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Fast Flight on warbow

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ratty:

--- Quote from: Rod on June 01, 2009, 09:50:49 am ---Folks used to say that fastflight was a breaker of wooden bows because it stretched less than a Dacron or linen string.

Well, it does stretch a little less than Dacron, but it's real advantage performance-wise is that fastflight weighs less.
And to be honest the only bows that I have ever seen broken with a fastflight string on them were either radically overstressed or weak in construction.
They probably would have broken sooner or later whatever the string was made from.

Making a fastflight string overbuilt would in fact probably be safer inasmuch as the increased string mass would slow the bow down.
You might just as well say that shooting a heavier arrow will break the bow.

I have an old boo backed laminated target bow 56lb @ 30"(now honourably retired) that has shot a 15 strand fastflight string it's whole competitive life in NFAS, BLBS, EFAA and GNAS.
It has often been criticised by folks with fancier bows for it's 3 inches of unbraced string follow which arose from the boo overpowering the belly from day one, but these same folks have more than once then had the doubtful privilege of seeing this same bow finish in the medals whilst their "superior" bows were in the also ran category.

This bow has also survived the scary experience of a few days experimentally shooting flight arrows with a 6 strand fastflight string, something quite painful on the fingers and making a sound so strained and high pitched that it will not soon be forgotten.

The only reason I use 15 strands is that it gives me a perfect nock fit when served and I figure if I had one on a heavy bow, this and comfort in the draw might be the deciding factor for me in a choosing string thickness, unless I wanted to optimise the string mass by reducing it so as to maximise the cast.

I also use fastflight on a short osage recurve and have had no problems, although my drawlength with this short bow did cause the original  Fullerplast varnish to check repeatededly in horizontal lines all along the whole length of the working limb on both back and belly.
This was made tidy by carefully sanding off the offending surface coat of varnish and rubbing the bow with emulsified beeswax.

The original horn overlays both popped off under the pressure of the string at different times, having been fixed in place with an unspecified superglue.
When reattached with Warn system epoxy no further problems were experienced.

What did surprise me was how well the fastflight held a properly made and waxed bowyers hitch, something I had been assured was not likely.

In conclusion, I guess I would have no worries about using fastflight on a sound well tillered bow, though I might make the string fat enough for comfort but light enough for durability on a heavier bow.

But I guess that I wouldn't feel right with fast flight on a single stave yew....

FWIW

Rod.

--- End quote ---

hello rod :)

ive hered this a few times now and it seems to be becoming excepted that linen stretches?

in my experience linen doesn't stretch, only as much as settling and fibers tightening in the twist from the making stage and when the string is first fitted.

d75 stretches and then retracts
fastflight + is exactly the same
and b50 is like knicker elastic ;)

this is alot easier to notice when shooting bows 130# +  but not noticable on bows around 60#

real original fast flight is the way to go for performance, but i can't get any at a reasonable price.

so i use D75 with as little strands as i dare to keep the stretch and not allow it to retract and with serving to thicken at the nock

oh also d75 and fastflight plus also stretch more in the heat where as linen will not.

i hope this helps :)


ps. ive edited this post 7 times sorry :D

Davepim:
Hi Simon,
    I am really happy to read your observations on fastflight plus - this is exactly what I see with my strings; some people have told me it's my imagination! I don't know whether it's true, but, someone told me that Angel Dyneema was the same material as the original fastflight - could be worth a try!

Cheers, Dave

Yewboy:

--- Quote from: Marc St Louis on June 01, 2009, 09:39:31 am ---The record was set at around 430 yds but this was not a recorded world flight record

--- End quote ---

The actual distance was recorded at 438yds, shot by Alistair Aston, this is an official record with the EWBS and a world record, just because it wasn't shot at a FITA event doesn't mean it isn't official. It was measured with laser range finders by Mark Stretton and the bow was checked by both Mark Stretton and Steve Stratton, both commitee oficials within the EWBS, this shot was witnessed by over 50 other archers from around Europe

markinengland:
The 438 yards would have been more if a tree had not got in the way! Even if it is not an official FITA record it was shot and shows how well a longbow can shoot. It was also amazing to see how far the heavy war shafts were shot as well.
Rod, there is a very real difference between the effect of a heavy arrow and and a very strong non-stretch string. Basically opposite effects. A heavy arrow will be efficient and take most of the energy out of the bow leaving relatively little to be absorbed by the bow or string. A light arrow on the other hand may leave the bow fast but is relatively inefficient in terms of energy transfer leaving more energy in the bow/string. Whatever energy is left after the arrow leaves the bow stays in the system and must be absorbed by the bow and string. If the string can stretch a little some is absorbed by the string. If it doesn't that energy is absorbed by the bow limbs. If shooting light arrows from heavy bows with too overbuilt a continous loop string without energy absorbing twist you approach a dry fire situation in a worst case scenario.
Some people advise using a flemish twist string because this does allow an overbuilt string to stretch due to the twist. This would appear to be an acceptable and sensible compromise. FF materials can be used, strings can be overbuilt but it seems to me that it may be best to design our strings to work well and safely.  Some flight archers are prepared to risk the bow for the record shot, but some want a compromise of performance and durability. If the string is too narrow for the arrow nock it is easy to build the string up locally to fit the nock.

Yeomanbowman:

--- Quote from: Yewboy on June 01, 2009, 04:41:48 pm ---
--- Quote from: Marc St Louis on June 01, 2009, 09:39:31 am ---The record was set at around 430 yds but this was not a recorded world flight record

--- End quote ---

The actual distance was recorded at 438yds, shot by Alistair Aston, this is an official record with the EWBS and a world record, just because it wasn't shot at a FITA event doesn't mean it isn't official. It was measured with laser range finders by Mark Stretton and the bow was checked by both Mark Stretton and Steve Stratton, both commitee oficials within the EWBS, this shot was witnessed by over 50 other archers from around Europe

--- End quote ---

Well said Yew Boy.

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