What are nocks? Well, as far as Victorian bows are concerned, they are generally made from Buffalo horn or Cow horn, as you can see from the above picture we start off with the raw horn and fashion it until we are happy with the shape and finish. The nocks have many uses, not only do they look pretty, but they also protect the wood which can be very thin at the ends, particularly Yew which is a very soft wood. People are in the habit of resting their bow on the ground, much as might a walking stick, whilst having a chat, this means dirt and moisture can soon damage the bottom of the bow and the string, again, nocks can help with this. Horn being more dense than wood it can lengthen the life of a bow, a string groove can become larger over time if simply cut into the wood. Nocks also give you the opportunity to give your bow some flare, make it distinct from your neighbours, some people carve them into elaborate shapes and mythical beasts, whatever takes your fancy. The type of shape seen above is Victorian in pattern, there is a reason for its shape, take a look at the next few videos and hopefully you will learn all you need to about nocks.
