Flint Ridge Weekend 2011
Ray Strischek is at Flint Ridge in Ohio this Friday to Sunday, July 15 – 17, 2011.
Here’s a google map if you’re looking for it:
A couple of Flint Ridge links:
http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=2217
Jul
16
Jun
01
Sep
23
Atlatl Dart Points Revisited
I’ve written about this before. I use copper points. Each of my darts are bamboo or river cane and have a 12 inch X 1/2 inch diameter poplar foreshaft. I use 1/4 inch diameter copper rods to make my points. I pound one end of a 1 1/2 inch long piece of copper rod flat, use a cold chisel to cut a point shape into the flatten end, and file it sharp. I drill a 1/4 inch diameter hole into one end of the foreshaft, use a rasp to cone shape the end, glue and insert the rod end of the copper point into the drilled hole, and glue the wood around the point, wrap it cotton string, spread glue on the string, then spin the glued surface into a folded paper towel to smooth it out. After it dries, I glue and insert the other end of the foreshaft into the big end of the dart shaft.
For a better copper point, see http://www.atlatl-darts.com/darts.htm This is AJ Bagg’s web site. He sells bullet swaged copper points that are real easy to mount for about $3 each.
Sep
23
Balance Point of an Atlatl Dart
Fletched darts need only have a balance point that is 6 to 8 inches forward of center. The 2/3 thing applies to unfletched darts. An unfletched dart will fish tail through the air unless the balance point is 2/3 forward. Such a dart, having so much of its weight forward of center will be “point end heavy” and will tend to drop like a rock, need a higher trajectory of flight to get to the target. The purpose of the fletching is to make the dart’s flight more stable. The bigger the fletching, the more stable the flight, but, the bigger the fletching, the slower the flight, so, eventually, if the fletching is too big, you get the same result of having to have a higher trajectory to the target.
My fletching (feathers) are 10 inches long, by 1 1/2 inches wide. This gives me a flat trajectory flight at 15 meters, while I have to aim 6 inches above the bullseye at 20 meters, and 1 foot above the entire target at 25 meters. My darts are 6 feet, 10 inches long, and weigh about 6 ounces.
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