Kevin was definitely an Archer/Fletcher in a previous life. So much passion for what he does, it's infectious, and good to see someone doing what they love.

@micahlanboney7830

5 ай бұрын

True! He's an archer/fletcher in this life too

@rikijett310

2 ай бұрын

​@micahlanboney7830 scroll back in the videos to see him shoot. Only person I've seen that confidently hits pears at around 70 yards!!

You and the Missus do a wonderful service by documenting these once-common skills for all to learn for themselves. There's a certain sort of therapy to be gained by doing these sorts of tasks. We LOVE The History Squad!

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

YAY! Thanks very much!

@Campfire_Bandit

5 ай бұрын

+

@davefellhoelter1343

5 ай бұрын

AMEN! love me some History!

It's funny when people try to tell someone who has been doing something successfuly their whole life, that they are doing it wrong.

@davesheppard8797

5 ай бұрын

Yes conorhudson, I asked Kev to send me a list of all his supposid faults so I could shoot as well as he does!! 😂😂. Dave.

@bostonrailfan2427

5 ай бұрын

@@davesheppard8797Kevin’s only fault is age catching up with him, and it’s only because he’s entertaining us in other ways 😎

@davesheppard8797

5 ай бұрын

@bostonrailfan2427 Yes, I'm 61 now and if I'm a bit tired my bows are a lot more difficult to draw! Kevin is just so good though!! Dave.

@bostonrailfan2427

5 ай бұрын

@@davesheppard8797 and we can’t claim it as a fault as it’s an asset as his words are wisdom rather than as being a lecture

@davesheppard8797

5 ай бұрын

@@bostonrailfan2427 Very true!

Kevin could talk about the history of people leaving gum under seats, and I would still love it. Also, people need to leave you alone about your bow draw. You're not a giant barrel chested 25-year-old anymore, neither am I, so the ease of tearing something in your arm is more likely as you get older.

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Absolutely, yes, thank you.

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Absolutely, thanks 👍

Just discovered this channel recently...Mr. Hicks, your knowledge, expertise, and your presentation skills are surpassed only by your enthusiasm. Thank you for the videos, and for sharing the sublime information! Nice work!

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Thank you kindly

Kevin from the history squad is like the Bob Ross of archery. ☺️😅

I just want to express how absolutely awesome it is that in this age of instant gratification and really bad story telling that someone like you exists! I love the way you tell a story! Especially European history. I got a thing for the Tudor age. Thank you so much.❤

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Wow, thank you too!

@tryandfeelme7002

5 ай бұрын

@@thehistorysquad you are welcome 🤗

I always like to imagine how archers did things back in the old days, I love to watch this kind of videos! Blessings from Mexico.

If anyone doesn’t know, it’s very important to make sure your arrows are in good condition. An arrow with a crack in it that isn’t mended can end up shattering when loosed, giving you some nasty splinters.

Love the enthusiasm and knowledge you bring and display , never misses video. That being said as a rebellious Scot I wouldn't of hesitated on the battlefield if it had come to it. Awooh

@InOppositiontotheNewWorldOrder

5 ай бұрын

Maybe not the wisest move, bro. Have you seen Kevin speed shoot? If I recall correctly, he can shoot 13 arrows a minute.

@mrnice7570

5 ай бұрын

@@InOppositiontotheNewWorldOrder yeah I said I wouldn't have hesitate, I didn't say I'd win. However I do have the Highland charge in my arsenal so who knows , almost did it for the Jacobites 😂" His arrows will blot out the sun".... "Then we will fight in the shade"

@JohnyG29

5 ай бұрын

@@mrnice7570 Eh? The Highlanders were fighting for the Jacobites.

I could watch Kevin being Kevin for Kevin hours! :)

Nothing says Friday morning like Kevin Hicks

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

😜 Cheers John

Thanks Kevin. Spending time with you in your shop was most relaxing. It was a surprise to see how you get the fletching feathers to lie back in place after replacing the whipping. Now you get to enjoy shooting them again. Cheers from Texas.

