Avacal SCA Combat Arrow/Bolt Production Manual
Compiled by Deicyn Moel A.S. XXXVI
The directions which follow are a method for
producing SCA combat bolts designed to be shot
from medieval “roller-nut” crossbows. The
“roller-nut” may have to be modified to allow
room for the Anti-Penetration Device (APD) and
the securing tape. This technique of attaching
APD’s may be modified for arrows by shifting
the APD slightly to the left or right. This allows
the APD to miss the shelf/rest as it leaves the
bow.
Assemble all of your materials: quarter inch
fiberglass shafts, quarter inch nocks, duck tape,
APD, hot glue gun with heavy duty glue, ½ inch
fiber tape, five minute epoxy, blunts, ½ inch
closed cell foam pads, fine tipped felt pen and
metal pencil sharpener. Note: blunts are one and
a half inches long with a 28 degree taper. A
quarter inch hole is drilled in the tapered end,
seven-eights of an inch in depth.
To protect yourself from fiberglass splinters
always wear leather gloves when handling
fiberglass shafts.
Using the small metal
pencil sharpener, slightly
taper the blunt end of the
bolt shaft. This is where the
decision is made which end
is the front. Place the nock
end in a 5/16 inch hole
drilled in a support made from a piece of 4 by 4
or other suitable piece of lumber. Place a blunt
on the shaft and bang it on with a hammer.
Set a regular
wall pencil
sharpener to
accept the
size of the
shaft. Place
the nock end
of the shaft
in the pencil
sharpener.
Taper the
shaft by turning the handle 5 or 6 rotations. Use
the small metal pencil sharpener or a belt sander
to finish the taper. Check progress with a nock to
ensure the taper angle and length are correct. If
the taper is too acute or not
acute enough the nock will
rock up and down when
placed on the tapered shaft.
If the taper is too long, the
nock will bottom out and
not seat properly with a
resulting rock.
Remove dust from the nock taper by using a
vacuum cleaner. Mix up equal quantities of
epoxy hardener and resin on a piece of aluminum
foil with a toothpick. Only mix small quantities
as this glue sets up quickly. Put several small
dabs of glue on the sides of
the end of the tapered shaft.
Twist on a nock and smooth
around the shaft any excess
glue that squeezes out. Set
aside to cure.
Score the roll of duck tape
down the middle with the
olfa knife. This will give
strips of tape approximately
one inch across. Cut a ten
inch strip and wrap the shaft of the bolt . It is
important for the
tape to start and end
on the top side
where the APD will
be attached. The
tape will wear
prematurely if it
ends on the bottom.
Building a “story-stick” will save a lot of time
with measuring and cutting the tape. Place marks
at four and seven-eights inches (red), six and a
half (black), nine and three-quarters (red), ten
(blue) and thirteen inches (black). Stretch a piece
of duck tape over the “stick and use the colored
markings to cut strips to the needed length. The
black marks are used to cut tape strips to secure
the foam pad at the tip of the blunt. The blue
mark is used to cut the tape to wrap a thirtten
inch crossbow shaft. The red marks are used to
cut the pieces of tape used to encircle and
support the foam pad. The large circle is used to
place a foam pad in the center of the of the tape
used to secure the pad. Simply cut a piece of
tape six and a
half inches
long (black
mark), place a
foam pad in
the circle, align
one end of the
tape with the
edge of the
story stick and
press to secure
the pad.
Use the 4 by 4
support to hold
the bolt erect
while the foam
pad is attached.
Secure the
foam pad with
three strips of
one-inch duck
tape. The tape
must extend
down the shaft
for at least a
half an inch.
Use a forth
piece of tape to
encircle the
foam pad and
blunt. A fifth
piece of tape
long enough to
encircle the
shaft is used to
secure the blunt to the shaft.
The APD must be attached no further than a half
inch from the end of the nock. Use a ruler or a
hole drilled a half inch deep in the story stick as a
guide to place a felt pen mark on the nock. This
mark will serve as a handy guide when inspecting
bolts prior to
combat. If the mark
can be seen, the
APD has shifted
forward and must be
moved back to
cover the mark and
retaped.
Use half inch fiber tape and heavy duty hot glue
to attach the APD to the shaft. Run a small bead
of hot glue into the routed channel on the bottom
of the APD. Place the APD on the shaft so the
glue makes contact and the half inch mark on the
nock is fully covered. Quickly ensure that the
APD is balanced on the
shaft and allow to set.
Do not worry if too
much glue is used as
excess can be trimmed
of with an olfa cutter.
Note: the glue is only
used to hold the APD
in place while it is being
taped ... you can avoid
this step if you wish.
Cut an eight inch piece
of fiber tape. While
holding the bolt against
your body with your
left arm, work the tape
through a groove in the
APD and attach it to
the shaft. Loop the
tape through the
opposite APD groove
and pull tight. Continue this process until all of
the tape is used or no more will fit through the
grooves. Trim off excess with the olfa knife. Cut
a second piece of fiber tape about 24 inches in
length. Turn the bolt so
the bottom is up and
attach the tape to the
APD. The tape must be
positioned so it just
touches the leading
edge of the nock. This
will ensure the tape
will not interfere with
the roller nut when the
bolt is mounted in the
crossbow. Wrap the
remaining tape around
the shaft and the APD.
Print your SCA name
on the shaft. Your bolt is now finished.
If an archer is using one of the crossbows and
crossbow strings made by Deicyn Moel, the
archer will not need to adjust the nocks. For
other stings and crossbows, the nock openings
can be made larger by using a small round file.
Another technique is to dip the nock while
attached to the bolt in boiling water for about 20
seconds. While hot, push the bolt onto the
bowstring and allow to cool. This will conform
the nock to the bowstring.
The most common problem with bolts has been
damage to the nocks. The bolts are a little
unstable with the additional weight of the APD
on the back end. After a hit, the bolt tends to
tumble which can result nock damage. To fix
this, remove the APD by cutting the tape and
prying off the device. Remove the damaged nock
with pliers to expose the tapered end. Clean off
the glue with a small metal pencil sharpener, mix
up a bit of epoxy and attach a new nock.
Remember to align the top of the nock with the
tape seam on the shaft. Place a mark at the half
inch point with a felt pen. Remove the old hot
glue from the APD with an olfa knife and
reattach following the above instructions. OR
remove the broken nock with pliers, smear some
crazy glue on the tapered end and twist on a
previously marked new nock.
Damage to foam pads will show when bolts are
inspected after each battle. Look for cuts in the
tape on the contact surface and tears in the tape
in the sides. Cuts in the surface must be repaired
prior to using the bolt again. Remove the foam
pad and tape then attach a new foam pad
following the above instructions. Side tears, if
small can be taped over with a four and seveneights inch piece of duck tape.
Many thanks to Sir Jon Fitz-Rauf, Lord Siegfried Sebastian Faust
and Master Mordecai Salzer for their ideas and input.