Category Archives: Articles

Melting Ice Sheet Reveals 10,000 Year Old Atlatl Dart

July 6, 2010 Cheryll Leave a comment

Pictures and stories were all over this week of a 10,000 year-old atlatl dart which showed up after an ice sheet melted near Yellowstone National Park.

Craig Lee of the University of Colorado at Boulder discovered the dart. The three foot long dart was bent with a sharp kink in it when discovered. It had a projectile point on one end and a cup or dimple on the other end. It is a birch sapling. To read more about this find and to see a photo, check out this link: Atlatl Dart Discovered

If you are ready to check out some newer atlatl darts, Thunderbird Atlatl has wooden and cane darts available in sizes ranging from five foot to seven foot. Darts are sold individually or in bundles of seven darts. It’s best to order at least three darts as shipping is based on length rather than weight and it’s difficult to ship one dart.

You can order through our web page or give us a call at 800-836-4520 or try our cell phone at 607-743-4379.

frontdarts

Some of the darts manufactured by Thunderbird Atlatl

Traditional Darts

Our Products, Ramblings

To Weight or Not! Should You Use an Atlatl Weight?

April 13, 2010 Cheryll Leave a comment

We are often asked if someone needs an atlatl weight on their newly purchased atlatl. We usually suggest is that you try the atlatl first without the weight and see how it works for you. Wondering if you need a weight? Try attaching a small stone on the atlatl shaft and see if it makes a difference for you!

Weights add balance and stability to an atlatl system. They improve accuracy for many atlatlists and make it easier to hold the atlatl steady while aiming at the target. One reason it helps is to steady the atlatl is that it balances the weight of the dart. It also adds inertia to the system, which tends to minimize shaking and wiggling caused by the atlatlist’s body functions such as heartbeat and respiration etc. Depending on the placement of the weight on the shaft of the atlatl, there is also more or less of a “pendulum effect” which helps to stabilize the swinging atlatl during the shot. Placing the weight closer to the hook end of the atlatl produces more of the effect at the expense of some of the speed or energy of the shot.

Placing the weight closer to the handle is a good compromise between not having a weight and having it out at the distal end. Besides that, atlatl weights look really great on your atlatl! (not to mention the Oooga Booga affect, which if you belong to the Secret Ear-o-Corn you understand without further explanation.)

We have a nice selection of atlatl weights in stock. If you think you would like to try a weight, we have a variety of weights available ranging from $5 to $20 on up to semi precious polished stones. Others can be custom-made for you. Prices for atlatl weights are made of so many different materials, from common to precious, that prices vary greatly. If you would like more information about atlatl weights, give us a call at 800-836-4520 or 607-743-4379.

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Misc., News

Hot/Cold Hybrid Drive Train

December 9, 2008 Bob Leave a comment

A Cool Way of Squeezing More Energy Out of Fuel

A hot/cold hybrid automobile drive train uses fossil fuel to run a small engine that compresses its own products of combustion, mixes it with liquid nitrogen that runs pneumatic engines that power the drive wheels of the car.

Typical internal combustion engine vehicles are less than 20% efficient because they loose large amounts of energy out of the radiator, tailpipe, radiation from engine parts and drive train friction. The Hot/cold hybrid drive train system uses both sides of the thermodynamic equation to produce kinetic energy to power the car. The heat generated by the burning of fuel and the compression of the products of combustion mixes with and boils the liquid nitrogen creating high pressure utilizing heat that would normally be lost. The liquid nitrogen absorbs enough heat to go from ?196 °C or ?321 °F to over the boiling point of water. If the liquid nitrogen were not confined to its pressure tank it would fill a volume nearly 700 times its liquid volume.

Click on the picture to see a larger version.

This concept drawing shows the small internal combustion engine to the left, attached in line to a compressor. The exhaust from the engine goes directly into the intake ports of the compressor. As the exhaust gasses are compressed they become hotter. At this point the hot compressed gasses are mixed with liquid nitrogen through a special valve. The mixture passes into a tank which has provisions for removing water before being used in the pneumatic engines located as close to the drive wheels as possible.

