A bit more than 60 years ago I used to make arrows using dowel rods I bought from the hardware store (way cheaper than cedar shafts!). I hadn’t yet figured out how to make a fletcher (couldn’t afford that either), and instead secured my fletching using thread similar to what you show here. Only I never thought of leaving it there. Once the glue was dry, I unwound the thread, a step I see was unnecessary! Great to see that there are places where wooden arrows are still used. I have a box of never-fired cedar arrows stored away. Once I moved to using a compound, I found out quickly that wood simply didn’t last. Great presentation.
Just what i was looking for! However i am in the south west of America and have been looking up native American style archery styles and flint knapping.. but I'll be happy to listen to an English bloke bestow some knowledge on the subject
Sir you are a credit to the world keeping history alive . I am from the states and I can't imagine making thousands of these back in medieval times . In your battles videos can you just imagine the logistics needed . Thank you sir for an education .
Just like Cooper and Carpenter, Fletcher also became a last name. Going by the prevalence of Smith, it took an enormous amount of them to furnish the warring sides all over Europe. There must be equivalent surnames in every culture that uses them.
You wouldn’t, as arrows were precious and reused where possible, if you didn’t make your own, you would replace lost or broken arrows as and when needed. And if you couldn’t, you were probably dead, wearing someone else’s arrow.
Fascinating. Consider how important this was to Britain, as evidenced by all the English names derived from arrow and bow-making such as Fletcher, Pointer, Stringer etc.
Yes & Arrowsmith, Bowman, the chaps who made them,+many variants, depending on locality, & misspelt versions by scribes who's English was common. Also importantly Ashcrofter's, (people who cultivated Sally gardens- {a corrupted Gaelic term} where copses of Ash & Hazel were cultivated & harvested for both arrows & basket weaving. These copses, many of which have survived in out-of-the way villages, woods & country places, can still be found to this day.
Mr Hicks is probably the only person on the whole of TH-cam that has the knowledge and patience to show and explain these medieval crafts skills step by step. There isn't many left from these old shires that still carry the skills from our old world. Long live Mr Hicks.
I remember seeing you with my dad back in the Warwick and Bolsover Castle days. You are a legend in our eyes. I’ll share these videos with him. He’s always asking what you’re doing these days and would be delighted to see them. Thank you for being a legend and keeping history alive! It bring us together!
At the funeral progress through London there were six bowmen flanking the Royals following the coffin. Of the six three were carrying bows and had an arrow at ready tucked under an arm. Great trust was shown to the bowmen since they carried weapons right next to the Royal family. Wonderful to see. Thanks Kevin for irreplaceable historical insights
They were the Queen's (now King's) Sovereign's Bodyguard. No more 'great trust' required any more than their initial appointment. The Royal Company of Archers.
I loved seeing the men from the Royal company of Archers, but there was a shocking number of lethal weapons involved in that funeral: rifles, pistols, swords, sabres, daggers, Sgian-dubhs, Kukris, halberds, not to mention that big field gun underneath the coffin. But make no mistake: the king himself was also armed. Let's just say the English monarch is not known historically for his/her charity work.
As a veteran archer of 12 years, this was the best arrow making video I've ever seen for traditional archery. I love your content Kevin, I can't wait to try and make my own for my new bow coming in Tuesday!
@@thehistorysquad indeed, it's my first custom. I got it from Toelke bows all the way from Montana USA (been sitting like a little kid waiting for christmas for 6 months). I'll be trying to make myself some wood arrows with the sheep horn inlays just like you did because those make for such beautiful arrows.
@@thehistorysquad wow that's amazing, I'm further south and haven't been up there yet. I hope I get to hike their trails sometime in the near future though!
It's unethical to kill animals be it by arrow or by rifle. Be kind to animals, they have it hard in the wild, and they don't need any hunter to take their life. Animals deserve better. They deserve to live. It's humans I question if they are as deserving.
