http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Australia_Cairns_Boomerang.jpg     2nd from the left

Well this recently caught my attention as a really cool weapon I am not sure if "war boomerang" is the right term but it seemed pretty fitting to me (I figured as it belled out at the bottom it wasn't designed for throwing as it would throw off your relese). I was thinking about making one but unfortunately living in the NE USA we don't have a lot of desert hardwoods so I am hoping hickory will work. I could totally see this being able to break bones (espicially if you brought it down to an "edge") and would definitely be a great companion weapon to a sling. Thoughs?

Also this is really unrelated but, I recently got some natural sinew and to use it in the future I made it wet and broke it into fibers but now it really smells like something off a dead animal, is this something you have to get used to, will it stop smelling as bad when it dries, and is there a way to make it stop smelling. Also it has been a week and it is stll not hardened yet how long does it take to dry?

None of the sinew I've used has had a dead animal smell. If it does smell like that I would think there is still some bacteria in there or perhaps some organic material that is rotting that is not immediately apparent. If it was me I would soak it in a dilute chlorine bleach solution to kill any bacteria (and hopefully get rid of that smell) and then separate it into small finger thick bundles and let dry in the open air or in front of a fan.

Bill it is back strap and it did have all the meat off of it as I bought pre finished and dried, I planned on buying more anyway.

That would be a pretty terrifying weapon to encounter.

"Oh no, he's got a giant bannana! RUN!! "

In all seriouseness, I think that would be scary weapon to face on an ancient battle field or even in a back alley.

I dunno, I think that thing could scare three people just as well as one .

Thanks for the tips on the sinew I tird to fix it but for the small amont it was I just threw it out and next time I will buy the pre prossesed artificial stuff.

As far as the boomerang goes it would one of the best and most imtimidating primitive weapons against lightly armored enemies. However trying to compare modern weapons to primitive weapons is like apples and oranges both a gun and a war club can be great weapons but the clubs are limited to their category.

Also recently Black belt magazine did a surprinsng study on stick vs gun and for the time it take to  unsap holster, draw, unlock safty, and cock the pistol, even without mishaps, gives plenty of time for the stick armed oponent to break and disarm the gun arm.


The Black Belt study tested everyone from Gunsite instructors and Escrima masters to averages Joes picked off the street.

Now this was the best test I have seen as opposed to the many left winged tests such as the one on 20/20 that involved teenagers with few hours of training wearing baggy t-shirts.

[quote author=HurlinThom link=1295295691/0#11 date=1295475153Pow pow pow, severely punctured stick-ist. [/quote]

Not if the stickist is a Jedi, too!

Bill Skinner wrote on Jan 18^th, 2011 at 7:23pm:


Bill I was planing on making a backing for my self bow to add some draw weight and make it more durable. Though now I am thinking about buying the stuff thats already in string form and then cut that in to the bundles and glue those onto my bow.