The following information should help you make a GTB (Golf Tube Baldar) combat arrow. They will be referred to as GTBs for the remainder of this article. While both Baldar Blunts and golf tube arrows have been approved in the Society for some time, they were initially not approved to be used together. The Baldar blunts were tested to be used on either fiberglass or wood shafts and shot from a bow with no higher poundage than 30 lbs. at 28 inches of draw. The golf tube arrows start at a bow poundage of 35 lbs. and go up to 50 lbs at 28 inches of draw. After over a year and a half of testing, the GTBs were finally approved for Society wide use. The Middle Kingdom was the inventor and primary driving force for the GTBs and was the first to allow their use Kingdom-wide.
Although they have Society approval for use, it is still up to each individual kingdom to decide if they want to use them as part of their combat archery program.
Keep in mind that the construction methods utilized during the Society approval testing procedures were very specifically documented Any major deviation during construction could change the safety or performance that was initially approved. Additional weight, beyond the materials needed to construct the arrow or bolt, is not allowed.
To start with, here are a few quick definitions and descriptions:
Golf Tubes are plastic sleeves that are put into golf bags to keep the shafts of the golf clubs apart. A golf tube is around 34 inches long and is either black or clear. Personal preference and availability will dictate which you use. In bulk they cost around fifty-five cents each. At a golf pro store they can cost as much as a dollar. Many discount stores also carry them. For over five years now I have heard the rumor that golf tubes were no longer being made. Each year I order 4 cases from the manufacturer and am told they have no plans to quit making them.
Golf tubes come in at least three different sizes and only one will work with the baldar blunt. Therefore, when you go to buy golf tubes take along your precision gauge to see if they are the right size. Your gauge is the cap off a two-liter bottle of pop. If it fits into the golf tube snuggly it is the right size. If it is loose then it is the wrong size. In this case, size does matter.
Baldar Blunts, sometimes called Baldar Points, Tips or Blunts. These are a manufactured head designed and produced by Duke Sir Baldar out of the Kingdom of Trimaris. For simplicity's sake, I will be calling Baldar Blunts just Baldars for the remainder of this article.
If your Kingdom already uses Baldars it will be easier for you to find them than for those living in Kingdoms who do not. There are several merchants that sell these blunts. You might also check out the Baldar Blunt websitefor more information as to where you can get them. The Baldars come in two styles, one for wood shafts and the other for fiberglass shafts. If the base of the blunt is black, it is designed for a fiberglass shaft. A white base is for wood shafts. For GTBs it makes no difference which you use.
The cost is approximately $ 2.25 each, but if you buy a larger amount the cost goes down somewhat. This in an initial one-time expense, because the Baldars can be reused time after time1.
When your golf tube becomes too mangled to use, just take the Baldar off and put it on a new golf tube. The only time you will have to replace Baldars is mainly when you lose arrows, or when you want to make additional arrows. I have lost several arrows, but never had a Baldar that needed to be taken out of service. With the approved taping system we developed and tested, the Baldars just don't get the wear and tear they may get on other types of shafts. They do last a long time.
Foam Plugs. Acceptable types of foam tested are insulated pipe wrap foam and extruded polystyrene. Examples are Owens-Corning Foamular 250 extruded polystyrene insulation and Dow extruded polystyrene insulation. This extruded polystyrene insulation foam comes 4x8 foot sheets, and can be 2 or 3 inches thick.
Different manufactures make the foam in different colors, pink, green and blue. Do not rely on the color as your buying guide for the proper foam. I have bought several sheets of foam that was the right color and looked right only to find out it wasn't.
The extruded polystyrene comes in two different densities. You have a 150 weight and the 250 weight. The 250 weight is the best to use. If you get the 2 inch thick foam in you will have trouble using the deep well hole saw to cut them. The 2 1/2 inch is what you want to have.
Note that Styrofoam will not work because it breaks down to easily. Spray in insulation foam turns to dust when stepped on or crushed and will go into a fighter's eyes when it hits their helmet. Rags and paper are not an acceptable filling and may not be used.
Preparing the Baldar Blunts for use on a golf tube is the hardest part of the whole construction process. There are several ways to prepare the Baldar for use. I am only going to describe the best and most efficient way.