Excellent video, Kevin! I really like how you make distinction between 'arrows' and 'ammunition'. Because that's what they were, disposable ammo, used in (tens of) thousands on the battlefield. And while some could be recovered and repaired, majority was simply 'spent'. It also puts the 'art' of arrow making into a different light because in the old times, it was not an 'art' but a profession. Of course it required skills, but the consistency and high-volume output were just as important because, in the end, people made arrows for living, not as a hobby.
they had there own livery company in the city of London for fletchers and a separate one for bowyers which I think means that you had to be apprenticed which at that time was 5 or 7 years there were over 100 livery company's covering most trades and occupations many which are obserlete today the penalty for setting up a business without being a member of these guilds were severe as in middle ages severe ,imprisonment and many of the judges and jurors had connections with these guilds and solicitors and lawyers had there own guilds no fines or suspended sentance then ....
Valid point, However as a bracket racer, long range shooter and production line setup guy, theres no greater skill than obtaining quality and consistency shot to shot! Its just not "flashy".
Even to this day the treatment still holds true. I make bullets. Some are for distance shoots, I weigh everything, measure everything, etc to make perfect and identical bullets. Others of the same caliber are made from my worst brass as it may or may not be recovered, simple cast lead and produced in as large a quantity as possible as quick as possible for shooting problematic wildlife I may run across or plinking targets for fun. Some things change and dont at the same time.
As a modern compound competitive target archer with an interest in the history of archery i found this a great vid. As I am also a furniture making by trade and enjoy making things I think I will have to give it a go just for the fun.
Pine pitch heated up, becomes a good glue. There are multiple things that do indeed become glue-like. If I lived somewhere away from towns/cities, I'd be making me a bow and some arrows myself.
the shooting jig and the butcher's - surgeon's - knocking saw, and rucked up, i learned much today, i'm sure to watch this again to go over the process, thanks kevin, regards
Seeing you crafting arrows was a hypnotizing experience and enlighting too. I learned so many details I haven't seen before and now I can clearly understand how they were made.
Nice mate, I'm an Australian with all English ancestry and really appreciated this. Making me homesick for a place I haven't been to yet. Our people are amazing, very cool you know how to do this and are teaching us :)
This is wonderful. I've never been able to get into archery, shotguns have been more my fancy but seeing a well travelled, educated and spoken man share his craft in a way that you can truly see the joy he gets from it is wonderful. Thanks again Kevin, I love all of your videos.
A tip from a Native American for sanding. Way back, we used to grab a piece of animal hide and you take some sand and place it in the hide. Rub it up and down the arrow shaft and it works quite well. Some nations also used sea shells for sanding as the outside was rough and also worked as sand paper. The fish skin was a cool technique I never heard of till this video. It’s pretty cool seeing how people did things way back from across the world.
How lovely, thanks! Something I found while exploring the U.S. is how interconnected the world really is. I found in a museum in Arizona, arrow straightening stones, very similar to those used in Europe. 👍
No wonder arrows cost so much in the old days (well even now) the time spent making them must have kept a lot of people very busy. Thank you so much for the video.
When you watch the process it takes to make just 1 arrow it blows my mind to think how many an army had to have made for a campaign. Totally mind boggling
There must be something meditative about crafting arrows or bow making. Really cool video Kevin. It's almost like you are straight from the medieval era.
when youre producing for your self, it is a great sense of calm, as its no pressure and your completely focused n chilled, during covid, i turned my hobby into a cottage business and the stress levels went up, as any mistakes, people can be super picky on. but when you make for yourself, theres things youll look at n think, thatll do, itll still do the job.
Nice to see the arrows as they were. Hollywood has us thinking arrows shot in war are these little flimsy things that men would break with one hand as it's sticking out of their shoulder so they could keep fighting. I dare say being hit with something that big would be like being shot with a bullet. Except now you have a long shaft of wood sticking out of you as well! Poor, poor Henry V
Yeah, for example - breaking off arrows stuck in your shield with a sword. Todd from Todd's Workshop channel (highly recommend !) has an older video showing how difficult/next to impossible it actually is. Proper war arrows were really sturdy.
*zip* *THOK* A war arrow is now embedded in your femur. Probably going to need at least two other people to get that out. One to hold you down and one to pull.
I never considered the royal dress would extend to arrows too but it makes so much sense. Man I would love to see replicas of what ceremonial royal arrows looked like or what unique styles the most talented fletchers were capable of making.
Lol, you make arrows like I spin yarn. "Fancy people say do this with magical modern tools, but do it by eye like they did historically with the simple tools that were the same as we have today and it turns out both beautiful and functional." Nice video! I appreciate the camera angles. There was a good view of each step.
