river cane nodes..

[aero86]

what can i do with them?  im working on a small batch right now, and hopefully i can get a few that spine out for me.  id like to make a nice set.  i know with tonkin bamboo, you can grind the nodes flat.  but, what are the options with river cane?  compress the nodes a bit? or can they be filed flat? 

[Pat B]

Do all your straightening first then you can sand the nodes or compress them. I prefer the latter. If you sand the nodes you have to seal the arrow.

[aero86]

so, if i sand them, it wont affect the integrity of the shaft?  maybe im thinking of a different cane that it affects?  you absolutely have to seal them?  these dont have to look pretty.  just gonna be personal shooters..

[Pat B]

As long as you don't try to straighten them after sanding the nodes you should be OK. Straighten first then when the shafts are stable sand the nodes and seal the shaft.

[swamp monkey]

I am with Pat.  My experience with cane involves straighten first then sand the nodes then seal.  No problems yet.  Happy crafting.

[hillbilly61]

how do you compress the nodes? I've been sanding all mine but I'm always up to trying something new.

[aero86]

well, ive never tried it, but ive heard that heat up the node and just roll it between two pieces of wood, or two hard surfaces

[Pat B]

That's exactly how I compress the nodes...heat then(one at a time)and roll them under a block of wood and a hard smooth surface. I use a block of osage and a maple butcher top kitchen table. I use our gas kitchen stove to work arrows.

[Hillbilly]

I sand all mine even after straightening, and I've only broken one cane arrow in years of shooting them into trees, rocks, and Pappy's dadblame steel-belted fox targets. The nodes are the weak point when heated, but a sanded-flat river cane node is still about 50x stronger than a cedar shaft.

[aero86]

sanded flat eh?  i might go a bit further with these 5 ive got going right now.  i filed them a bit, id like to try some flat bamboo.  i know the tonkin that i sanded flat never broke.  they always split at the point when i missed, but never broke at a node.

[Pappy]

I usually compress mine,I heat them up and use an arrow tammer from Ace on a hard surface ,
Just roll them.
   Pappy