Ye Olde Fletcher Shoppe

Fine Hand-Made Arrows

by Aldric

Greetings from Aldric, Lord of the House of Summerisle, archer, fletcher, occasional bard, with an undying appreciation and gratitude for saucy wenches and fine spirits. Ok, even not so fine spirits in a pinch. I am aka Baby Eater on the battlefield but I digress. I learned to shoot the longbow long before I ever wielded a sword.

It occurred me long ago that the only way to have a dependable supply of functional, traditional arrows at a reasonable cost was to learn to make them myself. My traditional arrows are hand-craefted from Port Orford cedar shafts (unless otherwise specified) and sealed with a non-glossy penetrating wood sealer which is closer to a traditional finish then the shiny gasket lacquer or polyurethane that is commonly used on wood arrows these days. All arrows are fletched with real feathers and come with 125 grain steel field points. They are also hand spined in-house by me, as is the grain matching when applicable.

"....... because shafts be not made so much to be sold, but chiefly to be used." Toxophilus By Roger Ascham, 1545

Please contact me at info@swordplay.us if you have any questions.

Traditional Arrows (Unspined)

Great for entry lever archers or those who lose or break a lot of arrows. A basic traditional arrow with a lightweight 5/16" cedar shaft, sealed finish, real feather fletchings, and 125 grain steel field point. Bright florescent feather colors for easier arrow retrieval. 28" length. Extra arrows are available individually so there is no need to buy another 6 or 12 if you lose or break one.

Orange Crush and Yellow Jacket Basic Traditional Arrows (click to enlarge).

Traditional Arrows (Spined)

Personalized traditional arrows hand-craefted from 5/16" or 11/32" Port Orford cedar shafts cut to your specified length, hand spined, and sealed. Choice of 4" Shield, 5" Traditional, or 5" Pope and Young cut feathers, choice of feather and nock colour, and choice of straight or helical fletchings. 125 grain steel field point is standard. Options available include Grain Matching and Cresting. (See below for descriptions.) Sold in sets only. Six month warranty on fletching, nocks and points.

Limited Edition Traditional Arrows

Unique hand-craefted self nock arrows.

Description of Options Available:

• Shaft Diameter and Length - 5/16" diameter is lighter and faster but breaks easier. 11/32" is heavier and slower but sturdier. 28" is the usual length but it depends on the bow you are using. Heavier shafts available by special order.

• Shaft Spine - measured in pounds to match to bow you are using. All arrows are spined in-house even those pre-spined by the manufacturers. 5/16" diameter shafts are spined at 25-30#, 30-35#, 35-40#, 40-45#, and 45-50#. 11/32" diameter are spined at 40-45# and up.

• Shaft Matched Weight - arrows that are matched in both spine and grain weight at + or - 10 (20 grain variance). Grain weighing puts your shafts physical weight within a closer match of each other to help keep your arrow flight consistent within a set. Arrows are weighed and grain matched in-house.

• Nocks - plastic nocks available in black, white, lime, orange, red, and yellow. Self nocks and self nocks with hardwood inserts are also available on Limited Edition Arrows.

• Points - steel field points are standard unless otherwise requested. Seen too many of those cheapie blunt arrow points bounce off targets. Bodkins are available as special order but we disallow their use at our shoots because they punch through the safety nets too easily. Arrows are also available without points so you can add your own broad heads for hunting.

• Fletching Shape - a matter of preference. I typically use Traditional, Pope and Young, and Shield unless otherwise requested.


Traditional	Pope and Young	Shield

• Fletching Size - the longer the fletching the further the arrow will fly but the more drag there is. Shield cuts come in 2.75", 3", 4" and 5". Traditional and Pope & Young cuts are 5"

• Fletching Colours - pre cut fletching colors include most common solid colours and barred (striped). Custom chopped colours from whole feathers are also available in Traditional, Shield and Pope & Young. Click here for a color chart.

• # of Fletches - three fletches at 120 degrees to each other is the most common or four fletches at 90 degrees.

• Left or Right Wing Fletching - unless otherwise requested all arrows are fletched left wing. Right wing available only as special order.

• Straight or Helical Fletching - helical fletching puts a twist in the fletching as it is fixed to the shaft. As a result the arrow spirals as it travels through the air which gives it greater stability over distance. Is it period? Rodger Asham describes how an arrow should be fletched so it spirals in flight in his archery book Toxophilus published in 1545 which suggests that period fletchers did know the benefits of helical fletching.

• Cresting - simple, decorative rings painted on the shaft.

This site is not intended to take internet orders. Please see me in person at a local event or e-mail me at info@swordplay.us to order arrows. In addition to cash I also take credit cards via PayPal and will consider barter for fine weaponry, armour, spirits, or other suitable goodes of interest.

Arrow Repair:

Services include replacing points, nocks, and fletchings if possible, and straightening wooden shafts.

Caring For Your Arrows:

Wood arrows should be stored in a vertical position so that the forces of gravity are parallel to the length of the shaft. Storing your arrows in a quiver is not recommended.

To straighten wood arrows on the range, see this useful YouTube video from the folks at 3Rivers Archery: Shaft Straightening.

To straighten a bent shaft permanently use steam from a tea kettle or small pot of boiling water on the shaft and let cool after straightening. Another trick is to use a spoon to rub out the high spots when the arrow is placed on a flat surface. If you aren't in a hurry arrows can be straightened by gravity from storing the bent shaft horizontally with the bend sticking up. If all else fails commercially made devices for straightening arrows can be purchased online.

Thank you for visiting. See you on the range. Safe shooting!

Home

Copyright violations may result in raiding and pillaging.