Kevin, very well done. I was intrigued by watching you build arrows while describing the process. I'm 58, I'm a big history fan and always have been. I've been doing genealogy research on my birth father's side of my family for many years. I recently discovered about six people in England specifically who were knights. One of my ancestors is Anne Boleyn so that's awesome for me. I have many ancestors in England and Germany who were royalty but also France I believe. I'd have to look at my pedigree charts in my three ring binder to check the France one. I enjoy all of the videos you create and present. I live in Texas, my birth father is Canadian and my birth mother is American.
I am not a history enthusiast at all but the way you present history is so fascinating. I have watched every one of your videos and I will continue to watch them all. When I watch these videos I feel like a child at primary school, that level of excitement you lose as you get older. Brilliant job.
I’ve learned a lot from your videos. Amazingly professionally and well presented, and introduces me to a part of history I have not studied in detail. Sends me scurrying to the library. Thank you.
you have many talents, Kevin. I’d call you a renaissance man for your multiple talents but given how much of your material is from the medieval era I don’t want to offend you! re: shark skin sanding…it’s still used in Japan for grinding real wasabi so it’s something universal and great that you mentioned it. the tools you used are barely changed in centuries so you’re pretty much doing it oldschool just with bits of extras to help quicken things- something they’d have used themselves if they had them
As always, I enjoyed every bit of it! I've always wondered about the processes involved with arrow making. Well thanks again Kevin, my vast historical knowledge has been expanded just a bit more. Keep up the great work! Cheers.
This was very interesting and I am an archer as well in the US. Thank you,good sir, for taking us along! I have been fascinated with archery since I was a small boy!
I have actually made arrow heads out of a very hard wood know locally here in the U.S. as Bodark contracted from Bois d Ark also known as Osage Orange and it makes the best bows in the U.S. but is so hard it makes broad head arrow heads, good for a couple of uses, not RAZOR sharp but able to cut through a deer and they are easy to make with a little practice, cap the arrow or insert it into a hole and be sure to wind string around it. add glue and it's ready to fly and is a little lighter than aluminum . It also makes good target field tips and can be replaced for next to nothing.
I've always been curious how such things were done for making 10,000+ arrows for fielding an army or for a castle garrison. This process seems so man-hour intensive. A tactic not mentioned often is forcing a castle to loose all of its arrows during a siege. It seems like it would be an advantageous tactic to use red herring rams and mantlets to force defenders to use up their arrows and then storm the walls with crack melee troops with no arrows left to loosed upon them. A well fortified fortress would have to have thousands of arrows in its armory, and garrison commanders would definitely need to be cognizant of how many arrows they're putting down range. Furthermore, commanders would also need to be cognizant of how long it would take to replenish arrows whether to maintain a defense or timing of successive attacks on fortified positions. A major purpose of armor and shields was defend against arrows. All of this implies there had to be some kind of near industrial scale process of making arrows.
Actually. I watch many arrow making tutorial using dowel machine but not quite good enough. Your tips are the best way to keep arrow shaft still in straight.
@@thehistorysquad I’ve made the shooting jig and I’ve made a few shafts, but I have some fletching questions. Is there a special way I need to cut the feathers to turn them into fletchings? And do you buy or make your arrowheads? I’ve found where to buy horn inserts but sadly they’re mostly out of stock at the moment.
Hi, I just use sharp, long scissors to cut the feathers (like those used in dressmaking). I buy my arrowheads, the standard ones from Wales Archery Specialists, and the authentic ones from either Hector Cole Ironwork or Will Sherman at medievalarrows.co.uk@@littlemachette1215
It's amazing how much time and precision is required to make one arrow. Can't imagine how skilled the medieval craftsman needed to be to do this work efficiently. Impressive.
IT was factory level production, you had people skilled in a single aspect of the production process, a group of men making shafts, another group making the fletchings, another tying them on etc etc...hence names like Fletcher and Shafter, derived from the jobs.
Once you take the corners off in the jig put the dowel in a drill and push it through a die,a craftsman on here made oak dowels for furniture this way seems to work a treat.
