Anyone make their own Field Points? Added Pics and Video

[Bushbow]

Does anyone have any ideas about how to make field points? I have been using glue on standard 5 degree taper steel points on my bamboo arrows. I have some thoughts about how I may fabricate my own at home. But before starting another experiment, I thought I would ask.

Update 02/03/10:
Thanks for the great ideas. Since I don't have a welder or a lathe I though I would try something similar. I bought some 16D double headed (or duplex) nails. I ground off the primary head to form a point, the secondary head abuts the end of the shaft. The finished point came out to 145 grains, you could reduce the weight by trimming the tail. They also have 8D Duplex nails. Pics below. Or if you want to see the details video link below also. Chuck S.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNYQhCoOUl4


16D Duplex Nail


Sharpened 16D Duplex Nail

[Swamp Bow]

Got a lathe?  It would be easy enough.  I've thought about it, and I probably will at some point just so I can say I have.  Steel points are so cheap though, it's hardly worth it.  I'd probably make some stainless and brass one.  I'd be interested to know if you try it.

Swamp

[aero86]

i wanna know where your getting your glue on points from, i cant find them..

[Swamp Bow]

i wanna know where your getting your glue on points from, i cant find them..

3 Rivers

[Pat B]

These are field points that Kenneth(Little John) sent me and they both work very well. One style is for cane arrows(16d nail with brass head added) and the other for wood(hardwood shoots, pre-shaped before gluing in) arrows. They should work fine for store bought shafting also.  It is a strip of steel with an indentation on either side for a wrap. They are inserted just like with trade points and are very tough.  I glued them in with TB glue and shaped them on my belt sander before wrapping and gluing the wrap.

[uwe]

I make them on a lathe. Myaterials: brass, aluminium, steel, stainless steel.  I bore them cylindrical. Diameter of bore belongs to dia of bamboo. I have drills will steps in 1/10 mm upwards.
I use hot glue sticks from Pattex. Heated on a campinggasstove.

[aero86]

that nail idea is the best ever.  i just made me 20 of those type at work.  course i used our mig welder and 6d nail.  sure is hard to pull a puddle of weld on top of a nail head! 

[Tsalagi]

A member just posted some arrows he made (Broadhead is his name) that he used a screw to make a field point. You could screw the screw into the shaft, cut off the head, and then file a point on it.

[Lombard]

9mm shell casing, punch out the primer, insert a nail that fits. cut the nail about 1/2 inch long and sharpen to a point. You can even melt lead into them, to bring the weight up.

[Tsalagi]

Hey, that' a great idea, Lombard! I'm going to try that!

[Bushbow]

Thanks everyone for their input. I do not have a lathe, but I do have a drill press. Not the same but it may help. I like the nail idea, I also have some thoughts on using steel tubing.The narrow blade insert is also a possibility, especially since I work for a company that fabricates stainless steel equipment, cut with a laser (not quite primitive, but it is an older laser). I will post an update once I get something made.

[jthompson1995]

Bushbow - Be careful not to put too much sideways pressure on your drill press. The quill could get messed up if you do.

[Hillbilly]

Those nail points that Little John makes are da bomb. They're much better than glue-ons, you can adjust the weight by trimming the nail length, and they don't stick as bad as regular field points in 3D targets, trees and such.

[aero86]

i like the ones i made.  i just use a drill bit to clean out the center.  just clamp it good and tight with some vice grips.

[Jude]

I came across something quite some time ago, for recreating Mongol style iron broadheads, using 80-100 penny nails.  The person would cold forge the tip of the nail into the broadhead shape, then cut it off at the desired length plus the length of the shaft.  The shank was shaped by making 4 cuts lengthwise from the base, tic-tac-toe fashion, leaving a square shank in the center, and the outer sections removed with perpendicular cuts at the base of the head.  I think if you just dressed up the nail point, rather than hammering it out, you could have a bodkin-like field point.  Of course, then there's what do you do with the 6-8" of left over nail?