Alpaca wool for silencers?

[mrpenguin]

Was at the farmers market with the family today and found some wonderfully soft alpaca wool for sale... Being the archery addict I am, I immediately thought about making the wool into silencers... Anyone ever tried it? I am really trying to find a good less expensive alternative to qivuit.

[Missouri Sherpa]

I have been using llama wool to pad my loops and as silencer puffball material for the past 15 years.  Works good for me.

[JRY309]

I use alpaca wool yarn to make my homemade silencers.I picked up mine on the bid auction site,there is nice nice colors to pick from.

[Running Buck]

I have a farm down the road from me that has a bunch of alpacas. The owner let me paw through a bag of cutoffs and pieces of sheared wool. The only problem I have found is the hair is very fine and the shorter lengths fly off as you shoot(first time I ever got smoke when I released a arrow!) you need to get the longest lengths (3-4") and twist them as you place them through the bow string. It is lighter then most wool fibers and seems to do the job. I need to find someone that has the darker colored animals, all the wool I picked up looks like snowballs on the bow string!

[mrpenguin]

Great feedback! I think I will grab some (if its reasonable in price) and give it a shot!

I use 100% wool yarn I get from the hobby store. I take the yarn and wrap it around two fingers 10-18 times (depends on the thickness of the yarn). Then tie it together in the middle with a piece of thread (and leave long tails on the thread). When I am ready to put them in a string I just separate the bundles, put it through and tie to one bundle with the thread. Then use scissors to cut all the loops in the yarn and shoot a couple times. They "fluff out" just right after a few shots. If you are just making them for yourself, one skein(ball) of yarn will last forever and only costs about $6.00.

Bisch

[Stumpkiller]

It ought to work great - though I find alpaca for socks doesn't wear as rugged as sheep wool.

My current silencer crop.  These are Jacobs sheep.

   

Well, two for silencers - one for lambchops.         Also trophy opportunity for a four-horned Jacobs ram.  I'll hold 'em, you shoot.        

We do turkey hunts as well.

   

[maineac]

I have been making some from alpaca yarn for a bit.  Make the wrap type that I cut after instalation,  Puff out great.  I wrap a small amount of rubber cat whiskers into the that disiapear into the puff ball, but I think help as the yarn is so light and fine.  Here is pict of one before instalation.  You can see the cat whiskers poking out a touch.