Makes me appreciate all the prep work done before battle even before the first arrow is shot. I can also imagine gathering up all the spent arrow and spending days recycling and repairing arrows over a steam pot of water and campfire.
that trick with the loop to pull the string through the binding is awesome. I try that next time I make some arrows. So far I always have to hide some knots and artificial sinew that sticks out at the ends. You have a great way of explaining your work. keep it up and thanks.
Your instincts Kevin, honed by years in the trench's, are priceless! I would rue the day if I ever found myself facing your lawman instincts from the wrong side of the line!Cheers sir!
Thanks Kevin for the full class in arrow making! I find the materials used very interesting; people back in the day knew the best use of every tree, plant, animal and stone!👍🏹
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
A bit more than 60 years ago I used to make arrows using dowel rods I bought from the hardware store (way cheaper than cedar shafts!). I hadn’t yet figured out how to make a fletcher (couldn’t afford that either), and instead secured my fletching using thread similar to what you show here. Only I never thought of leaving it there. Once the glue was dry, I unwound the thread, a step I see was unnecessary!
Great to see that there are places where wooden arrows are still used. I have a box of never-fired cedar arrows stored away. Once I moved to using a compound, I found out quickly that wood simply didn’t last.
Great presentation.
And a great comment David, thanks!
I have no earthly idea how this video got recommended to me by the algorithm but this is amazing!
Haha, the mysterious algorithm. Thank you!
Just what i was looking for! However i am in the south west of America and have been looking up native American style archery styles and flint knapping.. but I'll be happy to listen to an English bloke bestow some knowledge on the subject
Sir you are a credit to the world keeping history alive . I am from the states and I can't imagine making thousands of these back in medieval times . In your battles videos can you just imagine the logistics needed . Thank you sir for an education .
Amen!
Well said. Thank you.
Cheers John, I appreciate that. If you haven't seen my 'logistics' videos, you might want to check them out, there are two on arrows 👍🏻
Just like Cooper and Carpenter, Fletcher also became a last name. Going by the prevalence of Smith, it took an enormous amount of them to furnish the warring sides all over Europe. There must be equivalent surnames in every culture that uses them.
@@joesikkspac7904 as a pseudo-professional fletcher, i can say, without a doubt, your right.
You wouldn’t, as arrows were precious and reused where possible, if you didn’t make your own, you would replace lost or broken arrows as and when needed. And if you couldn’t, you were probably dead, wearing someone else’s arrow.
I do historical talks and this info was a goldmine. Thank you
Fascinating. Consider how important this was to Britain, as evidenced by all the English names derived from arrow and bow-making such as Fletcher, Pointer, Stringer etc.
I new two brothers in school who’s last name was Butt . The target . And of course the butt of your joke.
Glueman, steamer
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
@@geoffreybudge3027 could've been a bottom washer for the King !
Yes & Arrowsmith, Bowman, the chaps who made them,+many variants, depending on locality, & misspelt versions by scribes who's English was common. Also importantly Ashcrofter's, (people who cultivated Sally gardens- {a corrupted Gaelic term} where copses of Ash & Hazel were cultivated & harvested for both arrows & basket weaving. These copses, many of which have survived in out-of-the way villages, woods & country places, can still be found to this day.
Mr Hicks is probably the only person on the whole of TH-cam that has the knowledge and patience to show and explain these medieval crafts skills step by step. There isn't many left from these old shires that still carry the skills from our old world. Long live Mr Hicks.
Cheers Jim, that's very kind of you 👍🏻
Another brilliant video sir, shame that Britain has lost a good man but Canada has gained a good man. You're an absolute credit.
Thank you kindly 👍🏻
I remember seeing you with my dad back in the Warwick and Bolsover Castle days. You are a legend in our eyes. I’ll share these videos with him. He’s always asking what you’re doing these days and would be delighted to see them. Thank you for being a legend and keeping history alive! It bring us together!
Wow, thanks Jake & thanks for sharing. 👍🏻
It's amazing how similar this process is to handloading ammunition for modern firearms.
may i suggest a video on the Royal Company of Archers, 2 of them were guarding her coffin , i presume most folk will not be aware of them!
Yes, great idea Colin, I'm going to look into it 👍🏻
lol, of course there is a kettle in your workshop, you are truly a british gentleman. love this kind of stuff, keep them coming
😜 indeed
This channel is truly a precious gem!
