Shawn I really enjoyed this series. I appreciate the time, effort and work that you put into this project. You have inspired me to dust off my forge and anvil and do some blacksmithing again.
Both of your videos in this series were wonderful and very helpful to me as I am in the process of making arrows myself. Thank you very much for posting these.
Thanks for posting! Great videos and even through heavier bows once the armour forging techniques got better it made it harder for even the best crafted arrows to penetrate.
I would like to give that a try - thanks for posting.....I have put up a film on Mary Rose woodwork and leather stuff with some long bows if interested.Regards Harry
Modern tests tell us that even the most powerful Welsh longbows and Mongol composite bows would have had great difficulty penetrating iron plate armor of the time. Of course, the good news is that almost nobody had plate armor. These weapons were desgined when the primary amor materials were iron chain or hardened leather. The trick that the Mongols used was to wear a silk blouse as the body layer. Arrows were slowed down enough that they would get tangled in the silk and you could pull them out without the bard catching.
Yes they had a hard time penetrating plate but punched through chain mail like nothing. And like you said, hardly anyone was able to wear plate armor anyways.
Hats off to your craftsmanship and knowledge Shawn. I just checked out the rest of your channel and was immediately fascinated. Thanks for the great videos.
You need to check out Mad Jack Churchill on wiki. He was using an English long bow on the Germans during the British Army's retreat to Dunkirk. There is a biography on the man and his obsession with everything Scottish and medieval.
Have you looked into the 'rope cutter' crescent shaped arrows? Ive read the lack of finding them on the Mary Rose leads to doubt of their presumed purposes for cutting rope; as it would be a useful function during a naval engagement
The english longbow has been regarded as one of the most powerful (bow that would have shot these arrows), it was devastating at agincourt... where's your proof that they had problems doing so?
They shot out the horses, the knights went on foot and were stuck in the mud, and the English Infantry routed them. Look it up yourself. Also, reread what I said. There are always weak spots, joints, etc on armor. So yeah, I'm sure a few fully armored knights in plate still got shot with arrows. They just didn't go directly through the middle of a chest plate. I have seen art where knights have arrows stuck in their backs where in the middle where the tophalf hinges around the lower half.
Which art? Art can vary in fidelty to reality. Many codixes depict knights getting swords through helmets and maille stricking from the top, yet is doubtful someone would achieve that. Obviously there are joints and weaker spots, but it doesn't mean there's not a possibility of getting an arrow through plate (specially in a time when it was more and more common, making arrows more special for it)... Specially when you consider the force of such bows (full range of draw weights being between 440N-820N)
In another arrow making video, the fletcher let the glued feathers dry first before wrapping with thread. Does it matter whether you wrap with the glue wet or dried?
Excellent workmanship m8 y very interesting vid ! When you were making the glue with the rabbit gel moistening it up you dident say what the other ingredients were before puring it out and letting it set ?
Could I use dowal rods from a hardware store there like ready made arrow stems if I left them out to season would I need horn to make it stronger or would it matter , or do u sell arrows yourself ? btw your bow making I love it your skills are awesome if we were in a tribe it would be u every one would look to for knowledge .
The Verdigris (Copper Acetate) cannot cause infections because it is a chemical. Only bacteria or viruses can cause infections. Excessive intake of copper compounds can cause illness however. I'm not sure what the author is referring to. The hide glue has been thoroughly boiled and reheated and it too is unlikely to cause infection.
Arrows were often stuck in the ground before shooting to allow rapid shooting in battle. The bacteria picked up from the soil alone could cause nasty infections along with dirty skin & clothing through which the arrow passes through when hitting the opponent. Personal hygene was very poor in medieval times. You wouldn't need to add poison much of the time. I thought pitch was a common arrowhead glue historically?
Ok, your video was very informative but I gotta say the Verdigris is pronounced verdigreeee, the "s" is silent. Just figured that you were so spot on for everything else you might want to know how that word is actually pronounced. Again, the information and the video was very good and quite informative...thanks.
I have a question about the fletching, were the quills of the feathers spilt down the middle in order to make a flat edge? Or does the rabbit glue just keep the round quill in place? Sweet video
you split them down the middle, the hollow middle of the quill holds more glue and helps hold them down, you also get two of the three 'vanes' you'd need out of one quiill this way.
It could but generally for arrowhead was used pine resin with charcoal. Im using epoxy glue but want to create glue with pine resin and charcoal. In medieval time was used for arrow heads fish glue. ;) Hide glue was generally used for fletchings (also in book from Mike Loades it's mentioned hide glue with fletchings).
Šimon Dorociak Thanks for answer. I don't recommend pine pitch glue for arrowheads, it glues very strong, but when you shoot to wood or something hard the arrowhead gets off the arrow. I recommend 2-party epoxy. And also im my country: poland we were useing pine pitch glue to secure the fletchings.
+Hubert Ostrowski im from slovakia ;) im also using two part epoxy. In medieval time was used fish glue when i will get reference i will give you it. ;)
the last shot.. i was like.. "damnnn. this guy has skill"
Practice, practice and then more practice...
