# Making Arrow Pens



## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

One of the local clubs gave out purpose built aluminum arrows made into pens. It looked like someone fletched up short arrows and just inserted some pen guts from properly sized Bic pens or such. I'd like to do the same and I'm wondering if anybody has found good source/match of pens and aluminum shafts? Or a good way to mate them together other than brute, fill the gaps epoxy?


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## mw31 (Apr 23, 2007)

I know the guts from the cheap bic pens fit almost perfect into a goldtip ultralight (.246 i.d.)


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## archeryal (Apr 16, 2005)

*Duck, Mr. Smith!! Incoming!*

I believe that 1516s work, though it could be 1416s with BIC inserts. I understand a club gave these out and got a gentle request from the local school NOT to give these out to their students. I can't recall why not.... 
If arrows are a bit large, you could wrap them with masking tape.


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## joelpresmyk8 (Jan 21, 2010)

you mean like this? i cant remember where i got it.


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## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

joelpresmyk8 said:


> you mean like this? i cant remeber where i got it.


Yup, that is the idea. The ones I saw given out were nice. Someone went to some trouble to glue up some nice looking arrows and neatly mate them up with pen guts. I think they had red white and blue vanes. Seemed like a nice idea, but I can see why some schools might not want kids bringing nice aerodynamic pens to school, not that you can't put an eye out with a regular pen  so it does seem like it might be overkill...

I thought about doing it with wooden pens, but I don't have a drill press, let alone a long throw drill press, at my disposal just now. (I figured I'd clamp a thick piece of scrap wood on the stage to get the alignment correct by drilling an arrow shaft thickness hole through it, then change to a pen ID diameter bit, clamp a flush cut wood arrow shaft into the scrap wood hole, and drill the hole for the pen guts, then taper on a wood chuck or something--seems like that should work...


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## LoveMyHoyt (Nov 29, 2008)

I've made these pens many times. I usually take arrows that are no longer shootable and cut them off at just the right length - about 9 or 10" and glue in the pen "guts". The larger diameter arrows are more comfortable to hold and easier to get any kind of refill into it. I tried using the cheap Bic pens, but ended up making a big mess - so I just buy the refills. The glue I use is a craft glue - but epoxy would work nicely.


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## archeryal (Apr 16, 2005)

*or...*

I was just thinking. How about fletching an actual pen or pencil? Maybe you could put a large nock on the back end so it will fit in the fletching jig.


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## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

archeryal said:


> I was just thinking. How about fletching an actual pen or pencil? Maybe you could put a large nock on the back end so it will fit in the fletching jig.


Now that there is funny. It's so obvious that in truth it never occurred to me  And the pencil  well, that would be very straight forward.

I like the idea of using real shafts to make them more arrow like, but the fletched pen idea has some advantages, especially if I can figure out a nock that will fit. I just have to find that shoe box full of old pens--I don't think the local stationary supply store would take kindly to me checking their pens to see if I can stuff nocks into them or their guts into an arrow shaft :embara:


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## XCalibre (Aug 31, 2006)

i've been planning on using some of my unshootable ACEs to make pens with. i gotta go do that one day...


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## preacherjack (Aug 23, 2005)

The mini-blazers look really nice on the pens. The smaller diameter arrows work best also. I took some arrow wraps and dressed up some too. Great projest for the kids. I bought a cheap pack of bic pens and just took the insert out. I also took the pens and added a full arrow wrap and fletched the pen. Made it look like an arrow.


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## SandSquid (Sep 2, 2008)

archeryal said:


> I understand a club gave these out and got a gentle request from the local school NOT to give these out to their students. I can't recall why not....



At least in Memphis (TN) City Schools the kids cannot have such a thing because it looks like a "weapon". They cannot even carry a real #2 wooden pencil with feather vanes glued onto them.

This is the same School Board that would not even allow us 5 minutes at a board meeting to discuss proposing NASP.


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## tackscall (Jul 26, 2004)

One wrap od scotch tape around the Bic insert fits snugly inside a CE Maxima 350. I gave a few out to the hunters at work and then later repossesed the Bull Dog collars :teeth:


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## dchan (Jun 29, 2004)

We used to make them all the time. 

I just have not had time to sit down and do it..

I use whatever arrow shafts I have. Cut them short. Then just get bic stick pens and pull out the guts. Electrial tape around the pen guts until they are real tight and press fit them into the shaft. then trim off the edges to match the arrow shaft. 

Want to make it a little nicer, get one of those pen "holders" that make the pen more ergonomic.

When I do camps, I often make up several to give away as "achievement" awards.

Warbow, 

I'll show you one of these weekends.

DC


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