“gonna have to take a break to stop the bleeding” is just the casual tone of it 😂 this man is amazing
As an American growing up with emphasis on rifle marksmanship it's grand learning about where that tradition came from and how deep the roots of it go
At the funeral progress through London there were six bowmen flanking the Royals following the coffin. Of the six three were carrying bows and had an arrow at ready tucked under an arm. Great trust was shown to the bowmen since they carried weapons right next to the Royal family. Wonderful to see. Thanks Kevin for irreplaceable historical insights
They were the Queen's (now King's) Sovereign's Bodyguard. No more 'great trust' required any more than their initial appointment.
The Royal Company of Archers.
I loved seeing the men from the Royal company of Archers, but there was a shocking number of lethal weapons involved in that funeral: rifles, pistols, swords, sabres, daggers, Sgian-dubhs, Kukris, halberds, not to mention that big field gun underneath the coffin. But make no mistake: the king himself was also armed.
Let's just say the English monarch is not known historically for his/her charity work.
@@TheEvertw The English monarch is actually very well known for his charity work 😉
@@MrHollowdweller Long live the King.
Fuckem
Just come across this talk about fascinating absolutely brilliant really enjoyable 👍
Glad you enjoyed it
As a veteran archer of 12 years, this was the best arrow making video I've ever seen for traditional archery. I love your content Kevin, I can't wait to try and make my own for my new bow coming in Tuesday!
Oooh, lucky man! Thanks for watching 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad indeed, it's my first custom. I got it from Toelke bows all the way from Montana USA (been sitting like a little kid waiting for christmas for 6 months). I'll be trying to make myself some wood arrows with the sheep horn inlays just like you did because those make for such beautiful arrows.
@@davisstellman Coincidentally, I'm in Montana right now, I've just visited Little Bighorn today. I was like a kid 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad wow that's amazing, I'm further south and haven't been up there yet. I hope I get to hike their trails sometime in the near future though!
It's unethical to kill animals be it by arrow or by rifle. Be kind to animals, they have it hard in the wild, and they don't need any hunter to take their life. Animals deserve better. They deserve to live. It's humans I question if they are as deserving.
Thanks for,the video Kevin really interesting 👍🏼
Glad you enjoyed it
Excellent video, Kevin! I really like how you make distinction between 'arrows' and 'ammunition'. Because that's what they were, disposable ammo, used in (tens of) thousands on the battlefield. And while some could be recovered and repaired, majority was simply 'spent'. It also puts the 'art' of arrow making into a different light because in the old times, it was not an 'art' but a profession. Of course it required skills, but the consistency and high-volume output were just as important because, in the end, people made arrows for living, not as a hobby.
A brilliant comment there, thanks 👍🏻
they had there own livery company in the city of London for fletchers and a separate one for bowyers which I think means that you had to be apprenticed which at that time was 5 or 7 years there were over 100 livery company's covering most trades and occupations many which are obserlete today the penalty for setting up a business without being a member of these guilds were severe as in middle ages severe ,imprisonment and many of the judges and jurors had connections with these guilds and solicitors and lawyers had there own guilds no fines or suspended sentance then ....
Kills before skills 😉
Valid point, However as a bracket racer, long range shooter and production line setup guy, theres no greater skill than obtaining quality and consistency shot to shot! Its just not "flashy".
Even to this day the treatment still holds true. I make bullets. Some are for distance shoots, I weigh everything, measure everything, etc to make perfect and identical bullets. Others of the same caliber are made from my worst brass as it may or may not be recovered, simple cast lead and produced in as large a quantity as possible as quick as possible for shooting problematic wildlife I may run across or plinking targets for fun.
Some things change and dont at the same time.
As a modern compound competitive target archer with an interest in the history of archery i found this a great vid. As I am also a furniture making by trade and enjoy making things I think I will have to give it a go just for the fun.
Thank you for keeping the history alive.
Thank you
This was very useful. It will help me write accurately. Thank-you.
Ah the good old Sherwood fetching jig , mine is over 35 years old and still going strong .
It's nice to see something being made rather than machined. Fascinating as always, Kevin!
Pine pitch heated up, becomes a good glue. There are multiple things that do indeed become glue-like. If I lived somewhere away from towns/cities, I'd be making me a bow and some arrows myself.