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Cheers David, yes I have lots to shoot now 😜

Very interesting and informative video Kevin. My dad was Lancashire Archery Champion back in the 1960' so he used to construct and repair his own arrows. Some of the repairs you covered to the knocks bring back memories of watching my dad do this work but there are other jobs that you covered that I had no idea about so many thanks for sharing your experiences and knowledge. It all has some great living history value. 😊

Wonderful tutorial Kevin! The knot you use is one I learned as “a jewelers’ knot” used to secure leather ends into a seemly slip-knot for necklaces and bracelets.

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for the info!

I enjoyed this very much Kevin. I like seeing how folks do these basic chores for maintaining their equipment. Thank you!

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

My pleasure 👍🏻

The only problem with your videos are that they are not long enough! Nice to see someone who is passionate about something other than money! Keep at it Kev. :-)

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

I appreciate that! Thanks 👍🏻

I was dazzled by how long the fletchings were on Will Sherman's arrow.

Great video sir, I do miss the days when I made arrows. I may pick it up again, still have all the old equipment. Thank you.

Greetings once again from nova Scotia, thanks for A very enjoyable/informative video. I always wondered how this sort of maintenance was done, I figured with all the work gone into creating these tools, I knew they wouldn't just cast them away. Thanks again for another fun bit of education, my goodness Kevin, what a teacher you are. Be safe and be well, as always best regards, Arthur

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Thanks Arthur, you too, and have a lovely weekend. 👍🏻

I absolutely love it when you share your wisdom about arrows and archery. People of today do not understand how important a bowmans bow and arrows truly are. And when you share these bits of wisdom, you are preserving the old ways godbless you Kevin and thank you for not only teaching me how to make arrows but also how to repair them words can not describe my gratitude.

A question for you learned folks. With various draw weights amongst the archers,was there such a thing as spine matxhing the arrows to the draw weight? Or was it a case of shoot what you are given?

fascinating as ever Kevin - it does seem likely to me that given that it takes even a skilled arrow-maker a while to make a decent one, they were probably collected, refurbished and re-used on the battlefield. Maybe there were Baldrick-type figures whose job it was to retrieve them from the ground or indeed from the deceased adversary! Maybe the same arrow could have killed a number of people?

I only just discovered your channel, Mr. Hicks, and I've been watching all of your videos back-to-back since. You are a treasure, both for your knowledge and your personality, and it's truly a privilege to learn about your life and your skills. Thank you for sharing everything so kindly, humbly, and with a passion we all should aspire to.

@thehistorysquad

3 ай бұрын

Wow, thank you! Welcome to the channel

Another great video Kev and useful to me for repairing my arrows. Being a joiner helps. For wood filler for gashes in my arrows, I saw timber over a newspaper with a hacksaw. This gives a very fine sawdust which I mix with PVA woodglue, apply, and leave to harden. This can then be sanded. I don't worry too much about my arrow length these days. I know they should be an inch longer than your draw plus pile. But the way I shoot (not mega accurate) it doesn't make much difference as long as my arrows aren't too short!! 😂😂. I haven't been able to shoot for a while so must try and get back to it. I have 8 Longbows sitting idle and the lay-off isn't helping my already poor accuracy!! Best wishes to you and Julie, Dave.

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Oh bless, life does tend to get in the way of our hobbies doesn't it! Cheers Dave, have a good weekend 👍🏻

@davesheppard8797

5 ай бұрын

@thehistorysquad Thanks Kev! I will be back to shooting soon though I hope. I may try and do a bit tomorrow in work 🤞🤞. Dave.

@davesheppard8797

5 ай бұрын

​@@thehistorysquadWell........ I managed to get a short distance shoot in today using my 7 foot longbow and 60# arrows with the 3" needle point Bodkin piles. They were sinking into my heavily compressed rubber strip target to a depth of 8", almost coming through. It felt great to shoot again. Next week I will do the same with a different bow, probably my Ravenbeak Yew bow "Solent". Best wishes, Dave.

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Sounds great. I'll be looking for some bodkins soon, where do you get yours from Dave?@@davesheppard8797

@davesheppard8797

5 ай бұрын

@@thehistorysquad Oh blimey! I can't remember now, I bought them a good few years ago. I think I just Googled Medieval field points and went from there! 😂😂. I will have a think though. Dave.

Great tutorial. As always, a thrill to watch the process first hand, by a man of tremendous knowledge on the subject.

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Many thanks!

My goal in life to to be like Kevin. Have a ton of information I can share with people in a way that keeps peoples attention and is both serious and somehow comedic. Love this guy.

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

How lovely, thank you.

You answered my question about whistling arrowheads. I have always wondered about it. Love the video. Thank you.

Another fantastic arrow vid, Kevin! Here's a tip: about 1" from the end of your arrow jig, cut a transverse slot with the saw, just to the bottom of the V groove. This serves as a little miter box when trimming the end off a shaft. But even better--it prevents the saw pressing down on the last few fibers in the cut and splitting the wood. Cheers!

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Oh what a great tip! Thanks I’ll definitely do that 😃

Well done, Sir! Archery has always fascinated me.

Do you know something Kevin, Sir, it really gets my back up, when people try Telling you, who has dedicated most of your life to your Passion, you are a Wealth of knowledge Kev, and what you do not know about Archery probably isn't worth knowing, Good Stuff Mr Hicks, you really are a CREDIT MATE. THANKS, WILL AND ELAINE. 🇮🇲👍🇮🇲

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Ah, thanks guys. How about this for a mean comment..... "I only shoot a 30# longbow using 3/8" arrows because everything I do is false and an illusion." The person who said this obviously knows nothing about shooting a longbow, but hey, we've learned to ignore them. So thank you both so much for your comment and support. Best, Kevin 👍🏻

@williamjohnbedford5776

5 ай бұрын

@@thehistorysquad IGNORE the Ignorance of these Jealous People, we Know THE SCORE SIR, WE ALL THINK YOU ARE GREAT, AND PURE OF HEART, GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS KEV MATE. 🇮🇲👍🇮🇲

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

😃@@williamjohnbedford5776

Awesome video! Your archery videos are my favorite!

Arrow bodging, many an hour spent fixing up arrows, great rainy day project. Thanks Kev.

That was amazing! I always wondered how the flights were attached.

Your geraniums are doing great. The jigs are handy, and arrow perfect again👍

Watching the blowtorch trick was totally mind blowing.

When you picked up a flame thrower without eye protection or gloves, I took a deep breath! LOL Great video as usual Sir!

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

😜

I kept saying “so that’s how you do that” thanks for the history lesson..old and new!👍👍

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

Excellent Kevin! It was a visit to Warwick Castle many years ago that started me shooting longbow which has now extended to making my own arrows and fletchings

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

How lovely 👍🏻

Morning Kevin. Nice shop. Those whistling arrows would add to the fear of troops facing the Bowmen. The Germans must’ve liked the idea enough to apply the practice to their stuka bomber.

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Morning! Yes for sure 👍

This man is so fascinating to watch and hear that I'm watching how to make arrows totally enthralled.

Thanks for this intimate and informal film Kev, its like spending an afternoon in the shed with you!

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

😂 my pleasure

Thanks for the mention Kev! Another fantastic video!

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

My pleasure buddy, thanks as ever for your support 👍🏻

Still have the arrow with the broken knock you gave us years ago. Hangs on the arch in the lounge. Happy days.

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Haha, how lovely Kim 👍🏻

I actually use a kitchen torch more for swapping arrowheads than I do for cooking XD

Great video. That arrow heads popped up so easily with heating.

Thankyou for sharing your experience.

Another intriguing Hickstory Squad presentation. Reality is always most interesting. Thanks as ever

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

My pleasure! Cheers.

He was hitting that Target. Bang bang bang pretty good.