As I mentioned, the blunts were designed to mount on wood or fiberglass shafts. As you look at the non-striking end of the current blunt, you see six ribs going from the sides to the center where they join the shaft-holding cylinder that the wood/fiberglass shaft would go into. The blunt will work very nicely on golf tubes once you modify the ribs and shaft-holding cylinder.
First, you will need to prepare the interior of the blunt using a sharp knife or whatever tool you prefer. I found that a 1/4-inch wide wood carving knife or chisel works best. I bought a set of six different models of chisels at a hobby store for nine dollars. If you slip making the cuts in the ribs and shaft holder, you can cut yourself. This is the most dangerous part of the arrow making.
Holding the blunt with the striking tip down, start your cut even with one of the ribs against the side wall. (see top picture above). Start here and cut through the rib at a slight downward angle until you are at the shaft-holding cylinder wall. Keep cutting until you have gone into the inside of the hole. Go back and repeat this process on each rib. When you finish you should be able to pull the cut section off. It will come out along with the attached ribs. When you look down into the blunt you see a six-pointed star with the hole in the center slightly lower than the outside edge of the Baldar (see lower picture above). If you buy seconds from Baldar this step will already be done when you receive them. He calls them his circumcised blunts.
The next step to prepare the Baldar is much easier and was discovered by accident. You start at the step in which you have removed the star shaped piece with the hole in the center.
Take a 1 1/4-inch (32mm) hole-saw with a blunt drill bit 1/2 long. The blunt drill bit fits into the Baldar Blunt shaft holder, and the hole saw fits inside the hole saw cut the side wall until it stops just before it touches the inside bottom. You don't want to cut the bottom. This spacing is just what you need to slip the golf tube into.
You can make a quick holding fixture to aid in holding the blunt while you drill the side wall by taking a 1 1/4 X 1 1/4-inch piece of wood and drilling a 1 3/8-inch hole in the center of it, shown to the right. This helps you hold the blunt, striking tip down, while you drill out the ribs from the side wall.
If you are going to use Baldar Blunts, you must use some type of approved foam to put into the golf tube shaft. If you fail to do this, the arrow/bolt will collapse at either the nock or tip end from impact. While foam is not necessary with a golf tube arrow with a tennis ball attached, it must be used with a Baldar if you want to get more than one use out of the arrow.
To cut foam plugs, use a 1 1/2-inch (38 mm) deep well hole saw and drill. Use the hole saw and drill a hole in the foam as deep as the hole saw will permit. The drill bit is longer than the hole saw and will drill through to the other side of the foam. Then turn the foam over and, using the hole from the drill bit as a pilot hole, drill through the remaining foam. (see picture to the right)
Remember, the thicker the foam, the fewer plugs you have to cut. For example, you will need about 10 foam plugs for each arrow if you are using three-inch foam and more for thinner foam.
You are also going to need something to push the foam plugs into the golf tubes. You may use a broom handle or a one-inch wooden dowel. The dowel works better because of the flat end. the wood dowel compresses the air in the tube ahead of the plug and you may get a surprise when the foam plugs explode out the end of the tube while you are pushing more of them in. It is very dramatic. Go slowly.
A much better foam pusher is a piece of 1/2-inch Electrical Rigid PVC conduit SCH 40 pipe. The one end has a larger part measuring about one inch in diameter, tapering down to about 1/2 of an inch. This pipe allows a release of the air pressure while you are slowly pushing the hole-saw cut plugs down the tube. The pipe is also sunlight resistant. Measuring from the larger end, cut the pipe 36 inches long. Put a mark on the pipe six inches from the larger end. Also measure from the larger end and put a mark at 29 inches. These marks will be explained during the foam-stuffing section of the article.
You are going to need 4 caps off of a two-liter bottle of pop for each arrow you want to make. If you don't drink pop, become friends with someone who does. The caps off bottled water and some sport drinks don't seem to work as well.
You need to prepare your arrow nocks ahead of time. Take one of the pop bottle caps and lay it on its top so you are looking down into the inside. Make a mark dividing the cap in the middle from one side to the other. You now need to make a "V" notch cut for the string to go into. A sharp knife may be used. I use an old style wood burning iron that burns the "V" cut. No matter which method you use be sure to clean the cut and smooth it to avoid excessive wear on your bow string. I use a small file.