Best add a litle charcoal dust to the pine pitch, bit brittle without it.
the shooting jig and the butcher's - surgeon's - knocking saw, and rucked up, i learned much today, i'm sure to watch this again to go over the process, thanks kevin, regards
No problem, thanks for watching 👍🏻
Seeing you crafting arrows was a hypnotizing experience and enlighting too. I learned so many details I haven't seen before and now I can clearly understand how they were made.
Excellent, I'm glad you enjoyed it 👍🏻
Nice mate, I'm an Australian with all English ancestry and really appreciated this.
Making me homesick for a place I haven't been to yet.
Our people are amazing, very cool you know how to do this and are teaching us :)
This is wonderful. I've never been able to get into archery, shotguns have been more my fancy but seeing a well travelled, educated and spoken man share his craft in a way that you can truly see the joy he gets from it is wonderful. Thanks again Kevin, I love all of your videos.
Gosh, that’s very kind of you. Thanks
A tip from a Native American for sanding. Way back, we used to grab a piece of animal hide and you take some sand and place it in the hide. Rub it up and down the arrow shaft and it works quite well. Some nations also used sea shells for sanding as the outside was rough and also worked as sand paper.
The fish skin was a cool technique I never heard of till this video. It’s pretty cool seeing how people did things way back from across the world.
How lovely, thanks! Something I found while exploring the U.S. is how interconnected the world really is. I found in a museum in Arizona, arrow straightening stones, very similar to those used in Europe. 👍
No wonder arrows cost so much in the old days (well even now) the time spent making them must have kept a lot of people very busy. Thank you so much for the video.
not just with arrows everyday things we do like washing clothes could take a lot longer or making chainmail or and type of weapon or armour
When you watch the process it takes to make just 1 arrow it blows my mind to think how many an army had to have made for a campaign. Totally mind boggling
There must be something meditative about crafting arrows or bow making. Really cool video Kevin. It's almost like you are straight from the medieval era.
when youre producing for your self, it is a great sense of calm, as its no pressure and your completely focused n chilled, during covid, i turned my hobby into a cottage business and the stress levels went up, as any mistakes, people can be super picky on. but when you make for yourself, theres things youll look at n think, thatll do, itll still do the job.
Absolutely amazing. Kevin is a Renaissance man. He makes this look so easy.
Nice to see the arrows as they were. Hollywood has us thinking arrows shot in war are these little flimsy things that men would break with one hand as it's sticking out of their shoulder so they could keep fighting. I dare say being hit with something that big would be like being shot with a bullet. Except now you have a long shaft of wood sticking out of you as well!
Poor, poor Henry V
Yeah, for example - breaking off arrows stuck in your shield with a sword. Todd from Todd's Workshop channel (highly recommend !) has an older video showing how difficult/next to impossible it actually is. Proper war arrows were really sturdy.
@@lazyman7505 yea bit different when it's stuck in like a half inch thick splinter four inches long and look her come some more ....
*zip*
*THOK*
A war arrow is now embedded in your femur. Probably going to need at least two other people to get that out. One to hold you down and one to pull.
Very interesting video. As a restorer of musical instruments, I was totally impressed with your work.
Thank you very much!
I never considered the royal dress would extend to arrows too but it makes so much sense. Man I would love to see replicas of what ceremonial royal arrows looked like or what unique styles the most talented fletchers were capable of making.
That'd be something else eh?
Bravo! Excellently presented! Thanks for sharing and the very best of luck!
Still have the one you gave us at Warwick
Haha, how lovely to hear 👍🏻
I hope you're well Kim
Being a Fletcher seems like it was a pretty sweet gig back then, I'd love to do that all day
Thanks Kevin always enjoy your videos imagine the the man hours over the years it took to making those arrows
You bet
Lol, you make arrows like I spin yarn. "Fancy people say do this with magical modern tools, but do it by eye like they did historically with the simple tools that were the same as we have today and it turns out both beautiful and functional." Nice video! I appreciate the camera angles. There was a good view of each step.
Thanks very much 👍🏻
You make it look so simple and achievable. I've needed a few arrows, now I know how to do it.
Very cool, important to keep ancient traditions alive!
It sure is!
