I've not found suitable commercial metal points for my 1/2" wooden shaft atlatl darts. The standard arrow field points are too small and light. I've taken to making steel socketed bodkins from 1/2" cold rolled, but that requires a small forge and metal working skills, which most people don't have. I've made lots of stone, bone, and antler points, but these break very easily when stumping. It breaks usually on the first throw.
There's nothing quite like watching a well thrown dart thump into a stump. You too can be thumping and stumping with these beauties very fast with limited tools. Parts can be found at Lowes, Home Depot, or plumbing and hardware stores. I soldered copper fittings and points just because I can. I'm a plumber. Medium thick super glue would work as well. That's what I use to haft socketed points to shafts. The copper fittings are 3/8" coupling, sweat with a 1/4" x 3/8" fitting sweat adaptor. An interesting note . . . . the inside diameter of a 3/8" coupling is 1/2" and the inside diameter of a 1/4" is 3/8. I don't know why. It's just the plumbing way.
The points in the photos are 3/8" cold rolled steel and 3/8" brass rod. The copper and brass point should be acceptable for primitive ISAC (World Atlatl Association has ISAC or International Standard Accuracy Contest for atlatl competitions). Both these points weigh 500 grains. You can cut the steel or brass a bit longer than 1 3/4", say 2", then grind down to the exact weight you want. I like 500 grains. Both of these points should be robust enough for stumps, although the brass will dull rather quickly. Notice that the shaft has a bit of taper to get all 7/8" of the copper socket on it.
Email your comments to "Mike Richardson" at fiddler49@hotmail.com
Mike Richardson resides in Anchorage, Alaska.
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