Next, you need to drill some holes on the inside of the cap. Use a 1/8-inch drill bit and drill three holes inside the cap on each side of the notches on the bottom.
The prep work is now over. The rest is much easier, for the most part.
2. Next, take a plastic bottle cap from a 2-liter bottle of pop and one plug of foam. Compress one end of the foam plug enough so that it will seat into the opening of the plastic bottle cap.
3. Take this cap with foam and push it into the golf tube cap end first, from the reinforced ring end. Push in up and into the tube until it stops against the other bottle caps. The other foam plugs will go against this foam plug.
4. Now you take the foam plugs and start stuffing the tube. If you don't secure the un-reinforced end securely, either by holding it or with a clamp of some sort, the air pressure will push the bottle caps beyond the end of the golf tube and you will not be able to push them back.
5. While pushing the foam in with the section of PVC pipe, you need to start paying attention to how much room you have left. When the six-inch mark you added earlier on the foam stuffer pipe/rod is even with the end of the golf tube, it's time to cut your arrow to length.
6. Using the 29 inch mark on your foam stuffer pipe/rod, measure 29 inches from the unreinforced end of the golf tube (the end with plastic pop caps in it) towards the reinforced ring end. Mark this point and cut the excess tubing off at this measurement2. The blunt will slide down 1/2 inch onto the golf tube; the bottle cap nock goes 1/2 inch into the golf tube, hence a 29-inch length golf tube is needed to get a finished 28-inch length3.
7. At the end of the cut 29-inch golf tube, measure how much space is left between the last foam plug and the end of the golf tube. Deduct 1/2 inch from this measurement and cut a foam plug to this length to push into the golf tube.
8. Take one of your previously prepared bottle caps nocks and check the fit. If it fits flush with the end of your golf tube you are ready to glue it in place. (see below). Many, many types of glue have been tried, but the only type I've found that works is a hobby hot glue gun and glue stick. There are at least two types of hot glue sticks. Use only the glue sticks for non-porous surfaces.
Put glue around the inside surfaces of the golf tube and the top of the foam plug. Be sure to cover the top of the plug completely with glue. Use the point end of a pair of scissors to push the nock cap into the golf tube until it stops against the foam plug, as the glue will burn your fingers. If glue pushes up through the holes you had put into the bottom of the bottle cap, you used the right amount of glue. This glue will dry and form little buttons that help secure the nock cap.
9. With the point of the scissors still in place, open the scissors blades up. This will push the sides of the bottle cap against the inside surface of the golf tube and glue the nock to the inside of the golf tube. Hold for approximately 1 minute.
This bottle cap will reinforce the nock end of the golf tube and help to keep it from collapsing and going too deep into a fighter's face grill. This nock is also quicker to shoot with gloves on4.
10. You will need an X-acto knife for this next step. Cut the outside of the golf tube to match the "V" notch that you had cut into the bottle cap nock. Cut through the outside of the golf tube to match the inside of the "V" cut.
11. Slip the prepared Baldar blunt over the front of the golf tube. The golf tube and sides of the cap should slide up into the notch between the outer wall of the blunt and the inner ribs. Using a piece of 3/4 inch or wider filament tape, run a piece from the side of the golf tube two inches up over the tip of the Baldar Blunt and two inches down the other side. Repeat the process so the tape forms an X over the tip of the Baldar Blunt. Continue this process until the entire head of the Baldar Blunt is covered with filament tape. You want two inches of tape from the base of the blunt going down onto the golf tube shaft on each side5.
12. Using another piece of 3/4 inch or wider filament tape, wrap a piece of tape around the junction of the bottom of the Baldar Blunt and the golf tube with half on the Baldar Blunt, half on the golf tube.
13. Cover the entire surface of the Baldar Blunt head with red tape6. Wrap a strip of duct tape around the golf tube, just below the base of the blunt.
14. You'll want to put fletches on your arrow or bolt, as they do make a difference. Two fletches is the normal number to have. Mark down 3 inches from the nock end of your golf tube. This is where you will start the edge of your fletching7.
