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Q: Does anyone know where I can get bow making or flintknapping materials?
I'm really into Archery and I make my own bows and arrows. I'm looking for quality material used by the primitive culture. Does anyone have any idea where I can find such material?
Eh, if you buy that kind of stuff in China, the gubbermint boys will suspect that you are trying to start a revolution. 
Back in the *really* old days, they used bones, tendons, wood and flint, right ?
I saw flint in the mountains (duh...). Many wild areas in China don't have much trees, either because it's desertic (Gobi desert), either because of the altitude (most of the Himalayan Plateau is at 4000 meters). I guess you need a somewhat elastic wood, like spruce ? In the North of China, they have spruce wood... In general, be extra sure you can cut a given tree, because trees are becoming rare. In some place, they have been planted to act as erosion or desertification barreers, cutting those is a no-no that might put you into troubles.
Maybe you can get bones and tendons at a butcher shop, but man, there are going to be curious ^^
The Chinese version of Robin Hood:
Steal from the poor to bribe the rich 
Taobao would be the place to look. You might be lucky in your local "renovation shop area" (where people go to buy building materials, but I doubt it.
make them from bamboo
http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Jieyi-handmade-tranditional-bamboo...
I love this line from the advertisement
1. Experienced workers,most of them has more than 6 years working
ages,we will guarantee the quality of our products.
You can make effective bow and arrows from (metal) umbrella's ribs
. Fishing and things.
Stiggs:
Ah yes, the traditional Chinese hunting bow, made from locally grown umbrellas
icnif77:
You're talking to 'umbrella bow&arrow' maker
.
That bow is 'retractable', or weapon which can (almost) fit in the back pocket. Dismantle an old metal umbrella, and see the body/ribs parts.
I have a project for the October national holiday now.icnif77:
You can fish (without permit) at river with umbrella bow.
In my time all rivers were full of fish (visible from the outside), and all required fishing permit. So, you come there with your old umbrella and...no permit. Kapish?
Stiggs:
I doubt there is anything at all living in the river near where I live, let alone fish.
I was thinking more about my neighbors who smoke and litter in the elevator. 
icnif77:
I lived (30Y ago) in area with rivers straight from the Alps. Umbrella bow is as power full as strong metal part is. Umbrella metal is not too strong, but if one would replace it with stronger, bend metal part, such bow could be deadly.
You might have more luck with your question if you're specific about what it is you need.
Bones, tendons etc shouldn't be a problem but if there is a certain type of wood you'd need,something other than a chunk of builder's 2 x 4, you might be able to find it at a place that sells supplies for making furniture, wood turning products etc.
Seen as though everyone else is being about as helpful as a hernia, here's the info you need.
This guy has his own website but there's a link on their to his Taobao page which I recommend you use just to be on the safe side.
Personally haven't used this site or contacted the seller so can't comment. There are tons of sites like this and sellers selling the stuff you need. Just ask your gf to do a quick Baidu search. This is just the first one I found
You'll notice on the left hand side there are two "DIY" categories you can select. I have to say before we go on that most of this level of bow maker use fiberglass to add the flexibility to the bow. And that's what's offered by this seller.
Now let's look at some better bow makers.
The first is 黄石. Decent bows but you can only contact him on QQ: 2277650800. I think he might have a forum post he can send you a link to with the bows and materials for DIYing if you ask him but you obviously need to speak Chinese, so ask your gf.
Ali on the other hand has a website as well as some higher end DIY materials ie: cow horn which is the traditional material used to add the flexibility and resistance in Chinese and Mongolian bows. His site has an English section but I'm not sure if there are any differences between it and the Chinese one. http://www.alibow.cn/ I spoke to him a few times and he's very friendly and helpful.
There are a few more but huang shi 黄石 and Ali are the two most reputable bow makers. Unless you have tons of money in which case there is a bow maker in Beijing whose family made bows for the Qing imperial family. But he doesn't sell the materials I don't think.
BTW if you're in Shanghai let me know.
One problem you will come across is with the arrows. I don't know how precise you want your arrows to be. But it's extremely hard to find a seller who weighs his arrows, let alone knows the spine or grain. Your best bet for accuracy is with aluminium or carbon fiber which obviously have their draw backs (I would strongly advise against made in China carbon fiber arrows). I did find one seller that sells unprocessed shafts which he weighs, but obviously two arrows of similar weight might have very different spines.
:
My friend,
You have been extremely helpful, Thank you! That is exactly what I needed to know and it seems you know your stuff. I've been flintknapping glass for a while now and I've made a couple bows from a random tree but as expected they broke. I'm really wanting to master this art and start making different kinds. I've got my hands on the complete collection of Traditional Bowyer's Bible and I plan to really get to work.
Unfortunatelly, I'm not in Shanghai. Although I wouldn't mind taking a trip up there sometime and visiting some friends. Send me a message and I'll give you my qq number. I'd like to pick your brain some more.
Thanks again for all the information, I really appreciate it
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Bow-and-Arrow-in-Under-5-Minutes
http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1841266
from items in your apartment:
Stop being so 'metal' all of you!