Kevin, very well done. I was intrigued by watching you build arrows while describing the process. I'm 58, I'm a big history fan and always have been. I've been doing genealogy research on my birth father's side of my family for many years. I recently discovered about six people in England specifically who were knights. One of my ancestors is Anne Boleyn so that's awesome for me. I have many ancestors in England and Germany who were royalty but also France I believe. I'd have to look at my pedigree charts in my three ring binder to check the France one.
I enjoy all of the videos you create and present. I live in Texas, my birth father is Canadian and my birth mother is American.
Wow, that's great Guy, an excellent pedigree 👍🏻
I really enjoyed that Kevin. Thanks, Mike.
I am not a history enthusiast at all but the way you present history is so fascinating. I have watched every one of your videos and I will continue to watch them all. When I watch these videos I feel like a child at primary school, that level of excitement you lose as you get older. Brilliant job.
How nice of you David, thanks so much!
As an adult, don’t lose that excited fascination, ever. It keeps one young at heart. Never lock away that inner child.
Cheers!
Great demonstration.
I’ve learned a lot from your videos. Amazingly professionally and well presented, and introduces me to a part of history I have not studied in detail. Sends me scurrying to the library. Thank you.
😂 Cheers Ted, I'm glad you're enjoying them. There's worst places to be than a library 😉
I loved this video. What a great hobby this would be for the winter.
you have many talents, Kevin. I’d call you a renaissance man for your multiple talents but given how much of your material is from the medieval era I don’t want to offend you!
re: shark skin sanding…it’s still used in Japan for grinding real wasabi so it’s something universal and great that you mentioned it. the tools you used are barely changed in centuries so you’re pretty much doing it oldschool just with bits of extras to help quicken things- something they’d have used themselves if they had them
Thanks Boston 👍🏻
I have made my own arrows and itvery satisfying seeing them succeed in performance.
Very good too see the old ways, iv done arrows my self and now I know how too string it better.
As always, I enjoyed every bit of it!
I've always wondered about the processes involved with arrow making. Well thanks again Kevin, my vast historical knowledge has been expanded just a bit more.
Keep up the great work! Cheers.
Haha, cheers Bob 👍🏻
Absolutely brilliant demonstration, captivating and very entertaining, thank Mr. Kevin😊
Thank you kindly!
Wonderful video sir! Both entertaining and informative, as usual. 👍🌟
This was very interesting and I am an archer as well in the US. Thank you,good sir, for taking us along! I have been fascinated with archery since I was a small boy!
I have also fletched arrows in front of the tv!😅
I have actually made arrow heads out of a very hard wood know locally here in the U.S. as Bodark contracted from Bois d Ark also known as Osage Orange and it makes the best bows in the U.S. but is so hard it makes broad head arrow heads, good for a couple of uses, not RAZOR sharp but able to cut through a deer and they are easy to make with a little practice, cap the arrow or insert it into a hole and be sure to wind string around it. add glue and it's ready to fly and is a little lighter than aluminum . It also makes good target field tips and can be replaced for next to nothing.
Wow, thanks for the tip, haha, pardon the pun. I never knew that 👍🏻
I thoroughly enjoy this presentation every time I view it.
Cheers David 👍🏻
I've always been curious how such things were done for making 10,000+ arrows for fielding an army or for a castle garrison. This process seems so man-hour intensive. A tactic not mentioned often is forcing a castle to loose all of its arrows during a siege. It seems like it would be an advantageous tactic to use red herring rams and mantlets to force defenders to use up their arrows and then storm the walls with crack melee troops with no arrows left to loosed upon them. A well fortified fortress would have to have thousands of arrows in its armory, and garrison commanders would definitely need to be cognizant of how many arrows they're putting down range. Furthermore, commanders would also need to be cognizant of how long it would take to replenish arrows whether to maintain a defense or timing of successive attacks on fortified positions. A major purpose of armor and shields was defend against arrows. All of this implies there had to be some kind of near industrial scale process of making arrows.
Well, surnames such as Fletcher and Arrowsmith had to originate somewhere.
Bowman, Archer, Fletcher, Stringer….all called Tommy and all at Agingcourt.
Actually. I watch many arrow making tutorial using dowel machine but not quite good enough. Your tips are the best way to keep arrow shaft still in straight.
