http://www.threebnursery.com

Their website says they have bamboo. Give them a call. Maybe they’ll even know somewhere you can get river cane for free. It’s an invasive species, so …

Best,
Cory (Ray’s Son)

For copper dart points, I’d recommend asking Alan Bagg. He’s the master behind those little works of art.

If you ever get to making the copper dart points I could use some advice.
So far my attemps have been to crude to utilize on a dart.
DougO

Then reason I use my design is that after years of tinkering around with “positive” (add on, usually higher than the atlatl shaft) spur designs and “negative” (carved into and below the surface of the atlatl shaft) spur designs, I settled for basically the “positive” design with a shallow channel carved into the top surface of the spur so that the dart shaft does not slip off one side or the other of the spur.

“Negative” spurs sometimes have a shallow channel carved into the length of the atlatl shaft leading to the spur tip.

My darts (being bamboo and river cane) have a cup that is simply a hole in the rear of the dart. Therefore, my spur tip is a blunted ball shape that, the tip of which, just barely fits inside the dart cup hole so as to rotate easily into and out of the dart cup but fit inside just enough to catch the lip of the dart cup to prevent it from slipping off the spur. However the whole of the spur tip does not go all the way inside the dart cup. I use a “Y” shaped dart rest. The inside of the “Y” has rough leather strips glued on. The combination of the leather strips in the “Y” shaped dart rest and the ball tip of the spur catching the lip of the dart cup is enough to prevent the dart from sliding off the spur while I hold the dart and atlatl at the ready for throwing. I do not need to use any fingers to hold the dart in place. This leaves all the fingers and thumb of my hand free to grip and control the atlatl during the throwing motion.

Atlatls without dart rests require a thumb tip and finger tip of the hand to hold and push or pull the dart back up against the spur while the atlatl and dart are at the ready to be thrown. During the throwing motion, the thumb and finger tip release the dart and attempt to re-grip the atlatl handle. Too early or too late of a release of the thumb and finger tips during the throwing motion can cause misfires. Re-griping the atlatl handle during the throwing motion can cause a miss as well. A “Y” shaped dart rest allows the atlatl to hold the dart, and the hand to hold the atlatl without getting in each others way.

Some darts of wood, and even bamboo and river cane (in which the rear end is a node) have only a shallow cone for a cup, not a hole. A very small spur tip, even a pointy tip can be used as the tip is not designed to go deeply inside the dart shaft. However, to keep the spur in the cup, the dart must be physically held back against the spur.

Without a doubt, the jade and shell spur tips you mentioned where perfectly designed for use with the atlatls they were made for, and the style of throwing used (no dart rest but rather the finger and thumb tip hold on the dart shaft prior to the throwing motion). Trained from youth in that style and with that design of equipment, even I would be able to hit what I throw at. However, I did not start using the atlatl until I was about 48 years old (back in 1996),,,,, so,,,,, I ended up drifting toward a style and equipment design that these old bones could deal with.

Other atlatlists I know, do not use dart rests but rather the thumb and finger tip grip and they do quite well. They also use both “positive” and “negative” spur tips, some of which are very small and pointy. They were also younger than I was when they started. Many of them, while preferring the more “primitive” or “purist” atlatl design (no dart rest) also prefer carbon fiber or aluminum darts.

There is no such thing as “the one and only way” to atlatl. No such thing as “the one and only” atlatl and dart design, at least not in the modern world wide context. Regionally, or locally, historically speaking, is another matter as in such a restricted context as region, tribe, or clan, perhaps only one way of doing things such as designing atlatls and atlatl spur tips and dart designs was the norm. I am pretty sure that in ancient times, younger members of the tribe or clan looked to the atlatl and dart designs of the best and most accurate hunter in the group for their on inspiration. I am pretty sure that even in such restricted contexts there was the occasional rebel who when his or her own way. Otherwise, there would not be such a varied amount of atlatl and dart designs worldwide. I am also pretty sure that most people who buy my atlatls and darts, or copy the designs, do so because the have seen me use them with good effect.

I hope this in some way answers your question. Thank you for comments.

Ray Strischek
Athens Ohio