How would you make a wooden blowgun ?

[Pat B]

I believe the Cherokee and probably others made blowguns from river cane.

[YosemiteBen]

Discussion is that a long rod was used. Heated on the end and burning through the nodes. using the steam to straighten the cane.

[TSA]

i made one as a kid- although i did use some store bought lumber-  hollowed out with a half round chisel- make sure to keep the edges crisp- so that when it goes together it is a perfect circle- i used a template- then sandpaper on a dowell. when i glued it back together i put some "reflex' into it, to counter the sag over 6'- so that it was straight when i shot it. i marked the mouth piece- with a notch that fitted against my septum so i always had it in exactly the right spot!
 i used the pithy core from dried dahlia flower stems- made awesome stoppers- you can also wrap a ball of cotton woll- and tie it fore and aft onto the dart.

i even managed to shoot a fish with mine( made a thin mono filament line gizmo for it)!, and birds.

my nicest darts had  heads that were as broad as the caliber- so that they exited correctly! as a kid with lots of time i simply carved them from a shoot and carved in a wooden head- drilled the end and put a small nail in.
good luck-

that sure brought back some memories! 

[DC]

I've often wondered how, with primitive materials and tool, they got the inside smooth enough so the fuzz on the darts wouldn't hang up? Wax maybe?

[TSA]

i am guessing here, but in the Amazon, they probably used a hard wood- that could burnish up quite nicely. being a rain forest i dont know how they stopped the water from raising fibers- maybe a wax finish too.
i had Daniel Mannix's book "a sporting chance" as a kid- awesome book- detailed all the info, from hunting otters with dogs, to hunting fish with otters, hunting with bull frogs, shark harpooning, bow building. blowpipes etc etc
was my bible as a kid!

[PEARL DRUMS]

I've seen Matt Graham make by splitting bamboo in half lengthwise, then cleaning the inside out so its smooth throughout. Glue and/or wrap it back together and away you go.

[DC]

I've seen Matt Graham make by splitting bamboo in half lengthwise, then cleaning the inside out so its smooth throughout. Glue and/or wrap it back together and away you go.

If I did that there would be bits of glue on the inside that would grab the dart. Do you know how he dealt with the taper, or is the fluff flexible enough t make up for it. The only blow gun I've made was at work when the boss was on holidays. We used a cone instead of fluff. It made a good seal but I don't think it would tolerate taper. I've got some bamboo about the right size. Maybe next time I'm choked with tillering I'll try one. It's the only way I'll satisfy my curiosity.

[GlisGlis]

search youtube for "Making A Blowgun: Life In The Amazon Jungle "

there's the entira process

[DC]

Thanks, that was good although it kind of petered out at the end. It showed the construction of the blowgun well.

[Jodocus]

you can push through and brush clean a piece of bamboo or arundo with a thinner, pointy piece of the same material. i've done this plenty of times for making flutes. Replace the thin piece if necessary and work from both ends.

[Morgan]

Another vote for river cane. Traditional material for cherokees and is still used today.

[Red Arrow]

Eastern Woodlands Nations (Cherokee, Choctaw, etc.) made blow guns from rivercane approximately 3.5' - 8' long, 1" diameter by putting hot embers down the opening to burn out the nodes. Care must be taken not to allow the embers to burn through the side of the rivercane. Rivercane and bamboo can be straightened with heat just as wood is but be careful not to char the cane over open flames.

Instead of embers, I use lengths of allthread to knock out the nodes and rough sand the inside of the cane. Bar stock can also be used but then you need to wrap sandpaper around a piece to smooth the inside of the cane.

[Red Arrow]

BTW: I sharpen one end of the allthread and heat it to a glowing red to make it easier to go through the nodes. It should be the proper diameter to go through the smaller end of your cane and at least half the length of your cane. You can go from each end to get to middle.

As for darts, you can use any hardwood stick thin enough to make a dart from. Sharpen one end and the thistle down around 2-4" of the other end. The thistle down should be thick enough to just for in the smaller end of your blow gun. The length of the dart will depend on the length of the blow gun.