Personally born and raised in Staffordshire, thank you for everything you do
I was raised in Staffordshire too, for a good chunk of my childhood and spent many a day on the Chase on our bikes. Thanks for watching.
Great video. I'll never watch commercial TV as long as I have your quality of content available on TH-cam. Thanks for that.
Wow, that's really kind Dave, thanks 👍🏻
Simple but very real. Thank you
Thanks! Been waiting for this subject!
Thank you for taking the time to TEACH, that which almost no modern school will!
I’m just now seeing this video after trying to make arrows for a month…. This is everything I’ve been looking for. I can’t thank you enough
Great to hear! 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad I’ve made the shooting jig and I’ve made a few shafts, but I have some fletching questions. Is there a special way I need to cut the feathers to turn them into fletchings? And do you buy or make your arrowheads? I’ve found where to buy horn inserts but sadly they’re mostly out of stock at the moment.
Hi, I just use sharp, long scissors to cut the feathers (like those used in dressmaking). I buy my arrowheads, the standard ones from Wales Archery Specialists, and the authentic ones from either Hector Cole Ironwork or Will Sherman at medievalarrows.co.uk@@littlemachette1215
I like to watch Kevin's videos while I make my own arrow shafts.
creativity doesn't know right or wrong, as long as you reach a result that YOU are pleased with.
Glues get softer when heated. Nice video
Oh my word, some piece of work!!! Thank you !//Lars
thank yew kevin. good show. gare
Cheers Gary, hope you're keeping well 👍🏻
It's amazing how much time and precision is required to make one arrow. Can't imagine how skilled the medieval craftsman needed to be to do this work efficiently. Impressive.
IT was factory level production, you had people skilled in a single aspect of the production process, a group of men making shafts, another group making the fletchings, another tying them on etc etc...hence names like Fletcher and Shafter, derived from the jobs.
@@justinmorgan2126 sure it was factory level of production, still you need bunch of experienced people to run it
Once you take the corners off in the jig put the dowel in a drill and push it through a die,a craftsman on here made oak dowels for furniture this way seems to work a treat.
Excellent craftsmanship, that's quite the skill to have. I'm sure those arrows took down many Frenchmen.
Please stay healthy Mr. Hicks. You have fans all over the world.
👍🏻 thanks. I'm actually just getting over COVID, but should be better soon.
Makes me appreciate all the prep work done before battle even before the first arrow is shot. I can also imagine gathering up all the spent arrow and spending days recycling and repairing arrows over a steam pot of water and campfire.
Very informative Kevin. Thanks
🎯😊.. Can’t get enough of your content these days.. so many topics, so much to learn.. 👍
That's great to hear, thank you!
I started making my arrows this way 2 years ago and I enjoy it a lot
Thanks for sharing 👍
No problem 👍
Brilliant video Kevin thanks for showing us how the arrows are made
No problem 👍
that trick with the loop to pull the string through the binding is awesome. I try that next time I make some arrows. So far I always have to hide some knots and artificial sinew that sticks out at the ends.
You have a great way of explaining your work. keep it up and thanks.
Glad to help 👍
Nice work.
Thank you and have a great week.
You too!
Nicely done👌
Another great show Kevin, thank you.
Beautiful craftsmanship
Love the energy youve got in this video. Good watch
My Stepfather's name was John Arrowsmith. I always wondered what exactly his ancestors did for a living. Nice bit of Blue Petering Kev!
Well that was beautiful to watch...a true master at his profession.
Haha, cheers Richard 👍🏻
I absolutely love history and really enjoy this channel
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience. Much appreciated
It is always a pleasure watching an artisan who excels and enjoys his trade. Good stuff, Kevin.
This was massively informative, thanks so much for taking the time to throw this into digital space. Cheers from Canada 🍁🤘
My pleasure!
Yeah, nice! I learned something. I did some fletching, just for fun, but thanks to you, I will improve.
Excellent, it just takes time & patience. 👍🏻
Your instincts Kevin, honed by years in the trench's, are priceless! I would rue the day if I ever found myself facing your lawman instincts from the wrong side of the line!Cheers sir!
Haha, cheers Fred 👍🏻
great Job Kevin.
Thanks Kevin for the full class in arrow making! I find the materials used very interesting; people back in the day knew the best use of every tree, plant, animal and stone!👍🏹
They certainly did 👍🏻