So Where Do We Get That Much Liquid Nitrogen?
Answer: Windmills
The largest problem with wind electric power generation is that for every megawatt of power a windmill may produce you need to provide an equal amount of alternate electric power somewhere else that can operate when the wind isn’t blowing. The alternative power station must be able to go on and off as the wind changes and respond immediately to demand. Windmills also have problems operating in very cold weather.

This proposal solves several problems.

Windmills could be designed to directly power large capacity compressors connected directly to the wind turbine in the nisscell at the top of the mast. The Von Linde system of converting gasses to liquids would be used which essentially uses a multi-step process where air is repeatedly compressed and cooled. The initial cooling fins containing hot water which is a byproduct of the Von Linde process could be located in the routers of the windmill which would make it usable in even the coldest weather when normal windmills are dangerous to operate because of icing. Windmills used to generate liquid nitrogen would work best in near blizzard conditions when the wind is blowing hardest and the cooling system is most efficient.

If windmills were used to make liquid nitrogen, when the wind did not blow it would not cause the immediate need to turn on an alternate power generator. Tanker trucks would pick up the liquid nitrogen when the wind mill’s tanks were full. Wind mills can be located close to where you need to fuel your vehicle instead of Saudi Arabia.

Use Locally Available Fossil Fuel

It is easy to operate small engines on liquid natural gas by changing the carburetor and adding a pressurized tank to hold the fuel. Liquid natural gas is energy dense. Not only does it contain the energy of combustion but also, like the liquid nitrogen, it has a reserve of energy contained in its heat of vaporization that can also be used to help propel your future car.

Symbiotic Uses of Local Power

The flow chart above shows several ways to produce liquid nitrogen and the byproducts that can be gleaned from the process.

Symbiotic relationships with other industries could be formed. An example of that would be a hospital located near windmills that could use the hot water, oxygen, and xenon produced in the process of generating liquid nitrogen.

Steel mills that use a lot of oxygen could form symbiotic relationships with auto fuel suppliers by supplying them with nitrogen rich gas left over from separating out the oxygen.

Welding supply companies use argon and oxygen and could liquefy the nitrogen for use as auto fuel.

Flintknapping

Bob Berg’s Flint Knapping Experiment

November 24, 2008 Bob Leave a comment

Conservation of Flint
This is the result of a study to see how many usable points and tools that I could make from one flint cobble like the one in the upper right. The debitage pile amounted to a small handful of possibly usable micro chips which are not pictured here. The points at 1 and 2 o’clock were made with a single strike of the baton. The next four points clockwise are either uni-facially or bi-facially knapped. They were made from the flattest of the prismatic blades struck from the core at the center. The core has some usable material left. It is a handy size and shape to carry on a hunting expedition in a pocket.

These points did not take much time to make and while they are more fragile than points made by bi-face reduction, they are somewhat disposable because of the lack of time invested in making them. This project took me about 2 hours to complete. Most of the time was spent retouching the four uni-facially or bi-facially knapped points. The two points in the lower right show the difference between a uni-facially knapped and bi-facially knapped points.

Points and tools of this kind were often produced in Europe 18,000 to 10,000 years ago by cultures of the upper paleolithic in western Europe. Many of the tools were used to carve very intricate tools and weapons of ivory and reindeer antler. High levels of art were evident during this period which lasted until about the end of the last ice age.

How To

Making Cane Atlatl Darts: Straightening Georgia’s World Record Setting Bamboo

February 9, 2008 Peter Berg Leave a comment

By Mark Bracken
Four Time Atlatl World Champion

This tutorial by Mark Bracken was originally posted at our sister site, Atlatls.com. It’s one of the best overviews of how to make cane or bamboo darts.

Step One

You can do this by storing the cane in tied bundles of twelve or so. In the winter, I dry my cane in the house where it is warm and dry. In the summer, the attic is the place of choice. Drying the cane should take about three to six months. In my opinion, I usually use FULLY SEASON THE CANE before attempting to straighten it. The method you use should not be one that uses extreme heat, This might crack the cane unexpectedly.

Once it has been seasoned, it may have a green color to it; this is ok, exposure to the sun will brown them. Now that your cane is dry, sand or cut off the little buds at each node. Take caution in removing the buds from the skinny end, as not to gouge the shaft as the bud is removed. You could leave a little extra material here for added strength. The reason is this area is a weak point and can break when you’re straitening it.
This next step is for extremely dry cane only.

