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| Arrow Straightening |
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| Written by Dick Baugh | ||||
Page 2 of 2 |
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Soapstone arrow straightener
I also use heat to straighten a lot of spindles for starting hand drill
fires. The materials I use, in order of preference are mare's tail
(Conyza canadensis), mule fat (Baccharus virrinea) and elderberry
(Sambuca spp). Several skeptics have asked me, "If you use heat from a
fire to straighten the spindle you use to start a hand-drill fire,
isn't that cheating?" |
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Soapstone is a superior material for arrow straighteners because it
possesses three important properties. It doesn't crack or explode when
heated, it is easily shaped and it is very soft and smooth so it won't
scratch the wooden shaft being straightened. If you don't have
soapstone then try the local materials. The first test you should do,
even before you cut a groove in the stone, is to see if the stone
retains its structural integrity while being heated.
Straightening a hand-drill spindle using friction heat.Another tool which is useful in heat straightening is the so called "arrow wrench". The arrow wrench is a 1ever about 10 inches (25 cm) long with a hole in one end. The wrench allows you to apply leverage to a small portion of the shaft. It can be made of wood or antler. The sides of the hole should be rounded in order to prevent denting the side of the shaft being straightened. |
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Antler arrow straightener
This article was first published in The Bulletin of Primitive Technology (Fall, 2001, #22) |
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