And Now… For Something Really Cool…

A while ago I was commissioned to make some special arrows for someone. In fact, two different people placed different commissions for the same person to receive new arrows. The two sets would be similar, but different, kind of a full fancy dress set and a Friday casual set.

I had something different in mind that I wanted to try for the fancy set and once I got the go-ahead I began gathering things together. There were some unexpected bumps in the road: a printer that stopped behaving, an effort to get an old printer working again, a new/used laptop for the old printer to connect to… it’s been interesting.

Finally, everything came together and I got started on the arrows. I think they came out really well. This is a treatment that I will be making available on other custom orders. It will cost more, unfortunately. I do have to make a living and pay my bills. But it's pretty dang unique and could be just the ticket when someone wants the ultimate in special arrows.

Yeah, I know. I’m a jerk. I got you all worked up and ready to see these great new arrows and I’ve got the picture edited so you can’t see them.

The problem is, I'm really excited about these but the recipient of these arrows hasn’t gotten them yet and doesn't know anything about them. I don’t know if that person reads this blog or not and I don’t want to take the chance that the surprise will be blown. Give it a few days and I should be able to put up the real pictures. It’ll be worth a trip back to the blog to see them, they really do look great.

Happy archery!

Upcoming Events

I figured I’d put up my forthcoming schedule so folks would know where they can catch me.

Not a lot coming up in the actual number of events but they are high quality events!

September 11 will see Greenman Archery at the Caid Open Archery and Thrown Weapons Tournament at the Woodley Park archery range in Van Nuys.
This is a great single day event and I’m really looking forward to it.
Unfortunately I will NOT be able to attend Angels Anniversary on the 10th.
The Barony of Angels has always welcomed me with open arms, even when I’m just hanging out beneath a tree. They’re great people and I’d love to be at their anniversary event but I have a prior commitment to do volunteer work at a rest stop in La Jolla for the Amtrak Century, a 100 mile bicycle ride from Irvine to San Diego. Although you’d never know it to look at me now, I’m a cyclist in addition to being an archer and helping about 1,200 cyclists complete the century is just a whole lot of fun (and hard work, I’m going to be a wreck at Caid Open).

The next event is Great Western War XIV.

In the past few months I have fielded a few questions about whether or not I’d be at this event. For a long time I had to reply in the negative. The disappointed looks that reply received have caused me to rethink my decision.

Consequently, Greenman Archery WILL be at Great Western War this year… hurrah!

I should be arriving Monday, October 3 for merchant set-up and will be leaving at the end of the event, probably Monday the 10th.

I will have a pretty good selection of already made arrows and a great selection of hand-dyed canvas bow socks. Be sure to check out the new colors. The purple is rich, the red is vibrant, and the moss green is just plain beautiful. I will also have some un-dyed bow socks for those who want a natural color or who wish to dye their own.
I’ve been asked why I don’t make fleece bow socks and my answer is to throw a canvas ‘sock on the ground. When it’s picked up it may be a little dusty but otherwise unharmed. Do that with a fleece bow sock and you’ll be an hour picking out the various sticks and stickers embedded in the material. However, some archers want the padding that fleece provides. For these folks I do have fleece-lined canvas bow socks. The canvas gives the tough protection, the fleece gives the soft padding… just don’t look too closely at the fleece inside the sock; I use what I find on sale and it may have ponies or teddy bears on it. Don’t use it inside out and no one will be the wiser.
Another bow sock of interest is the design I make specifically for Asiatic recurve bows, what we frequently think of as the Hun or Mongolian style. These ‘socks are canvas lined and have an exterior of beautiful jacquard material. The colors are brilliant, the feel is soft and silky… these special bow socks have an elegance that bow socks have never experienced before. They’re perfect for a Chinese lord, a Mongol chieftain, or just an archer with a treasured bow. The jacquard fabric isn’t as tough as canvas but if you’re willing to take a little care these bow socks will give your kit the perfect note of elegance.

I’m working on something new for bow socks and I’d like to get feedback from you. I’m looking at coating some un-dyed bow socks with a traditional waterproofing solution, either linseed oil or a mixture of linseed oil and beeswax. These ‘socks would be suitable for the archer desiring a more period item for his or her kit. The waterproofing solutions do have a certain odor to them but once it’s cured it’s not very strong and it’s certainly not an offensive odor at all. What do you folks think?

To keep myself entertained at the War I’ll be taking my bow bench so I can work on a bow or two. I’m also going to have some selected red oak boards available at a good price for those people who would like to have a try at making their own wood bow. The boards will have instructions included. If purchasers of these kits would like to work on them during the event I will have my tools and the bow bench available for use in the Greenman Archery booth. It is entirely feasible that a bow may be made and shot during the event.

Are you looking forward to these events as much as I am?


Happy archery!

And Sometimes You Win One

Here’s a story about customer service. I’ve been involved with customer service in one way or another for the balance of my working life. Customer service is something I pay close attention to. Of course, I’ve also been a customer for pretty close to the same amount of time, so I know this sword from both ends. It’s certainly made for some interesting experiences.

Sometime last year I found myself in need of a new computer printer. I didn’t use my old one enough and it basically dried up. No amount of head cleaning or Q-Tips with alcohol would get it printing again so I began looking for a new one.

I’m not really picky on my printers. I need them to work and print legible pages but I don’t need photo quality work or special features. Affordable ink is a big plus, as are separate color and black ink cartridges.

I found a printer on sale at Target, a Lexmark X4650, that seemed as if it would fulfill my needs. In addition to printing it had a scanner that seemed like it would be useful, and it was on sale; that's always a big incentive for me.

For a while the printer worked well. Then it began having paper feed issues. The paper wouldn’t go all the way into the printer and only the latter half of the document would be printed on the top half of the paper. Very frustrating. After some troubleshooting I discovered that it fed better if I kept a pretty thick sheaf of paper in the tray. Then that stopped working. I ended up having to reach over to push the first sheet of paper into the printer when it was getting set to print. Very frustrating. Finally, the print quality went south. The first half of a document printed fine but the second half faded to the point of illegibility at the bottom of the page. I tried everything, head cleaning, alignment, wiping the ink cartridges on a clean lint-free cloth in the prescribed direction, nothing worked. More than frustrating.

Cruising the Lexmark website looking for solutions I happened across customer reviews for this printer. The balance of these reviews were pretty positive so I could only think that I had one of the few exceptions to the rule. I also found an email address for Lexmark Listens, a customer feedback opportunity. I took the opportunity to send them an email begging for help in getting my printer working so I could quit hacking up hairballs every time I needed to print something.

Here’s where things got interesting.

After a few days had passed with no reply I figured Lexmark was like many companies and really only wanted to hear about their customer’s good experiences and they really weren’t going to help me.

Then I got their email.

I was shocked.

The Lexmark customer service representative apologized for the issues I was experiencing and noted that most of their customers had great results with their printers, they really weren’t sure why I was having these issues and didn’t know what to tell me to assist in getting it working properly.

Would I like a new printer? The one I have is discontinued so they’ll have to upgrade me to the latest model.

Wait… what? Would I like a new printer? A better one? In this day and age of questionable customer service and companies edging their customers into taking the blame for their issues, Lexmark was apologizing and offering me a new printer. I accepted!

The new printer was sent out that week via FedEx, overnight, no less. I haven’t installed it yet but I am sure it will install and work without a hitch.
At this point I can’t say enough good things about Lexmark.

Their email to me was the proper level of compassion and apology and their treatment of my issues was exemplary. I could not have asked for better customer service. Lexmark is a company that I feel good about recommending.

Note: I was at a friend’s house the other day doing some sewing and noticed that they have the same printer model that was giving me hairballs. They said it’s worked great for them and given good service. It sounds like I really did get an exception to the rule in mine.