Already started filming a video on how to make Pope and Young archery equipment. Coming soon!
Those arrows are outstanding! Can't believe their penetration depth through the metal. Great show!
These videos are a part of my childhood.
I'm really impressed that this is an American showing interest in English history and making a good job of it, thank you :)
Shawn I really enjoyed this series. I appreciate the time, effort and work that you put into this project. You have inspired me to dust off my forge and anvil and do some blacksmithing again.
Both of your videos in this series were wonderful and very helpful to me as I am in the process of making arrows myself. Thank you very much for posting these.
I love the look back in history.. Excellent production.
Thanks for posting! Great videos and even through heavier bows once the armour forging techniques got better it made it harder for even the best crafted arrows to penetrate.
I would like to give that a try - thanks for posting.....I have put up a film on Mary Rose woodwork and leather stuff with some long bows if interested.Regards Harry
Excellent skill, particularly in the shot, and hand fletching an arrow with no jig, just glue and binding all at once.
really a mortal weapon, so instructive to make it at the ancient way.
Modern tests tell us that even the most powerful Welsh longbows and Mongol composite bows would have had great difficulty penetrating iron plate armor of the time. Of course, the good news is that almost nobody had plate armor. These weapons were desgined when the primary amor materials were iron chain or hardened leather. The trick that the Mongols used was to wear a silk blouse as the body layer. Arrows were slowed down enough that they would get tangled in the silk and you could pull them out without the bard catching.
Yes they had a hard time penetrating plate but punched through chain mail like nothing. And like you said, hardly anyone was able to wear plate armor anyways.
You make it seem so simple. Thank you
Hats off to your craftsmanship and knowledge Shawn. I just checked out the rest of your channel and was immediately fascinated. Thanks for the great videos.
you sir are one of my favorite youtubers by far. your skills are amazing buddy. thank you for sharing
You are truly a master at what you do.
You should be able to make a medieval style arrow that you can shoot out of a 55 lb bow. Good luck
wow bro thanks for the information... never thought it was so much work to make an arrow
Damn, these monsters look like rockets, rather than arrows :D Amazing work, beautiful missiles.
You need to check out Mad Jack Churchill on wiki. He was using an English long bow on the Germans during the British Army's retreat to Dunkirk. There is a biography on the man and his obsession with everything Scottish and medieval.
Really enjoyed these two videos...I've got something to do with my Son
Killing the French would be like an NFL football team kicking a six year old girls butt...a little too unfair.
Thankyou for this simply explained tutorial. Pleasant and easy to watch. :-)
That was a good shot at the end!
Thanks for making this. Very informative.
Awesome skill.
Awesome seeing how glue was made back then, I've always wondered about this :D
Good video man. Very helpful. Thanks.
Shawn Woods you should make a Yew war bow
Excellent
Beautiful and thank you
historically accurate thanks for sharing
Great vid- another possible reason for the 'poisioned' arrows is that the bodkins rusted while in transit.
awesome video man.
Oh wow, this man shoot very very well,
Thank you for this. Just need to find a place to get cow horn in Melbourne Australia haha
Very cool! Thank you.
Have you looked into the 'rope cutter' crescent shaped arrows? Ive read the lack of finding them on the Mary Rose leads to doubt of their presumed purposes for cutting rope; as it would be a useful function during a naval engagement
excellent
Most enjoyable
amazing man you have the skill
from all the peices ive seen and made. bees wax was used to fix the head.
I would say also that fish glue was used ;) where you read about bees wax used for arrowheads mate? Thanks
Does anyone know where you would get your supplies for something like this? It's pretty hard to find a blacksmith where I live.
Could you explain how to make the glue???
Great video, but they did have trouble penetrating plate armor. A flat piece of steel against an immobile target isn't that great of an armor test.
Mind you he said the warbow was twice as powerful as his, like he said, he has no doubt with a more powerful bow it'd easilly pierce armor
Nope. Unless the plate was very thin, damaged, or the arrow found a joint at the right angle, the arrow probably wouldn't penetrate
The english longbow has been regarded as one of the most powerful (bow that would have shot these arrows), it was devastating at agincourt... where's your proof that they had problems doing so?
They shot out the horses, the knights went on foot and were stuck in the mud, and the English Infantry routed them. Look it up yourself. Also, reread what I said. There are always weak spots, joints, etc on armor. So yeah, I'm sure a few fully armored knights in plate still got shot with arrows. They just didn't go directly through the middle of a chest plate. I have seen art where knights have arrows stuck in their backs where in the middle where the tophalf hinges around the lower half.
Which art? Art can vary in fidelty to reality. Many codixes depict knights getting swords through helmets and maille stricking from the top, yet is doubtful someone would achieve that. Obviously there are joints and weaker spots, but it doesn't mean there's not a possibility of getting an arrow through plate (specially in a time when it was more and more common, making arrows more special for it)... Specially when you consider the force of such bows (full range of draw weights being between 440N-820N)
In another arrow making video, the fletcher let the glued feathers dry first before wrapping with thread. Does it matter whether you wrap with the glue wet or dried?
