tang-arrowheads

[RikJohnson]

Here is a thought.. don't know if it will work but...

When making self-nocks, many people cut a notch in their shaft and glue a hardwood wedge to add strength to the shaft before cutting the nock.

what about doing the same thing for the point end, then cutting a steel head with tang.
it would be made exactly the same as a nock save you'd fill the nock with the tang to a broadhead?

thoughts??

I have all the tools I need to do that, can even make the heads from scrap steel, I just need to know if it is workable and what better place to ask than here?
Surely someone has tried that?

[RikJohnson]

Perhaps I should expand on this.
Yes, I know that many medieval arrowheads were tanged so the project is doable.
BUT...
those arrowheads were designed for war, one-time-use where you put the shaft into someone and when they tried to pull it out, the head came free and remained inside the wound (pre Geneva Convention).

I am wondering about the feasability of the entire arrow being used and reused.
preferably NOT having a guy-with-a-badge walking up and citing you for an illegal hunting arrow because some law prevents leaving a head in a wounded animal.
..."what do you mean you aren't hunting? why wear green clothing and carry a bow in the woods unless you are hunting?"

I'd probably have to make a wing on the tang to keep the head on the shaft.
Something like the trade-points given to American-Indians during the peaceful times.

***

BTW, off topic, I saw a great video on Youtube (url forgotten) where someone put a broadhead through a vest of ballistic kevlar.
Apparantly, the designer worried about stopping low-velocity lead bullets, not sharpened broadheads which cut through kevlar like cloth.
Of course, I told my people "remember that your flak-vest was made by the lowest possible bidder who didn't get rich by producing quality armor at a low price"

[Daerir]

Heres an Idea! The typical glue on broadhead is just fit over a tapered shaft correct, the only thing holding it is glue. What if on the part that goes over the shaft, a form of pin or needle that is put down in the wood, of course you would probably have to predrill a hole in the shaft but this is just a random idea.

Another thing to look at would be this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3u_Eg2-N_c Now these arrowheads were kinda made for fun, but Im sure you could follow his steps making a serious one.

[Eledhwen]

I have a dozen tanged broadheads which I use for hunting. I use them with ash shafts with the slot perpendicular to the grain, like the nock, so no inserts on these. I use artificial sinew to bind the tanged points on with some glue in the slot. I have yet to have one come off the shaft, since I built them not to, and I do have an arrow spoon...which I haven't had to use yet.

If you want to use tanged heads with softer arrow shafts, such as cedar, then certainly use inserts or make a footed shaft with the forward third a hardwood attached to the softer cedar in back. It really depends on what you want to use. Experiment!

Eledhwen