Cut a 6-inch piece of duct tape, and fold it over lengthwise against itself. Take another 6-inch piece of duct tape, and lay it flat with the sticky side up. Place the folded over piece on the full piece, covering one half and leaving the other half free. You now have a single piece of duct tape which has sticky stuff showing along only half of its width, and which has the other half of its width composed of 3 thicknesses of duct tape.
Take this piece and tape the sticky part on your arrow about three inches down from the nock, running the length of the shaft. If you don't align the fletch in a line with the nock opening, you will shoot the fletch off the first time you shoot the arrow.
Next, take another 6 inch piece of duct tape and attach half of its width to the free half of the other, already-attached piece of tape. Tape the other half of the tape to the shaft, matching it up to the edge of the already taped-down piece. You should now have a duct tape "fin," taped to the arrow on one side.
Now take a pair of scissors, and cut the fin into a more triangular shape, narrower towards the front of the shaft and wider towards the back.
Repeat for the other side. Once you do several of them it gets easier. If you put wax, such as candle or bow wax, on your scissors, the duct or strapping tape will not stick to the scissors. If not, good luck.
15. An identifiable 'makers mark' must be visible on each arrow. You can use colored tape. I use three bands of colored tape and write on them my SCA name, kingdom and SCA membership number. I have had several arrows returned to me this way. Remember that each arrow returned is one less Baldar Blunt to replace8.
You now have one of the most accurate golf tube arrows or crossbow bolts ever made. If you come up with any improvements, please forward them to me to share with others.
1. Rather than adding a bottle cap nock with "V" cut for the end touching the string, you will use a regular bottle cap with the foam plug pushed up into it and the flat surface facing outside. Take a knife and scratch the flat surface of the cap to give the string of the crossbow a better surface to grab.
2. The minimum length of a finished crossbow bolt (base of the bolt to base of the arrowhead) is 14 inches. This is the length used in the Middle Kingdom and also the length used during the acceptance testing for Society. The 14 inches is measured from the point of contact with the string to the base of the bolt head.
To keep abreast with the latest new ideas and modifications or share your ideas on the GTBs, keep checking back on this website.
This is only a partial listing of the people that I know of:
Duke Sir Edmund, who told his archery champion Gwylym Penbras while they were at Gulf Wars to figure out a way to put a Baldar Blunt onto a golf tube.
Baron James Cunningham, who came up with the idea of putting foam plugs into a golf tube.
The Havenholde Expeditionary Force of combat archers, who put in many long and hard days testing and improving the arrow and getting it approved at Society Level. (Also the bruise testing, which was above and beyond)
Mistress Drea di' Pellegrini, for graphics & layout
Sir William of Fairhaven, who supported and encouraged this project as the Middle Kingdom Earl Marshal at that time.
And Duke Sir Comar, for bringing combat archery to the Middle Kingdom.
2 The Society maximum allowable arrow draw length (nock to just back of the blunt) is 28 inches (71 cm).
3 On golf tube arrows using a tennis ball head, the head is required to be mounted on the reinforced end of the golf tube. The reinforcing-ring will not fit inside a Baldar Blunt and must be cut off to seat properly. That is how it was Society approved.
4 It is a Society standard to have the nock end of a golf tube reinforced to limit the tendency of the tube to compress upon impact and penetrate an SCA legal helm.
5 Take a piece of golf tube left over after trimming to 29 inches, and cut it to 2 1/2 inches. Then split this 2 1/2-inch piece of golf tube from one end to the other. This will give you a quick template to slide onto your golf tube and mark your two-inch line from the end.
6 It is better to use Scotch/3M or other name-brand strapping, reinforced and duct tape than cheaper generic tape. In this case, you get what you pay for. Cheaper is not better if it doesn't stick.
7 Again take a left over piece of golf tube after you trimmed it to 29 inches and cut it to 3 inches. Then split this 3-inch piece of golf tube from one end to the other. This will give you a quick template to slide onto your golf tube and mark your three-inch line from the end.
8 The new Society Rules state that "All arrows and bolts shall be clearly marked for identification with the name of the user. For inter-kingdom events it is recommended that the name of the kingdom be included as well."
Ernie Husted Jr. (ernie@dnaco.net) has served honorably in three branches of the armed forces. He works as a police officer, fireman, and several areas of rescue work, and doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up.