As it is mid-winter and work commitments
have reduced my training time to zero I have
been thinking of creating a line launching device,
mostly to make rigging easier but also to satisfy my
desire to fire projectiles like some kind of dirtbag Rambo..
First task was sourcing a bow and luckily a friend had a
junior compound bow that he was willing to part with for just
£20 and then I managed to find 3 fiberglass arrows for £5.
I realised that to attach my launch line I would have to drill
a hole in the shaft of my arrow so I decided to create a custom
arrow to better suit my needs, A quick visit to the hardware shop
and I had 2 pieces of Dowel for my 1st attempt at arrow making.
I researched some video's on fletching (putting feathers onto arrows)
and realised I would need a fair few feathers so I started hunting around
for possible places to source them, I remembered seeing Guinea fowl at
a farm I had been working at and the next time I was there I found a huge
stash of feathers in the back of a barn so I collected a handful .
I selected my favorite 3 feathers and following a Ray Mears tutorial
I split the backs off and sliced the spines through the middle.
The next task is to actually fletch the feathers onto the arrow shaft,
for this I used red nylon thread and finished off with elephant tape.
To add weight to the arrow end I attached a 12mm nut and added
tape to secure it in place..
1st attachment with thread..
Ends taped to add protection and nock put into end of shaft..
12mm nut added for weight and secured with tape..
I have found 1000ft of Paracord for £15 so thats my next purchase
and then I will start running a few tests to gauge what kind of distance
I can achieve, I have a few more adjustments to make to the bow to
hold my paracord and then I am hoping to upload a video of it being used..
