ZanderPommo, Sulphur, Pat B, Timo, JustAim, Pappy, Greg B, Dana M, thank you all so much for the kind words.
I really appreciate it. I'm glad you all like this bow. I know I do
kylerprochaska, I loved the look of the natural wood as well, especially with the darkened wood on the belly from the treatment.
But I really wanted something to cover up the sinew and make it a little less 'ordinary.' Once I thought of the designs I had seen
on those Turkish hornbows, I really wanted to try them out. Glad you like it though. I wasn't quite sure how it was going to turn
out, I'm glad I didn't ruin it
Hillbilly, thanks. It shoots like a dream. The handle is maybe a bit large compared to the longbow I was shooting before this,
but it isn't too hard to get used to.
Mullet, as an artist, I can find sooo many things to improve. I know I'll be doing things quite differently on my next bow (doubtfully
something similar to this, but probably just hornbows). I would have liked to do some fancy horn/bone inlayed overlays on the nocks.
The string pads could use a lot of work. The thing that bothers me the most is that the fabric strips overlap along the entire length of
the belly and I think it looks really sloppy. I think it might look better to leave a strip of exposed wood down the center. Both for the
contrast, and to eliminate that overlap of covering the entire limb. I also think on my next one, I'll probably use a very, very fine
silk fabric that gives a very smooth finish after being glued down. A gold ink and calligraphy nib pen would do the designs a lot finer
and more consistent than pigment in hide glue with a brush.
I'm happy with the handle though!
Dauntless, it was only about 3 hours of painting for each limb. Maybe a bit more, but I got faster with the design the more I painted it.
Thanks woodstick
Here's another shot next to some old bamboo arrows:
