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Inga’s
Method By Ingilborg Sigmundardottir of Caid. |
Disclaimer #3: Remember that Siloflex nocks cannot be allowed to pass more than 1/2” through helm bars, so please measure carefully when you make the V cuts for your bowstring.
Materials you will need:
- Lengths of .75” (3/4") diameter 160 psi Siloflex-equivalent polyethylene pipe. The coiled stuff is fine. Please go to www.combat-archery.com for a listing of polyethylene pipe manufacturers approved for SCA combat archery use.
- PVC pipe cutter, or a hacksaw.
- Ruler, or measuring tape.
- Sharpie.
- Leather punch, or drill.
- Heavy cutting shears, dykes or cutting pliers.
- Oven, baking dish and sink half full of very cold water.
- A plumb bob.
- Sharp utility knife.
- Dirt barrier…you need to put something inside the nock to keep dirt out. A simple piece of heavy duct tape will do the job, but won’t last long. Film can caps, pop bottle caps etc, have been used, but the absolutely best thing I have ever found is to use 1/2 of a used wine cork. Cut the corks in half horizontally with the PVC pipe cutters or hacksaw and then soak them for a while in a bowl of water with a plate over them to weigh them down, then hammer them in place…immortal, lightweight and works like a charm.
Get comfortable and with your ruler, mark off 2 inch sections along your pipe for as many nocks as you want. Cut off each 2 inch section with the PVC pipe cutters (easy) or the hacksaw (harder). Then gather up each one in your lap and measure on one end a mark 1/2” down on opposite sides. I have a jig made to do this but found it was really more nuisance than value and required the use of a drill. With your Sharpie put a dot at the half inch mark on each opposing side of the nock.
Get out your leather punch and every place you put a dot punch a hole. This means one hole on each opposing side of one end of the nock where your bowstring will go. After they’re all punched, take your heavy cutting shears or dykes and cut a V with the apex of the V in the hole you punched. Do not worry about sharp edges yet, we’ll get to that in a moment.
Your oven should be nice and warm now. Put your plumb bob on the kitchen counter and make sure the water in the sink is still nice and cold. Put all of the nocks, V side up, into a baking dish and put them in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. Take the dish out with an oven mitt and then with the mitt still on, take out each nock one at a time and force your plumb bob down into the V end of the nock very firmly. You will see the V’s spread out and widen. Then quickly drop the nock into the cold water before it can shrink back to the way it was before. Repeat till they are all done and leave the nocks in the cold water until they are good and cold.
Your nocks are cold and your wine cork halves have been in the water for a while and are nice and soft now. Turn all of your now cold nocks upside down and wedge a half a wine cork into the back end. Seat it in place with a hammer until it is flush. It should not come anywhere near the V if it has been cut in half. As the cork dries it will mold itself and make a perfect seal inside the nock.
Gather your nocks in a towel and head them back to your work area. Check the V’s for rough/sharp spots that can cause your bowstring any grief, and with your utility knife smooth them out and trim them to suit your taste.
Your nocks are now done and ready to install.
Installing Siloflex Nocks: Inga’s Method.
Materials Needed:
- Nock.
- Arrow, either golf tube or Siloflex.
- Liquid Nails brand contact cement.
- Drill with small bit.
- Doubled length of either artificial sinew or heavy fishing line.
- Blunt leather sewing needle.
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Duct tape
Nothing really bonds Siloflex to Siloflex or to golf tube, but the closest thing thus found is Liquid Nails brand contact cement. This is available in any home improvement or hardware store in anything from 1 oz tubes (all you will need) to 5 gallon buckets. So spread a thin coating of Liquid Nails on your nock end or just inside your arrow, and then push the nock down inside the neck of the arrow to the V of the nock slot. As the nocks have been widened by your plumb bob, this should be a natural stopping point. Hold the nock and arrow in place for a couple of minutes until the glue sets, then go on to the next one.
Using the drill, drill two holes all the way through the arrow and nock (and preferably through the wine cork too) in a cross configuration. Then thread your leather sewing needle with a doubled length of artificial sinew or heavy fishing line and push it through. Tie a tight square knot on one side when you are done.
The tie you just made needs to be covered with duct tape to protect it. Wrap a small piece of duct tape around the arrow at this point, and try to make it cover the juncture of the nock and the arrow a little bit too.
Check your nocks to make absolutely sure they don’t protrude more than 1/2” beyond your arrow. If they do, trim them with your utility knife. Make any more trims you think are necessary, then go out and shoot someone with them.
