Topic: caramelizing bamboo shafts?
Hi,
I am new to the group. This is my first post.
I make bamboo arrows of all sorts and I find that the brown (caramelized) bamboo arrows are more brittle than the raw shafts. So I do not treat my arrows with high heat to turn them brown. I just heat straighten and I don't even sand down the nodes (even on Tonkin) but that might be more critical when flinging 140 yards.
I am attaching an article that I wrote for Traditional Bowhunter Magazine. It is the way I prefer to make my arrows for versatility. Thought some of you might glean something of interest from it? These are mostly target and hunting arrows. Though I am now interested in attempting to make bamboo that will go the distance (140 yards)! So I am thinking of sanding nodes etc.
I will be starting to make some semi-traditional Korean arrows and prefer parallel points. Anyone have a good source for these? Tophat are expensive but work well. For caramelized bamboo I drill out the threads and glue on. I now have an inexpensive point for both the raw and caramelized shafts which is inserted into the shaft. You have probably seen the duplex nail trick, but I use a wrap and heat shrink to keep the shaft from splitting. Works great and very durable.
Anybody out there from Seattle?
Dave
Seattle, WA