Happy archery... and printing!

An Observation

When did it become necessary for kids to be constantly entertained?
Game consoles are now available in many cars. Heaven forbid that kids have to look out the window during a trip. Now they can watch videos or play games without ever having to see the beautiful world around them.
Hand held game consoles are common place. Sometimes it seems as if many kids have either a cell phone or a game console in their hands almost every hour of the day.

Which brings me to my observation...

Some background first:
The monthly Pasadena primitive skills gatherings that I participate in are amazing collections of knowledge and fun things to do. At these gatherings you can learn how to make bows, arrows, string and rope, work with gourds, learn how to make stone arrowheads, make fire with sticks, slings, bolos, bowstrings, do leatherwork... and the list goes on. If there is something you're interested in there is probably someone who can get you started on it or at least cheer you on. People pay big bucks for the type of knowledge we freely pass out at Pasadena. In fact, a national specialty woodworking store has bowmaking classes available for $395. The information taught in the class is identical to what may be found for free at Pasadena.

That all sounds pretty good, doesn't it?
Kind of exciting...
Different from your regularly scheduled Sunday...

So tell me, why would a kid choose to sit at a picnic bench and play with his hand held game console instead of participating in the fun?
All this wonderful stuff is going on around him, other kids are shooting their bows at the target bales, and yet he sits there with a glazed look on his face as he watches tiny figures on the game screen.

I don't even know what to type, I'm so baffled.

Happy archery...?

Chamberlin Ranch re-cap

So I’ve finally slowed down a little bit so I can give my account of the Chamberlin Ranch shoot last weekend.

Headed toward the event the weather wasn’t looking good. Forecasts were showing a good chance of rain on Thursday, a higher chance on Friday (with thunderstorms), and then clearing to good weather on Saturday and Sunday.

And that’s pretty much what happened.

The drive up on Wednesday was good. I got gas and picked up a couple things at the store in Buelton before heading out to the shoot site. Once there I sorted out where I’d camp and set up the booth and settled in. I was very fortunate to have Mike (damned if I can remember his last name) on one side. I first met Mike at this shoot last year and really enjoyed his company. He did a pretty thriving business making bowstrings and selling French Opinel knives for an extremely reasonable price. He’s a good stringmaker, too, I had him make one for my spare Abbott bow.

Thursday dawned nice but got cloudy as the day progressed. The afternoon eventually saw some drizzle with occasional rain. We went to town for dinner and had a good one at A.J. Spurs in Buelton. We go there every year and they put on a good feed. I still can’t believe the spring traps they have as ornaments on the walls are fully functional. I can’t tell you how tempted I am to set one and leave it for the next nosey kid. No, I’ll never do it but am I turning into a devious individual or what?

Friday was colder and wetter. The predicted rain and occasional thundershowers rolled in so everyone just relaxed under cover and enjoyed being there.

Friday night… now Friday night was interesting. It turned out to be about the second coldest night I’ve ever spent camping. I was warm enough in my bag but would have slept better if my air mattress hadn’t leaked. We have about four mattresses in the garage and we can never remember which ones leak. We knew for sure that the Coleman mattress did not leak so I took that one on the trip. Turns out that it does leak so every morning saw my hips hitting the ground by about 6am. Anyway, Saturday morning saw everything covered with a very heavy frost with occasional ice where we had standing water. A couple people quoted about 23 degrees overnight and I don’t think I’d argue that point.

Saturday and Sunday were the actual days of the shoot and everyone had a great time. I only shot one of the three courses and opened up my booth when we finished the first course.

I’d like to thank everyone who stopped to chat with me over the five days I was at the shoot and especially those who purchased something from me.

Beef jerky was gone by Saturday afternoon, all the heavier spined arrows I’d made up went to new homes, a good handful of bowsocks are now protecting bows for their new owners, and there was a lot of traffic with bamboo arrow shafts. In fact, all the heavier spines are sold out and I need to make a new order for more.

