Trad Gang

Just wondering if anyone has smelted any of thier own broadheads?

Ive smelt mine a few times. First they smelt like hot melt glue, then they smelt like blood. Not sure what I expected.   :rolleyes:

Bowfishing for smelt is one heck of a challenge! They are hard to see, run a little deep, and are as hard to spear as the last pearl onion in the jar. Broadheads tend to cut them in half, so I go with a smaller-size head that I have custom-knapped.

Just kidding, guys. Actually, it is almost 6 AM here, and the temperature is 81 degrees...gonna be smeltering in ol' Shake and Bake today!
Killdeer~the Mailma'am!   :archer:

My mind went that way (sort of) also, Killie - but only as to dip-netting for the little rascals (done at night with coleman lanterns, or 5 cell flashlights - catch limits were levied in pounds or quarts, I forget which) back home in NH, as a kid. Bet econnell71 just loves goofballs like us at odd hours, huh? Sorry, 71. Perhaps someone with a serious answer will be along later this AM.

econell71,
          Are you refering to making your own broadheads by forging? Heating the steel and hammering it to shape? Lin

I smelted a couple of Zwickey Deltas over a roaring hot fire of cow-pies and now they're all brown and dis-tempered. Best leave this sort of thing to professionals, IMHO.

He's talking about pouring melted metal in to a mould of a broadhead. I knew someone years ago that made knives that way.

I think Morrisons new bheads may be smelted.Check on his site.

I smelt at the end of the day yesterday after working on my bow for a while, shooting and mowing the lawn!!
:biglaugh:  I crack myself up!!

Ok, you get to stand in the corner with the rest of us goofballs, b.glass   ;)

Forgive us 71!
You know, if it interests you, you should research it and try it, then let us know what you find out.

Old York, of course they smelt and turned brown after being cooked over cow pies!
 :knothead:    :D  
Just can't resist!

bglass - yah I shooda smelt that coming.

I've never smelt a broadhead, but I have smelt myself after wearing a ghillie suit in September in Florida!
Its hot enough in one of those things you could probably smelt a broadhead if you had one in your pocket.
Sorry, this thread was too easy!
John

I smelt once, but when my wife threatened to put me out, I took a bath.

You guys (and one gal) didn't leave me a single smart remark to make!

71 - Smelting is the process of extracting metal from ore if I remember correctly.  If you are talking about casting broadheads then it would be pretty difficult to do.  Melting steel takes an extremely high temperature.  You would have to create a mold capable of withstanding those temps without warping as well.  I remember seeing the scene in "Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves" where they were supposedly casting heads in a wooden mold.  The "metal" they were using is called "Cerrosafe" and melts at a very low temperature.  It is normally used to make castings of firearm chambers and is far too brittle for use as a broadhead.  Made for a neat movie scene but wouldn't work in real life.

Forging heads is an entirely different matter.  It can be done if you have the equipment.  I experimented with doing this with some success.  You need a heat source capable of bringing the metal to red-hot temps, something resembling an anvil, a set of tongs to handle the hot metal and a large hammer to do the forging.  Then comes the tempering.  My biggest problem was getting the heads to turn out even near the same weight.

If you decide to try this let us know how it works out.
John

71- if forging your own is indeed what you're looking into I suggest you contact Tippit. I saw some of his forgings this Spring (knives and broadheads) and he undoubtedly knows a great deal about it. He may even chime in here. G'luck-GY

Only one gal?
Harrumph.

Killdeer  :saywhat:

I'm with "Killy"! Did all my smleting with a weighted net along the shores of lake Michigan on the Wisonsin side very early spring. It felt like you got hit with a broadhead when a wave came over the tops of the waders! It was a lot closer to 32 dergrees  then the 80s and 90s we're dealing with now.

Better count again, John - Two gals. Either that, or you better stay out of b. glass' way in the future. She's a huntress!  :archer:

I'm a gal too!!!
I don't think 71 has made a comment since we've been so light hearted with his question. Are you out there 71?

One minute faster than me Bernie!

John's right about the smelting. Reduction of the ore into metal. I just was asking for clarification from 71. Been thinking about forging some from existing steel.
                                 Lin

I really hate the taste of my foot.  Unfortunately, it is one that I am all too familiar with.  I wasn't reading every post, just skipping around and completely missed Ms Glass.  Please accept my apology.  If you will excuse me I need to go find some mouthwash.      

John

No problem John! Happens all the time!   :p

you could use sand as a mold or i think carbon/coal dust? i read up on blacksmithing a few years ago and it looked like fun! i owuld love to try it but being a college student(and an archer) i am permanently broke lol

The sand casting process is also known as "lost wax casting".  A model of the item to be cast is created in wax and attached to a "tree" that will include a funnel section for pouring.  The model/tree is then dipped in a sand coating until a shell is formed.  If I remember correctly from my days working in a foundry, it is about six coats.  The wax is then melted out leaving the mold.  The metal is poured into the mold and allowed to harden.  Once cool the mold is broken and the part(s) are cut free of the tree and the nub is ground off.  It's a long, hot and sometimes dangerous process.

John