Day 38 of 365

Flight and arrows

My 37th adventure was all about building a bow. I had the best time but that seems like only half of a project. On the 38th day I made three arrows to accompany that bow.

The best part about making custom arrows was being able to pick the color and style of fletching. It might not sound very exciting to you but I was out of her mind with joy. I haven't been able to draw a bow for a few years because of a shoulder injury but I was able to draw the bow I made using my left hand. I guess it's time to learn how to shoot as a lefty.

The process is pretty simple but includes a few steps. After the colors are chosen the fletching is cut to whatever length you choose. I wanted longer fletching. I chose white as the cock feather, this is different from the others to make it easier to nock the arrow. The purple feathers fade to white out to the edges so the combination looks pretty slick. The fletching is glued to the shaft using a pretty cool jig that theoretically keeps everything in line. I did my best but it was off a little bit. I wanted to finish the arrow by wrapping the shaft just ahead of the fletching. It looks so great I'm not sure I'll ever want to shoot them.

The finishing touch will be tips and I haven't decided what I want to use. I guess since winter is coming I've got time to make that decision.