This has been an excellent shoot every time I’ve attended. If you’re in the area and haven’t been to the shoot you owe it to yourself to go. In my opinion, this is the best traditional shoot in southern California.

Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures while at the shoot. But if you'd like to see some good ones, go to THIS PaleoPlanet thread and see what folks have posted there. On the second page... yes, that's me with the green knit cap pulled down over my eyes. Fayme made the cap as a prototype and it needs a little fit adjustment. Sure was warm, though!

Coming up, I’ll be at the SCA Robin Hood shoot at Woodley Park in Van Nuys on April 30.

After that we have the Conejo Valley Archers Pacific Coast Traditional Challenge in Simi Valley on May 7 and 8. This is the second best traditional shoot in the area and I’m really looking forward to it.

Happy archery!

Upcoming Events

It's time to set down some kind of schedule so folks know where they can catch me if they want to speak in person or see what I've got in my sweaty little hands.

On Saturday, March 12, I'll be at the SCA event Gyldenholt/Calafia Friendship Tournament in Garden Grove. I won't be selling at this event but will have the bow horse and the now-famous hickory bow to work on. I've been working on this danged bow for at least two years now and hope to have it finished and shooting before I have to go into a retirement home. Stop by and have a chat!

Possibly my favorite 3D shoot of the year is coming up on April 9th - 10th.
This is the Chamberlin Ranch Traditional Rendezvous near Solvang, CA. While the shoot is only listed as being Saturday and Sunday quite a few people go up there early to really pack in the fun. I should be driving up Wednesday and coming home Sunday. I'll have the whole booth with me ready to sell custom dyed bow socks, beef jerky (sold out last year!), beautiful ready-made arrows, bamboo arrow shafts, and I'll be more than happy to take orders for custom arrows.

Saturday, April 30, will see us with the whole kit at the SCA's Angels Robin Hood Archery, Rapier, and Thrown Weapons Tournament at Woodley Park in Van Nuys. This is a rescheduled date as the original February date was postponed for weather related issues. This is a great event and I'm really looking forward to it. The winner of this event receives title to a square foot of Sherwood Forest in England. How's that for a great prize? He or she will also get something else but you'll have to wait for opening court to hear what that will be.

For the time being, that's as far forward as I've looked. I'll be adding a couple more events to the list soon. For sure there will be the Conejo Valley Archers traditional shoot but I have to look up the dates for it. I'm sure there will be other SCA events, too.

Stay tuned!

Happy archery!

Sinew, It's Not Just For Soup!

One of the regular guys on PaleoPlanet recently started a thread in the Trade Blanket section asking about sinew. I kept an eye on the responses because I was also interested in some.
Cesar, one of the site's frequent contributors and the owner of Legionnaire Archery, responded with information about sinew he had available. I messaged Cesar and ended up purchasing a few pieces.

Shipping was pretty quick and the cats sniffed the package thoroughly before I had a chance to open it up. It's probably a good thing we don't have a dog or the sinew would have been chewed up before I knew what was happening!
I took the sinew out to the back patio to see how it would process out. Rather than the deer sinew most places have Cesar sells cow sinew. The information I had from other sources was that cow sinew would work just fine for backing a bow or for my intended purpose, making primitive-style arrows; the price is certainly reasonable. I only did one piece and only did that one part way, but I think this stuff is going to work just fine.

Here is what I started with...

And after a few minutes of beating it with a rock, here's what I ended up with...

A little more work and I'll have some really nice threads to seperate.
Coupled with the turkey feathers I recently got, some knapped points or trade points, and some shoot shafts, I think this stuff is going to work just fine.
In fact, I've recently been captivated with short, sinew backed bows such as were used by Native Americans here on the US west coast. If you know me then you know I'm woefully slow on making bows but I suspect that when I get around to trying a short bow, this sinew will be perfect for the back. I'm sure I'll be getting some more from Cesar for that project.

Happy Archery!