Throwing Arrows

[Fatboy]

Re: Throwing Arrows

AKA Swiss Arrow, Dutch Arrow and even Yorkshire Arrow, I remember these were very popular growing up in Yorkshire in the 70s/80s. Constructed of a thin piece of dowling wood with a cross intersection cut in the top to accomodate a four pointed flight (usually cut out of mum's cerial box) these were a lethal but fun passtime.
The end was sharpend to a point to sick in the ground and a notch was cut roughly two thirds up for the string to loop around. The string was used in a sling-shot method to propell the arrow.
Building one was like developing a racing car as lots of people had their own method to make them - length of wood, where to cut the notch, length of the string, Weetabix or Frosties etc..
Dunno if this was just a Yorkshire thing or not.

I can remember these but we used to call them Chinese Arrows, they were great, they were cheap to make and it was always fun making them and then seeing who's would go further, happy days. I have never seen any kids with these for years (probably to tame for todays kids) I remember my friends father used to make his own fishing weights so he would sometimes get a bit of lead and we used to weight the ends of the arrows with it, I remember one of my friends once getting hit right on top of his head with one of these arrows, he required 3 stitches, it was funny though lol.

[BeetleBug]

Re: Throwing Arrows

Yep I remember these too, we made ours from bamboo and cereal boxes for the flights ours were really lethal though we nicked our dads dart tips and lodged them in the end, the extra weight seemed to make em go miles.

[sarcymarky]

Re: Throwing Arrows

We used to have them down here in wilts too. Throwing arrows they were and I seem to remember ours were made of garden bamboo poles and playing cards for flights. Instead of sharpening the end we'd shove a nail in the tip. Happy days!!

[MommaMystique]

Re: Throwing Arrows

oooooh another Lanky lass then. 'Ah wish ah 'ad norn befoore. Ah wud a spoken reet proper to thi flower.

[steve edwards]

Re: Throwing Arrows

i used to make these , i used to live in andover as a kid , and someone showed me how to make them , and i had great fun doing it , and as you do as a kid , i used to big it up by saying that this is how the old time people used to catch and kill cows ect as the cows could never hear the hunter coming .

Kill a cow , ha they could barely fly more that 10 feet but yes they were great fyn and we used to call them dutch arrows as well

[SpiralCoolStuff]

Re: Throwing Arrows

looks painful

[Oggy]

Re: Throwing Arrows

scarey game?

[jason h]

Re: Throwing Arrows

Remote control not included.

[SpiralCoolStuff]

Re: Throwing Arrows

well id never heard of it...but then i am from lancashire heh

[jason h]

AKA Swiss Arrow, Dutch Arrow and even Yorkshire Arrow, I remember these were very popular growing up in Yorkshire in the 70s/80s. Constructed of a thin piece of dowling wood with a cross intersection cut in the top to accomodate a four pointed flight (usually cut out of mum's cerial box) these were a lethal but fun passtime.
The end was sharpend to a point to sick in the ground and a notch was cut roughly two thirds up for the string to loop around. The string was used in a sling-shot method to propell the arrow.
Building one was like developing a racing car as lots of people had their own method to make them - length of wood, where to cut the notch, length of the string, Weetabix or Frosties etc..
Dunno if this was just a Yorkshire thing or not.