Character Yew Tip Rot Question...and Fixed!

[Del the cat]

My character Yew is back to 40# @ 26" on a low brace .
The tip of the top limb has a lovely natural flip tip... but it has a streak of rot. I've rasped away the bad stuff and chiselled out the thin groove of remaining rot.
The easy option is saw off 3/4". But maybe just maybe I could inlay a sliver of Waterbuffalo horn, or maybe the old Yew sawdust and epoxy mix (shhhh, don't tell anyone I said that).
Now you all know I'll listen to all the advice but have to make my own decision in the end.. but hey what do you guys think?
I just love that flip tip and don't really want to lose it.
Maybe the other alternative is file down to a V thin tip and bind round a sinew & glue nock?

Del
(BTW, I think I have some spare length... but that's what we all think before it goes BANG )

[Keenan]

Del, One thing to keep in mind with yew is that it is softer wood and sometimes a rasp will have a tendency to tear out chunks. I have had that happen around knots and the wood wasn't rotted just harder then the surrounding wood. It's hard to say in your case because it needs worked with finer tools then a rasp to tell.  That being said, I think the horn insert might work well. It would be a non bending area anyway so should hold together if done right.
 I have seen some of the very dark discolored yew wood look like rot and it just seemed to be more resin in the wood. Yours dose look more like rot.

[fusizoli]

I like to feel up this things wit superglue than reduce that side is it possible.

I would choose the epoxi wersion now and a layer of sinew wrap on the nock. Those rasp marks fade the whole area....

[Bow Nut]

I think the horn sounds good and will give it neat custom look if you can get it in there snug enought to not have to cover it.  After a polishing I think it would look really nice.

[Del the cat]

@Keenan.
Yup, it was definitely rot, there was a small knot which was V pretty black and white.... hmmm the white was just crumbly powdery stuff... very pretty tho'  
I s'pose I could have cleaned it up a tad before taking the pic to show it more clearly.
Del

[Del the cat]

I was sort of hoping to have a "no heat treating, no horn, no leather, no epoxy, no nuthin' just a lump of wood" but I guess I may well end up with tip overlays.
Anyhow she's looking ok so far, I was expecting to cut it down a tad, but it would be a cryin' shame to loose that flip.
Del

[Del the cat]

Thanks for the opinions, I couldn't stop myself, I've done it with Yew dust and epoxy, wrapped with sellotape and then bound with twine to force it tight into the groove.
I've filed it down and polished it up. I've moved the nock down a tad to a slightly wider more solid area and left the original nock as a stringer nock.

You can see why I wanted to save it, it's soooo pretty.
Del

[Bow Nut]

yea very nice came out good

[ohma2]

well done Del, thats gonna be a looker.

[Josh]

very pretty del hope it holds for ya!

[blackhawk]

Oooooo.....it looks like a beauty mark to me. Nice fix on that

[Del the cat]

Cheers guys,
It's getting a bit nervy now. I know some of those pretty black lines are actually cracks, mind they run up and down the limbs. I've run superglue into and over them and I'm slowly working the whole bow down to a reasonable finish before final tillering.
I want to make sure there are no obvious weak spots before I draw it back those last few inches.
Haven't started cleaning up the back, that's going to be painstaking but fun.
Little and often wins the day, or is that 'slow and steady'?... whatever .
I'm about done for the day now (8:15 pm here in the UK)... just gotta try not to dream about it tonight .
Del

[Josh]

yeah.. those last few inches of tillering always get me twitchy...

[HoBow]

That turned out nice!

[ErictheViking]

Good job Del, good that you saved the flipped tip(fingers crossed). can't wait to see this baby finishedwith the crazy chocolate/vanilla/caramel swirl wood coloring