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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Terry Green on November 16, 2022, 10:40:34 AM
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Is there any concern for warping when they get wet in the rain?
Steve Clandinin, is the method you spoke of immune to warping in the same as mentioned above? Sounds like they could be by the coal oil.
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Straighten and Seal them good no problem. If by chance they warp straighten again, most who shoot and make wood arrows know how to deal with them.
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Mark, yeah I know about straightening...
What would you use as a tool in the wilderness to straightening them?
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Mark, yeah I know about straightening...
What would you use as a tool in the wilderness to straightening them?
I've used a pop bottle in a pinch.
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Sight and bend to straighten and maybe some heat from fire, rub stick on the high side, I often sight down shaft and straighten after a while of doing this with most arrows will keep them straight, if not kindling, tomato stake, hot dog cooker ect.
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Mark, yeah I know about straightening...
What would you use as a tool in the wilderness to straightening them?
I've used a pop bottle in a pinch.
Ha! No pop bottles in the wilderness. :biglaugh:
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Yeah if I found a good old fashion coke bottle in the wilderness would be a good find :biglaugh:, could use it for all sorts of things
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Yes, it would be a good find.
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Terry , I straighten all my wood shafts from the start ,I kinda cheat as I’ve got a real good digital straightener after soaking I check them again, usually there’s no difference. Then I’ll put 3 to 4 coats of wipe on poly to seal ,sanding lightly between coats. When there finished you could wrap them around a tree. I did the same with some old forgewwod cedars, had them for 10 years , not one shaft has broke , they are unreal and more accurate than me.
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I've rarely had to re-straighten wood shafts after the initial straightening and sealing. If for some reason they need straightening I sight down the shaft and hand straighten. If more was needed any hard, smooth object(rock, edge of my selfbow, knife handle) will work by rubbing it on the high side of the bend. A little heat is always an option. :archer2:
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I’m the same as Pat ,rairly need to restraighten , in a wilderness situation a small fire ,hot coals and hand straighten is all you need.
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Good answers guys. Thanks. :campfire:
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I’ve had really good luck with the doug firs I get from Surewood, once i get em straight & sealed I’ve never really had to restraighten them. This has me really curious though, did the Indians worry about how straight their arrows were? :coffee: :campfire:
Jason
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Jason, I’m just like you,I think surewoods are One of the best, most consistent shafts being made today ,I have dozens of them .According to records the Indians were every bit as concerned as we are today as to the straitness of their shafts they heated them over hot coals and palm straightened them the best they could.
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Steve, I'm sure they were very concerned as we are, my comment was a little tongue in cheek directed at myself as I have pondered this past season how I ever managed to hunt 40 years ago without all the "stuff" I "need" now. They were the absolute survivalists, using what they had available to them. And, I certainly don't want to derail this thread with my post.
Jason
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I do use wood, aluminum and carbon for my hunting arrows. In the last ten years I’ve only had one arrow that needed straightening.
I have mostly used Surewoods that Snag made for me. He probably made me 6 dozen over the years. Very, very happy with them.
For a lighter arrow, Sitka Spruce worked very well also.
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One of my all-time favorite arrows, 55-60 Surewood after a pass through a P&Y bear.
It originally had a white nock, but I had to replace it.
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Jason, I belive the Indians were way more 'survivalist' than who ever was around 40 years ago. And the original Europeans that landed here and starting to build this nation out of nothing. :campfire:
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I wood pun intended first straighten with fire if need and hopefully have some Bear pig or deer fat rendered into tallow and seal them.
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Hmmm, fat and tallow, nice to know,
Good info. :thumbsup:
Thanks
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Mark, yeah I know about straightening...
What would you use as a tool in the wilderness to straightening them?
I carry a small simple straightening tool in my pack just in case. It's just a 4" wooden dowel with a brass hook screwed into one end. Find the high spot of the bend, put the hook on the shaft and run it up and down the shaft to straighten. Works pretty good, and it only weighs a couple of ounces.
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I seal hardwood shoot shafts with hard brittle pine pitch dissolved in denatured alcohol, sort of a varnish. Brush it on and when the alcohol flashes off a thin coating of pitch seals the shaft. If you use hard brittle pitch the finish won't be sticky.
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So what exactly is “coal oil” and how much weight does a soaked shaft gain?
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Coal oil is just that ,used for lamps and such, available at just about any hardware store.depending on the wood, on hickory around 25 to40 grains .
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In my experience, hardwood arrows have to be constantly restraightened regardless of weather. It’s worth it, for some applications (like the one you proposed), if you are experienced in shaft straightening. Straight grained softwood shafts (cedar, spruce, fir), if properly dried, straightened and sealed to begin with, rarely need more than a slight 5-10 second restraightening. Either way, no special tools needed.