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How to Make an Arrow Arrows are one of the more mysterious weapons in a LARPer's arsenal. For some reason people have a hard time figuring out how to make them. They are actually quite easy to make, but must be made correctly, because of the risk of injury to the intended target. I've been using arrows as a LARPer for four years now and have made a lot. I made the following four arrows in a little under an hour. Fun Noodle (solid) Open Cell foam (1" thick) Duct tape A plastic milk jug scrap leather scissors a knife a thick nail a sharpie a ball point pen A couple of notes: The arrows used are important. I wouldn't reccomend wooden or aluminum arrows because arrows tend to get stepped on - a lot. Wooden arrows tend to break when stepped on, and aluminum arrows will bend and break. I prefer fiberglass or carbon fiber arrows. The arrows I used to make the ones below are carbon fiber. Also think about the color of your arrows. Black is cool, but if hard to find... especially in the dark. The fabric used is also important. The fabric is used to finish off the arrow and keep all its components together. Since the fabric is at the tip of the arrow, a lightweight fabric will keep the arrow from being too top-heavy. I also prefer fabric that stretches on my arrows. I have even seen people use tights or nylons for the heads of their arrows. Think about the color of fabric you choose to use. Any color will due, and bright colors will help you find your arrow if it happens to go into a bush... trust me... it happens.
 Step One: Prepare the arrows. If you have fiberglass arrows, chances are they have target tips on them. These must be removed before continuing. Care must be taken because fiberglass splinters are nasty. Gloves should be worn when working with fiberglass. The tips can be removed with a hacksaw. Make sure to wipe off the cut end of the arrow and clean up the area where you cut them well.
 Step Two: Prepare the Fun Noodle The fun noodle that you want has no hole in the center. If it has a hole, it can't be used for arrows. Make some marks that are about 2.25" apart, then cut it into chunks based on those marks. These will be the arrowheads.
  Step Three: Form the Fun Noodle The next thing to do is to cut out a shallow bowl out of one end of the arrowheads. It shouldn't be much deeper than 1/4 of an inch (see the image on the left). This is done by inserting the knife at an angle and working around the edge of the fun noodle, keeping the tip of the knife in place. Then turning the arrowheads bowl side down, carve off the sides of the noodle at an angle (see the image on the right).  Next, take a piece of scrap leather and place it in the bowl and tape it down. This will help the arrow from piercing through the arrowhead. Set these aside and move on to the next step.
Step Four: Create the stoppers Take the milk carton (make sure it's empty and rinsed out first) and cut off and discard the top and the handle. From the remaining parts, cut out several disks that are about 1.75" in diameter. They don't have to be  exact or pretty. You will need at least three per arrow you are making. The next thing to do is to poke a hole in the center of the disks with the nail. I have made a little tool that helps me with this process. It is simply a small piece of wood with a hole drilled in it. The hole is big enough for the arrow to pass through and can be seen on the right. This is optional, but I find it makes things a lot easier. Don't just punch out a hole with a hole punch or something similar. If you do, your arrows won't be safe. After you have poked a hole in the middle, take a ball point pen (a bic works perfectly) and shove it through the hole, enlarging it.
Step Five:
Attach the stoppers to the arrows On your arrows measure down 1.25 inches from the top and mark it. Take a strip of duct tape that's about .25" wide by 3" long and wrap it around the arrow below the mark you just made. Then place three of the milk jug disks above the tape. They should be hard to force on, stretching the hole slightly as you go. If they're not hard to put on, your arrows won't be safe. The purpose of the milk jug stoppers is to keep the arrow from forcing its way through the arrowhead on impact with the target. It is very important that this step is done correctly.
  Step Six: Attach the arrowheads Take the arrowhead that you made earlier with the fun noodle and push it onto the arrow. Make sure it is centered and straight. If it's off a bit or crooked, don't try to straighten it out. Just make a new arrowhead. If the arrowhead is crooked, it won't fly straight. Next, take a piece of the open cell foam and cut it to roughly the same diameter as your arrowhead. Place this over the top of the arrowhead (as seen at the right).
Step Seven: Finishing the arrow Stretch the cloth over the top of the arrow down to the shaft. Take care that it is evenly stretched across the entire arrowhead. it should make a nice dome shape. While holding it with one hand, you can gently tug on the fabric with the other hand to make sure that it is even all around. Once you have it where you want it, take a piece of tape that's about .25" wide by 3" long and wrap it tightly around the base of the arrowhead. Trim off the excess cloth so it looks like this: Next, take a normal piece of duct tape that's about 2.5" long and wrap it around the whole thing at the base of the arrowhead.
 Step Eight:Testing You will want to test out your new arrows to make sure they are safe before taking them to an event. Get a friend to shoot you in the back with each arrow from about 10 feet away. They're your arrows... you need to be accountable for them and make sure that they are safe. That's it! You're done! Make sure to check out your new weapons with a marshal at the next event to make sure that they are safe. As always, if you have any questions, e-mail us or talk to a staff member at an event or open house. |
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