# Blowgun Dart Fletching



## bam_bam (Nov 28, 2009)

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-lPx9B_gR50&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-lPx9B_gR50&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>


----------



## whatsamerc (Nov 28, 2009)

thats pretty cool. its been several years ago but i used to make blowguns and darts with stone tips. the darts were made with a small piece of river cane and i used the small fluffy feathers at the bottom of a turkey fan. since the cane is hollow  i would just put a dab of glue in the end and stick the stems of several of those little feathers in there.............benji


----------



## thurston1979 (Nov 28, 2009)

Thanks for the post bam, what was the material he wrapped?Looked like a piece of cat tail.


----------



## TNGIRL (Nov 30, 2009)

WOW!!! Chris, that was a great video you found!!!! I watched it several times in a row. He made that look SO easy!!! Such skill!!! I wonder, did he roll the stick towards himself, clockwise or counterclockwise??He sapoke of "pushing" the stick so was unclear to me. Looks like thistle to me? I've never took a cattail apart before. Thanks.


----------



## bam_bam (Nov 30, 2009)

If you run the thread thru your mouth and wet it the thistle will stick to the string (you can tell right before he rolls the thistle on thats what he does and hold the end with his teeth, thats the way it was shown to me and it works well) roll the stick away from you or toward you you depending on what hand your using to hold your fiber (left hand roll to you, right hand roll away) pushing the the stick as you roll, that way the string spirals around the stick and doesnt bundle up in one spot. As you do that you also want to slowly move the skewer to the back of your hand so you constantly picking up fibers. It can be pretty challenging. He was using coat thread i think thats what he said it was in the video but the guy who showed me how to do it was using small baking twine and BBQ skewers and they worked very well. The guy on the video makes it look so easy but the first one I ever made looked like me when I get out of bed and my hair is going ever which away, But it still flew good and had enough umph behind it to bury into the bark of a pine tree from 10 yards or so.


----------



## Nicodemus (Nov 30, 2009)

Bam Bam, I grow thistle in the back of my pasture, if you ever run short of any. I can also show you the traditional way the Southeastern Indians stored and carried extra thistle. Instead of thread, try a very thin thread of wet backstrap sinew, about the size of #8 sewin` thread. You`ll like the results.


----------



## bam_bam (Nov 30, 2009)

Thanks Nic, I always figured sinew would be good I just never tried it.


----------



## TNGIRL (Nov 30, 2009)

Nic, want you to show me that this week OK?


----------



## dpoole (Dec 1, 2009)

I have a bag full of thistle if yall need some


----------



## slip (Dec 1, 2009)

i saw this video on paleoplanet too, really cool and pretty genius.


----------



## scoggins (Jan 1, 2010)

what about strips of rabbit hide as fletching?


----------

