roy Hoff(editor of Archery magazine)and wrote many articles for that magazine.He died in 1953.
 Back to the bow.It's a nicely made D-style longbow made of osage with bamboo backing.String grooves were cut into the ends by someone,sometime ago but I believe it was intended to have horn nocks.The tips are pointed like it was made for horn nocks but never finished.I would like to add some nice looking horn nocks to it but wondered where to find some nice looking nocks.Someone recommended Three Rivers Archery sells them and I looked them up online but they don't sound like the best quality nocks.I'm not "knocking" Three Rivers 'cuz they may be fine and I don't plan on shooting the bow,but just wondered if someone else knows of a good source for a pair of horn nocks or maybe makes them.Maybe someone has an old set lying around I could buy.If I don't come up with anything I'll probably go with the Three Rivers nocks but I just want to put some nice,vintage looking nocks on this wonderful piece of archery history.Thanks for any help.Here's a pic of A.J. on the cover of a 1953 Archery magazine with two of his bows.The bow in need of nocks is the one on the left.
   

[johnnyrazorhead]

Here's some other cool items from Mr. Michelson's belongings.These are whistling arrow heads that are Chinese or Mongolian in origin.I guess they would use them to signal the start of a battle or something.Heard they would sometimes startle the horses into stampeding.Not sure how old they are.I think A.J. made the one on the left,the others are old and appear to made out of horn.Anyone know anything about them?
 

[kurtbel5]

They probably would scare the heck out of me,on a battlefield.
Looks like they would all be different pitches, maybe different sound, for different order's? sort of like the bugle.

Do you have a picture of what the tips look like that your looking for?
Do they look like the tips that are on the cheap fiberglass bows, only horn?

                  Kurt

[Shaun]

I have a few horn tips purchased from a fellow at Gary Davis' booth at Kzoo expo last year. They look similar to the ones in 3 R's catalog. PM me an address and I will send a pair.

I believe the cut string nocks in the tapered ends were used during initial tillering and the horn nocks were applied near the end of the process. If the ends come to a round cone point, they would have been made for horn nocks.

[johnnyrazorhead]

Kurt,
 I don't have a picture,but they're the style similar to those found on the old English longbows.If I can post a picture I will.

[johnnyrazorhead]

Shaun,
 I didn't know that about the string grooves cut into the ends but that makes sense.They do have the pointed ends for horn nocks though.I'll post a pic here and P.M. you with an address.Thanks very much.

[johnnyrazorhead]

Shaun,your mailbox is full.I couldn't send you a P.M.

[johnnyrazorhead]

Here's a pic of one of the limb tips.Looks like there was some horn tips on it at some time as there appears to be a ring around each end just above the string groove.
 

[Shaun]

Cleaned up the mailbox.

Those nock grooves are unusual. They are usually under the horn nock and partially removed by the rounding process done to install the horn nocks. They may have been done after loss or breakage of the original horn tips to put the bow back in use.

[d. ward]

Wonder if that one split or lost a horn noc and the owner just made the string grooves in the end of the bow.Kind of looks like it had horn tips originaly.
Sometimes guy's wanted a little more poundage and shorting the bow would increase the draw weight a bit ????????? bd

[johnnyrazorhead]

The gentleman I got this bow from got it from Mr. Michelson's widow back in the 1950's after he had died.He said he originally had somewhere around 20 of his bows but only these two are left.He said alot of them broke or were misplaced over the years.He probably filed the string grooves into the tips to shoot it as a youngster.Wish they were under where the horn nocks would go but I'm sure it could be fixed enough for display purposes.He told me he also had an arrow from A.J. that he shot and eventually lost out in the woods where he used to play.It was a hunting arrow with a large broadhead on it and signed between the feathers "Tom Imler".Imler was a bowhunter from Arizona and was friends with A.J. and must have given the arrow to him.Imler also hunted with Fred Bear in Blaney Park.Probably one of Imler's broadheads on the arrow which would have been quite a nice find.
 Shaun,I'll try to P.M. you again.Thanks.

[mullet]

It looks like to me the string grooves were carved in to tiller the bow. Then the horn nocks were never added. Peter Cua in the Phillipines makes some excellent nocks and bone,and horn arrow nocks, too.His email is, [email protected]

[johnnyrazorhead]

Mullet,
 I'll have to ask the guy I got it from if he put the string grooves in or if he got it that way.Thanks for the contact for the horn nocks too.I'll check him out.