how to tie on an arrowhead?

[iowabow]

I am working on arrow shafts and arrowheads, my deer tendon is now all dried now and I have made pine glue so can someone illustrate the accepted practice for tying the arrowhead with the deer tendon strand (please). Maybe you could take a group of photos using a piece of string to illustrate the steps. thanks guys.

[sailordad]

well once you get the shaft notched for the point
melt some pine pitch,apply pine pitch to the shaft and insert point
let that cool
you can shoot it just like that if you want
or you can insert point into notch on shaft,seperate the sinew strandes,chew some and till totaly pliable
and wrap tightly,but not so tight it breaks the sinew
or you can do it like i like doing it nad thats using the pine pitch and then wrapping with the sinew 

heres a pic of a few i made last summer

[Bill Skinner]

I do not recommend using just pine pitch, it may or may not hold up to impact.  Pine pitch and sinew work much better.  Also, you should wrap 1/4" to 1/2" down the shaft, it prevents the point splitting the shaft if it hits bone.  Make sure there isn't a shoulder where the shaft ends on the point.  You can use the ppg to make that a smooth slope, the arrow penetrates much better.  Bill

[sailordad]

ya it doesnt show up very well in my pic
but the sinew is wrapped about .75" up the shaft behind the point
i also use the pine pitch to help make a smooth transition from point to shaft

[crooketarrow]

   I use when I can back sinew because of it's leanth.

[Pat B]

These were my hunting arrows for this year. When I haft stone I make a single saw cut in the end of the shaft to the depth I want it then open the slot to fit each point individually because each stone point is different. I use a thin bladed knife and sand paper folded over and over until the point is fitted into the slot. I then drip hot pitch glue into the slot, warm the point and press it into place. At this time I spin test the arrow to be sure it spins true. If all goes well here I then chew a strand of back strap sinew until soft and make my wrap. I usually use 2 or 3 pieces of this long sinew to be sure the point is secure then wrap it up the shaft a bit. After the sinew is dry I spin the shaft again to ensure it still spins straight then seal it with pitch varnish. If the point ever becomes loose or out of whack I reheat the point slightly to let the pitch glue adhere to the point again.
  My pitch glue is pine pitch, bees wax and finely ground charcoal and my pitch varnish is pitch dissolved in denatured alcohol.

[iowabow]

OK very cool why add the bees wax. does it make it more plastic less brittle ?

[sailordad]

OK very cool why add the bees wax. does it make it more plastic less brittle ?

Cause it smells good   

[aznboi3644]

Hey pat are those natural shoot shafts?

[Pat B]

Those arrows are sourwood and one is hill cane.
  I add the bees wax to pitch glue to make it less brittle. The ground charcoal adds body. You can use bear or deer fat instead of the bees wax and dried deer and rabbit dung or sawdust instead of the charcoal.

[iowabow]

Could you tell me the ratio of bees wax to pine pitch. I made some this summer with milkweed fiber charcoal and pine pitch

[Pat B]

First off the charcoal and milkweed fibers(as are dried deer or rabbit dung and saw dust) are there for the same reason; to add body to the mix. The bees wax(bear or deer fat, etc) make the pitch glue less brittle by softening it a bit.
  I have never measured my mixtures. It is probably 2 parts pitch and one part each of wax and charcoal. Someone, maybe Rich, mentioned one time about different tempertatures(local) would have a different mix. For colder climates one mixture and for hotter climates another.   My mixtures are never made all at one time. I will first melt the pitch and add a little bees wax, let it cool and test it. If not right heat it again and add a bit more until it "feels" right to me. When that mixture seems correct I begin adding the charcoal(or other body building ingredient) until I like the way it feels.
  When I make pitch glue and pitch varnish I start with hard brittle pitch and not sticky pitch. The volatile oils should have evaporated first. If I start with sticky pitch I cook it until these oils have evaporated; another trial and error. If you make your mixture with sticky pitch your glue or varnish will be sticky when it has cured.
  Be very careful when cooking pitch because it is very volatile and WILL combust if overheated. This can be very dangerour if precautions are not in place.

[PeteDavis]

I use artificial sinew and crazy glue!

[JackCrafty]

Here's a short step-by-step in pictures:

[SA]

i made some field tips with artificial sinew but after 6 or so shots the sinew starts to frey on the tip . how can i stop that?