Horn inserts

[BowEd]

Anyone do this on their self nocks?Pretty safe and durable.

[Pat B]

I've not used horn but I have used hardwood and rawhide. Somewhere I have some piano ivory that I was going to use for the spine of reinforced self nocks.

[Del the cat]

Only on Warbow arrows.
on normal poundage bows I whip round just below the nock with thin linen thread and a drop of superglue to soak into it.
Del

[M-P]

I've done it for looks.  But like Del says, a few wraps of thread below the nock is easeir and just as effective.  M-P

[BowEd]

Yes a wrap works too.I like the looks of the inserts and they are'nt that much trouble to make for me.Kind of a use for excess unusable for anything else horn.The nocks don't get loose very quick from wear because of the horn too.They keep snapping in good on the serving nocking an arrow.Lots of other hardwoods can work too.On war bow arrows the inserts are a bit longer.

[nclonghunter]

I really like the looks of the inserts.....nice work

[bowandarrow473]

On the 50-55 pound bows I shoot they aren't necessary, in fact, my current primary shaft ,rivercane (I finally found a great patch of the 15ft stuff!) is supposedly prone to splitting and I have not yet had that problem, wrapping around the nock with sinew is all that is necessary for me. However, I like the looks of horn inserts and think that they are very useful for high-poundage bows.

[JW_Halverson]

It's just one more way of showing off your patience and hard earned skill!  And for those "in the know", we'll just smile and nod when we see 'em.

[unkieford]

I've done a few. Just like everyone else, It wasn't necessary, it was just pure art.
It has, however, gotten some notice from a few of the local medieval re-enactment groupies. Some of 'em are leaning on me to make arrows for them. I'd rather just teach them how, and let the ball roll from there.

---Ford---

[BowEd]

Yea there is a reanactor gal here too that's talking to me.No hope of her making them though let me tell ya.....lol.I use fast flight string too which is a bit stiffer than B50 on bows with 4 to 6 inch reflex.In the very beginning of arrow making I thought cutting cross grain was good enough on dougles fir....Not so.Bamboo I make the nock above a node.If that is'nt workable I glue bamboo skewers in an inch or too then wrap.Those foreshafts seem like a lot of work to me though.I lose arrows too quick.....lol.
Hey JW.....I'm bored here.Being retired and all.

[Stoker]

Very nice looking arrows.. I've used hardwood inserts on self knocks
Thanks Leroy

[WillS]

I always use 1mm cow horn for mine.  Love the look, and wouldn't trust them out of big bows without them.

[Ed Brooks]

nice looking arrows. I have never done any like this,  I just use sinew, & I will criss cross the sinew in the bottom of the knock before wrapping it around the shaft. Ed

[bowandarrow473]

Bamboo I make the nock above a node.If that is'nt workable I glue bamboo skewers in an inch or too then wrap.Those foreshafts seem like a lot of work to me though.I lose arrows too quick...

I promise you, foreshafts aren't necessary, in fact I would go so far as to say that they actually decrease the life of the arrow. Cane or bamboo is stronger than wood so adding a hardwood to the front will do nothing. A good wrap of thread for about an inch before the point is all you need. I don't shoot the heaviest bows or the ones that zip an arrow at 180fps but I get about 150 fps on my bows with cane arrows. And I shoot them into metal, rocks, water, mud and even trees (though not intentionally sometimes ) and have only had one or two break on me. your thoughts may vary and that's fine

[BowEd]

I was just mentioning the different types of arrow shafts out there that's all.I shoot all my bamboo as is.No foreshafts.I have my favorites for ease of construction,spine,accuracy,weight, and durability.