Amazing, Man!
Excellent workmanship m8 y very interesting vid ! When you were making the glue with the rabbit gel moistening it up you dident say what the other ingredients were before puring it out and letting it set ?
there are no other ingredients, boil the hides down, pour off the water, the water becomes glue.
Cool.
great series keep up the good work. no finish on the shafts huh?
1/8 of an inch is way thicker than a medieval armor. So... even your bow would pierce through it.
not to mention stainless is much harder.
I have the bow but I don’t have the arrow and your wan is really complacent
Could I use dowal rods from a hardware store there like ready made arrow stems if I left them out to season would I need horn to make it stronger or would it matter , or do u sell arrows yourself ? btw your bow making I love it your skills are awesome if we were in a tribe it would be u every one would look to for knowledge .
can a folding bow with 55lb draw weight shoot all these wooden arrows without snapping the arrow .
you should do a 'how to' series on saxton pope's archery equipment
Really nice video,very instructive. However, take care dude: Verdegrisis a poison, and you should wear a protective mask while handling it
This got me into primitive archery. I think I’m going to make some videos about archery.
Wow! This is really interesting, thanks for taking your time and showing us this.
What is the specs on that arrow? FOC, weight, length etc.
if the glue is infectious would that mean we are unable to use it on hunting arrows? or does it take too long to cause infection?
+Simon Rival I would just use hotmelt to be safe.
The Verdigris (Copper Acetate) cannot cause infections because it is a chemical. Only bacteria or viruses can cause infections. Excessive intake of copper compounds can cause illness however. I'm not sure what the author is referring to. The hide glue has been thoroughly boiled and reheated and it too is unlikely to cause infection.
Hide glue by it's self is non toxic and in fact it is edible in small amounts.
Arrows were often stuck in the ground before shooting to allow rapid shooting in battle. The bacteria picked up from the soil alone could cause nasty infections along with dirty skin & clothing through which the arrow passes through when hitting the opponent. Personal hygene was very poor in medieval times. You wouldn't need to add poison much of the time.
I thought pitch was a common arrowhead glue historically?
Ok, your video was very informative but I gotta say the Verdigris is pronounced verdigreeee, the "s" is silent. Just figured that you were so spot on for everything else you might want to know how that word is actually pronounced. Again, the information and the video was very good and quite informative...thanks.
Awesome!
would maybe be easier to get yourself a holder that we use for binding flies for fly fishing when it comes to the thread
thank 4 the video
I have a question about the fletching, were the quills of the feathers spilt down the middle in order to make a flat edge? Or does the rabbit glue just keep the round quill in place? Sweet video
you split them down the middle, the hollow middle of the quill holds more glue and helps hold them down, you also get two of the three 'vanes' you'd need out of one quiill this way.
wow super
Watched both parts. VERY impressive! Look into greygoosebows. He makes some AWSOME bows, that might fit the bill for an authentic test. Nice job!
very cool dude about the indain vidos you should try to come to the eastern woodlands of the united states and try to harvest a whitetail
Can I use supermarket Gelatine instead of rabbit skin glue? Because Gelatin should be the adhesive ingredient in your glue, if I may guess.
No.
interesting... thanks
What is that glue exactly made of?
the best
Great video but the tips where atually glued with bees wax so in theory the enemy cant fire it back
Could you imagine just finishing the fletching part of the arrow, and some guy walks by and snaps it in half?
how did you make the arrow head at 2.30 and how did they make them originally???? 😀 i enjoyed the video thankyou
good video dude :D keep it up ;D
cool
skillz
Dang
Is hide glue holding arrowhead solid?
It could but generally for arrowhead was used pine resin with charcoal. Im using epoxy glue but want to create glue with pine resin and charcoal. In medieval time was used for arrow heads fish glue. ;) Hide glue was generally used for fletchings (also in book from Mike Loades it's mentioned hide glue with fletchings).
Šimon Dorociak Thanks for answer. I don't recommend pine pitch glue for arrowheads, it glues very strong, but when you shoot to wood or something hard the arrowhead gets off the arrow. I recommend 2-party epoxy. And also im my country: poland we were useing pine pitch glue to secure the fletchings.
+Hubert Ostrowski im from slovakia ;) im also using two part epoxy. In medieval time was used fish glue when i will get reference i will give you it. ;)
How thick is that shaft?
+Duncan Demicoli
On average they were 1/2" at the head end tapered to 3/8" at the nock end.
why not try to make a bone dagger or a club
That's lidgit
That huge tree for one arrow....? ;-)
if you watch part one. He says it's enough wood to make loads of arrows
a dozen, watch and listen to 1st video, cheers!
my name is Tudor :))
3:00
You can find something like this on the Stodoys website. Full step-by-step instructions right on your desk.
stainless??? WHY??? this is not the proper steel for armor.
its pronounced vair de gree its french
I thought it was just me thinking that.
Eish even me, but awesome segment showing how to make it in a useful quantity on the previous video. Definitely going to give it a try.