This was so cool to watch! Thanks for sharing!

great video Kev

Great video Kevin! Thanks for putting it together and sharing your interests with us.

Very interesting. Thank you. So nice to see this sort of thing.

That was fascinating. Thank you Kevin.

Hugely informative sir thanks.

Al very interesting & informative 👌🏻

Interesting, thanks!😊

Cornwell has a scene in his Agincourt novel where we visit with the company fletcher who has to make the best of the old, poorly made arrows they've been supplied with.

I love the living history parts of your history teachings. Thanks. Please, keep them coming.

Enjoyed watching that

This is brilliant Kevin 👍

Thank you for this program your shoulders I never realize how much is involved in making our Olsen repairing him and fixing them and all the things that they have to go through. It’s amazing what artist must have gone through back in those days. Thank you again. Hope you are doing well, God bless and protect, God bless England and her people in the royal house of England as well. God bless you and yours

Great video on how to repair your arrows!!!!

Good video!

As always great video. Truly hand crafted. Beautiful

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Cheers Michael 👍🏻

More equipment maintenance vids, please. this was interesting

Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

@thehistorysquad

4 ай бұрын

Cheers 👍🏻

Great video, very interesting and informative, i bet they did a lot of similar things back in the day, keep up the great work 👍

Thank You very much for this new video ! 😊

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

My pleasure 😊

I watched a video on KZread from the Discoverize channel that had you on it dealing with old cross bows. You were heaps younger then!

Great video once again Kevin. Brilliantly put together.

@thehistorysquad

4 ай бұрын

Many thanks!

Kevin I throughly enjoy these types of videos. Thanks so much for sharing your expertise. God bless, Rob

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

A pleasure Rob, thanks 👍🏻

Gday from Australia again Kev, nice drills mate and love your work always. Cheers Gerard

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Thanks 👍

Thank you very much for sharing, your Chanel is real treasure trove of great content.

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Wow, I appreciate that 👍🏻

Thanks for sharing.👍🏻🇺🇸

Great Video Kevin, and excellent camera work Julie. The practical hands on approach and explanation is such a great way of educating. Thank you.

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Cheers Daryl, glad you enjoyed it 👍🏻

Ive really enjoyed watching your videos lately! You do an awesome job and are very involved in the comments! Thank you for the great content!

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

My pleasure, thanks for watching Joshua 👍🏻

@joshuabrigden4820

5 ай бұрын

@@thehistorysquad I have never been a Patreon member to any channel, I've never even considered it. However, i want to support this! I swear by my word, i will become a knight soon!

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

How lovely of you, thanks 👍🏻

I keep my arrows full length as I break the heads off sometimes in the backstop. When I cut them down I use a Dremel tool with a saw blade 2 inch diameter. A great video.

I wonder if their were any Shady , Used Arrow Salesman back in the Day ..?

@Hels_Angels

5 ай бұрын

😂❤

@philvanderlaan5942

5 ай бұрын

If fletchers put their own marks on the arrows they made, there were probably counterfeit arrows

Very cool project…

I'm sure that with the cost Nd time to create arrows that they did the same and reused and refurbished them many times!! Thank you for always sharing these interesting topics!!🙏💖🪶💞

Hi! It was real magic above boiled kettle. I had never saw of them. Thanks a million

Great video Kevin. I never knew about steaming the fletchings to reform them. Thank you

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Any time 👍🏻

A nice whipping demo. I like to seal any whipping that I do on my boat or rigging with a bit of superglue and then if I am varnishing something later (theres always some varnishing to be done at some stage) I give it a quick coat to keep the UV in sunlight from damaging the glue.

A treat to watch a true craftsman at work! Thank you so much! I was just wondering if anyone knows if the whistling arrows were used in the Medieval world?

We are not just learning history here...we are stopping by to visit our friend Kevin Hicks.

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Haha, how lovely Nancy, thanks. Stop by any time 👍🏻

Watching you fletch arrows using the steam from a kettle may be one of the most British things I've ever observed

@thehistorysquad

3 ай бұрын

😂

A fly-making bobbin with tensioner is handy for whipping and other tying while keeping the thread less fiddly.

