Take a look at the Manchu arrow collection of our Peter Dekker (https://www.manchuarchery.org/arrows). You will notice that the historical Manchu arrows were often decorated with wraps made from ray skin or tree bark (e.g., birch bark).
(Photos taken from Peter’s website manchuarchery.org.)
These wraps are called Hua Guo (花裹, and I am still trying to find the equivalent Manchu word).
Now back to this idea for a DIY project. The goal is to decorate modern carbon shaft Manchu arrows with Hua Guo wrap using modern materials.
The materials are:
- Imitation tree bark masking tape
- Shellac (a alcohol base resin supplied to me by our Toronto Craftsman Zack, https://www.nomadicartsarchery.com/)
I bought my tapes from Omomo (a Japanese stationary store in Toronto). Any tapes of a darker color would work; the shellac will make it look rustic and traditional. Please try out and let me know!
Below is a scratched arrow that doesn’t look very good.
Step 1: wrap masking tape around the arrow shaft tightly. I start with wrapping it one round along the circumference
Step 2: wrap in a 30 degree angle or 45 degree angle to a suitable length. I like to keep it slightly shorter then my index finger.
Step 3: Apply 2 – 3 layers of shellac on the tape. (tips, apply shellac immediately after taping worked better for me.)
And then, you have your traditionally decorated modern Manchu arrows.. You can also find wrap on the shaft just before the nocks too.
You can also write or draw on it. But my handwriting didn’t look too good. Have fun and showcase your work if you are interested in this kind of DIY.
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