One Cent Arrowhead

intro: in this instruct-able, I will show you how to make an arrowhead for one cent. 

Step 1 Materials

Step 1: Gather Materials
 
you will need
1 Hammer
1 Set of scissor-like incredibly strong  cutting device. (must be able to cut a penny)
1 Penny
Vice (semi-optional, you can probably get it to work without, but it makes life easier)
whetstone
flat head screw driver

Comments

[de0509]

Cost of materials... 1 cent...

overhead cost????? (electricity, tools maintenance, labour... etc)

making your own sharp weapon.... priceless XD

[jschultz9]

ouch what did you hammer that on, concrete? find a smooth metal surface to hammer on and it'd be easier to shape.

[Rockser11]

yeah, i learned that. didn't have a good surface around at the time though.

[Noodles For Free]

why not just grind down the penny to a sharp poitn and use that as a strengthener for an a dowel or stick that has been ran through a pensil sharpener?

[rockgod1]

useless and non practical, couldn't last a through even 1 target if you could by some means attach it to an arrow.

[Mugsy Knuckles]

Not everyone uses arrows for targets in the park. Some people use them to shoot animals, which are made of meat.

[mpinson]

im sorry to correct you on what you think you know, but if it is attached properly, using the old cordage and pine method, it is very functional

[brooklynlord]

Well, how exactly do you put the arrowhead to the arrow?

[mpinson]

i use cordage since thats the purpose of the notches, then dip it in a little bit of pine tar, and cook the the tar with fire, if done right you get a VERY sturdy arrow tip

[airsoft+offbeat+everything=logan!!]

not a arrow head!

[mpinson]

i learned how to do this in boy scouts it works just fine

[ironsmiter]

not that much bigger, when flattened out...
I'd go straight from penny to cutting the wedge shape, then sharpen edges on a rock, nail file, sharpening stone, even a knife blade(carefully) can be used to give it a nice sharp edge.

Certainly good for a few shots.
Any hard targets though(wood, bone, etc.) and you'll be making new arrow heads. cheap and easy enough though. just make 10 cents worth of spares, and keep them in your pocket :-)

[Rockser11]

it shouldn't break of, as long as its secured to the shaft well.

[enentrup]

that's what she said.

[videogamemaster]

Isn't it illegal to deface money (Including coins) like this? Just saying....

[dylankunaikennedy]

not unless you try to re spend it

[astrong0]

No, it's only illegal if you try and (knowingly defacing it) try to buy something with it.

[flamekiller]

Specifically, it's only illegal to deface money in an attempt to make it appear more valuable' e.g. trying to pass a penny as a dime.

[videogamemaster]

.....How would you turn a penny into a dime? Their completely different colors.

[jschultz9]

How to Make Silver Pennies

Pour a spoonful of zinc (1-2 grams) into a small beaker or evaporating dish containing water.
Add a small quantity of sodium hydroxide.
Alternatively, you could add zinc to a 3M NaOH solution.
Heat the mixture to near-boiling, then remove it from heat.
Add clean pennies to the solution, spacing them so that they are not touching each other.
Wait 5-10 minutes for them to turn silver, then use tongs to remove the pennies from the solution.
Rinse the pennies in water, then set them on a towel to dry.
You can examine the pennies once you have rinsed them.

This chemical reaction plates the copper in the penny with zinc. This is called galvanization. The zinc reacts with the hot sodium hydroxide solution to form soluble sodium zincate, Na2ZnO2, which is converted to metallic zinc when it touches the surface of the penny.

[flamekiller]

So I was using a relevant coin as an example. I never said it was practical.

Ever see a (new-ish) penny without its copper cladding though?

[videogamemaster]

Eh... No.

[dylankunaikennedy]

thats what i ment

[videogamemaster]

Lol, apparently astrong0 didn't read you're comment

[dylankunaikennedy]

yup lol :D

[videogamemaster]

Ah. I see. If that's the case, maybe you could make an arrow head that costs 5 cents (In the form of a nickel, obviously) and get a more traditional silver color.

[Rockser11]

you could try, but nickel is a lot harder than copper and zinc, and a nickel is thicker.

[jschultz9]

it may be thicker, but it would provide a better arrowhead. it'd just be a little more work.

[Rockser11]

but would the increase in quality be worth the increase in work? one of the reasons a penny works so well is that copper and zinc both have low melting points, meaning that they can be shaped easily. if you find a way, please, tell me.

[bruc33ef]

Sometimes there are solutions to problems right under your nose. This is a great example. I wonder how many bushcraft or survival types have gone around searching for a suitable stone to make an arrowheads with when they could've just dug into their pocket for a coin. It could be flattened out with a rock and scraped into an arrowhead shape in not too much time. I'm giving this one four stars.