For steaming fletching they'd likely use the glue pot they were using to glue tips and fletching on. A hide glue was usually used. As far as I know from all the research I have done!

@WolfingtonStanley

5 ай бұрын

That would make sense to use the steam from the glue pot, I don't think the cook would appreciate having loads of fletcher crowding his cauldron and dropping bits of feather and string into the casserole

Sir , thank you so much for this video . My grandfather thought me how to make arrows but i never knew that they could be fixed. Your videos are amazing

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Thank you very much!

Always good to see you upload Kev! Hope you’re doing well, may the gods bless you my friend.

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Thanks 👍

Really really interesting! I love history documentaries, but they don’t often go into the details of everyday life and the skills that almost everyone must’ve had. It’s lovely to have you filling in the gaps and allowing us a glimpse into the real day to day that people were living. I think there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the intelligence and skill of past cultures. “They lived 500 yrs ago…they must’ve been really ignorant!” So far from the truth, as you’ve been good enough to show us time and time again!

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Thank you very much, I'm glad you've enjoyed the videos 👍🏻

Kevin I only very recently found your channel maybe a week or two ago and I find it fascinating! How did they make the Arrows so straight out of wood back in the Medieval times? I can't wrap my mind around it without a modern Lathe or something similar.😲🤷‍♂

@thehistorysquad

2 ай бұрын

It was an industry and they were very practiced at it. Did you see my video on making the arrows yet? I show there how the shafts were made. 👍🏻

Being half native i learned the bow at very young age & in our tribal combat system one doesn't always want to bring the bow to full draw b/c sometimes rate of fire can take precedence over power. It just depends on the situ & whether or not in making a long shot or a short one as well as what kind of target/enemy im up against.

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Well said and thank you. You're absolutely right 👍🏻

lovely video kev., :) i done me some nice bolts, the other week, with flint

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Ooh, sounds great, nice one 👍🏻

Love the arrow building/repairing videos!! About when did archers/bowyers/arrow builders start to understand arrow spine and to use it? Do we know?

Another fantastic video, as always. I love watching your videos and your passion for history and knowledge. I do have a question for you. I have been using cedar arrows with my longbow, and over the years, some have warped. Does this happen to you, and how do you fix it? I absolutely love your videos. Thanks a million!

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Occasionally I'll have a warped arrow and I would gently try to steam it and bend it back. You can get it to work but you have to steam gently 👍🏻

I like watching men work when they know what they are doing. Good looking men like Kevin are even more enjoyable to watch.

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

Ooh stop it, you make me blush 😜

@hetrodoxlysonov-wh9oo

5 ай бұрын

@@thehistorysquad Kevin do you have another YT account under the name mmcleod 😁

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

😜 cheek @hetrodoxlysonov-wh9oo

Great Vid Kev. Just watched you on Instruments of Death - Battle of Towton. Dodgy moustache but great show!!

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

🤣 nice one

Ancient Arrow Repair - They've found some evidence of laminations on arrows that appear to have been split or made with more than one type of wood. The laminating element was bees wax, and they would also use strings to tightly hold them together and some evidence of hearth based hardening. This isn't to say it was the only repair, but if my memory is accurate that was one way some repairs were handled.

@thehistorysquad

5 ай бұрын

I don't know of an authentic drawing, but maybe you could take a still from the video?

@TheOnceMoreGaming

5 ай бұрын

I think they just rubbed the bees wax along the string and hardened it that way? I remember seeing hardened bees wax on string at the museum for Egyptian bows that passed through Denver. I am not sure where I read about the process, but I think it might've been a magazine where they showed damaged arrows and string wrapped around the shaft... @@thehistorysquad

@TheOnceMoreGaming

5 ай бұрын

I could've also misunderstood what I read/saw. So maybe I am wrong. But I am pretty sure I remember that being a bit of the process at least for some cultures.