© Mike Stringer and Caroline Hayes 1996
Welcome to the Second Skin LRP arrow making guide MK III, as revised for the internet. It's been about seven years since the original was first written, and three or so since the second edition, so it seemed about time for an update for the electronic age. The Mark II paper edition is still available, if you want the full version - complete with the idiots guide of what NOT to do, and a few other bits, which in the interests of your 'phone bills, are not included here.
You may think there are already too many arrow guides available on the internet. Unfortuntely these all seem to be based on our first edition guide which is merely a very basic instruction on what to do to construct a safe LRP arrow. They do not really explainWHY this is the safest way we have found to construct an arrow. This guide is substantially more informative, detailed and thorough than our original, variations of which you may have seen on the net previously.
If you understand why you use a certain construction method, you should know what changes you can safely make.
Our main concern is safety and quality, and this is the reason for what you are reading now! Mike Stringer has paid a great deal of attention to the concept of arrow safety in LRP and, being an experienced archer (shooting since the age of 7), he has endeavoured to perfect the design, since he and Andi Coulton first developed the LRP arrow, back in 1985/86. We hope that you find this guide of value. Feel free to download it for personal use, just don't reproduce it in any other form or for commercial use without our consent.
Please read it through carefully and completely more than once, to familiarise yourself with all the relevant procedures before you attempt to construct anything!
This is not the definitive answer to safe arrows in live role playing. It can not be held accountable for any accidents or injuries caused from equipment made after reading it. YOU are the one who will make the arrows, and it is YOU who are doing the shooting.
I hope that you will find this guide informative and useful. If you feel that some of the information is misleading in any way, please feel free to contact us for advice.
Enjoy making your arrows. Happy shooting... Mike and Caroline
What do we need from an arrow usable for live role-playing combat? Firstly, and most importantly we need an arrow design which is as safe and durable as possible. Secondly, we do not want to compromise the accuracy of the arrow too greatly with over bulky head designs. We want an arrow that is as accurate as we can possibly shoot. Lastly we want it to be fairly cost effective. Why? Arrows get broken, usually under foot in combat situations. Ready made arrows become expensive, especially if you tend to have a breakage rate of 50%+ per adventure! They are fairly time consuming to make, and therefore retail at a high price from manufacturers. Many people want to make their own arrows anyway, and many others have to for the above financial reasons. If you can make your own safely and correctly, it will only cost you the price of the materials, and you will be in a position to make new ones whenever you want (and it can be fun!)
In any live role-playing environment, there is only one safe size for an arrow point to be, and that is large enough to prevent a hit in the eye from being detrimental to that most precious part of the body. The most appropriate size I have found is around 50mm (2" inches) in diameter. If the head is any larger than that, it simply slows down the arrow and spoils its accuracy; Any smaller, and the head becomes a dangerous size for eyes. For this reason, I cannot recommend a head diameter any less than 40mm minimum.
The head of an LRP arrow must be soft enough for a close range shot not to damage delicate areas of the body (to account for unforeseen accidents). It must be constructed to be robust, long lasting, and eliminate all possibilities of the arrow shaft punching through the foam to the outside world. If this were to happen, the possibility of someone being impaled by an LRP arrow would be very real indeed! This must be avoided at all cost as the future of the hobby depends upon it.
IF YOU CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO MAKE YOUR ARROWS CORRECTLY AND WITH CARE...DON'T BOTHER MAKING THEM AT ALL
For the sake of this guide, we will call the foam point on the end of the arrow that we are going to make - THE HEAD. This way nobody can get too confused about sharp points, foam points etc! In most cases I will be referring to arrows in LRP, but of course, much of the following information is equally pertinent to crossbow bolts also.
Incidentally, if you have never shot a bow before, why are you reading this? Please, for the sake of everyone concerned, take some lessons from someone who knows what they're talking about with respect to archery before you start shooting at people with LRP arrows! Oh, but please, don't fall for the old classic of "I'm a trained instructor". Use your judgement when choosing a mentor; certificates and courses are all very well, but they're a poor substitute for aptitude and common sense.
To be a safe archer, you need to be a competent archer. Knowing one end of a bow and arrow from the other, and being able to generally hit what you're aiming at is competent. Hanging great big stabilisers and sights off a £300.00 bow in fancy competitions does not necessarily mean you're competent; it means you're rich! Shooting a bow is not as easy as shooting a gun. It will take you a little time to get the hang of it, but if you're keen enough, you'll grasp the concept soon enough...Have patience, and have fun.
REMEMBER, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS! IF YOU ARE IN DOUBT ABOUT ANYTHING...CHECK IT OUT! - PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US FOR ADVICE
Nothing in this world is guaranteed. Bows and arrows are killing tools and must be treated with the utmost seriousness and care. Once you let that arrow fly it's out of your hands, and no matter how good you are at archery, fate will play it's part one way or another.
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