Now, trust me on this, soak your cane shafts in water for 12 to 24 hours before straitening them. This rehydrates them and makes the process almost “risk free” – as far as unexpected breakages. If you try to straiten dry cane with heat, they will scorch quickly and unexpectedly break! The added moisture will evaporate very quickly as you straiten them leaving them as dry as the were before! I soak my cane in a PVC pipe. Where you soak yours is up to your imagination. Trust me, this is the way to go!

The next day, take your cane out of the water and wipe it off with a cloth while it is still wet. This makes cleaning the cane a “snap”. Use dry heat not steam!. I use a propane heater turned down very low.

Step Two

First working on every other section between the nodes, (look at the picture below for my definitions of “nodes” and “segments”.) Then as it has cooled, do the remaining segments. (It really helps here to work on more than one shaft. This gives each shaft a chance to cool before you monkey with it – if it’s still warm, you will screw up what ever you just straitened.

Straightening Cane Darts

Step Three

Straighten every other node.

Step Four

Straighten the remaining nodes.

Step Five

This is the step where you’re fine tuning and hitting those stubborn spots again.

Now let’s get started. Start by working on the areas between the nodes. Lightly and evenly brown the crooked area with a twirling motion being careful not to scorch it. The cane will take on a rubbery consistency when enough heat has been applied. Carefully bend it over your thigh, gently work the bend out with a rolling motion, this will prevent kinking. Use a leather pad on your leg to prevent burning your leg (the cane will be that hot!) You can slightly over bend it and return the shaft to a strait position. This may help to keep a finished dart from returning to it’s original shape. Some bends are just to severe to do this, use your best judgment.

Now getting back to where we were. STRAIGHTEN BETWEEN THE NODES DOING EVERY OTHER ONE, don’t panic if it looks like a BANANA after the first step is finished… It should.

The reason for doing every other node is to prevent rebending a warm area, previously straitened. You must give the shaft time to cool before fooling with bends that are “too close” to the recently straitened area. A good tip is to work 3 or more shafts allowing each one time to cool between steps. IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO WORK ON THE SEGMENTS FIRST. IF YOU DO THE NODES FIRST,THEY WILL TEND TO BEND BACK AS YOU STRAIGHTEN THE ADJACENT SEGMENTS. TRUST ME ON THIS

As you reach step five, you can test your progress by holding the nock end and rolling the dart with your fingers. The dart should rotate with a balanced attribute. It should not “lope” as you turn it. Sorta like a cam shaft on a motor. They are not straight but they are balanced. You may not be able to get your first shafts perfect. You should be able to get a good “balance”. How perfect you get them is up to you, but remember that they must have balance.

HERE ARE SOME MORE HELPFUL HINTS.

It is best to start on your worst piece of cane. If you break it, keep it for practice and learn the limitations of the cane Don’t worry about small kinks in your finished darts, they generally have no affect on performance.
Huge bends that you are unable to get strait, you can correct by working the areas up or down from the problem spot to achieve a “balanced” dart.
Don’t scrape the natural wax coating off the dart. This offers good natural protection from the elements. The exception to this is the area to be fletched, I scrape it off and dip or spray this portion of the dart with a varnish or varathane to aid the fletching cement’s adhesion to the shaft. I use a cement called DUCO Household Cement. I think “wally world” or “came-apart” has it.
Your new darts do not have to be fore shafted. I glue in copper or stone points with five min. epoxy or “J-B Weld” (and no, I don’t use it when repairing stuff in my shed, as I now have the top welder, brand new).
The points do not have to fall on a node to be strong. I use unwaxed dental floss to wrap the shaft and the base of the point. I wrap them about 2 inches up the dart from the point, THIS PREVENTS THE SHAFT FROM CRACKING IN THE EVENT YOU HIT A CONCRETE WALL, AUTOMOBILE OR MASTODON SKULL.
Finally I coat the whole haft with epoxy.

THANKS, I HOPE THIS INFORMATION HELPS!!

– Mark Bracken