Main Discussion Area > Bows
mesquite sinew Comanche bow
jpitts:
Beautiful set Big Guy. This looks a lot like the one I saw last time I was over. Way to go bro.
You do a beautiful job every time.
cowboy:
Dan - I have an interest in Mesquite! seeing as how I live in North Central TX. I've been himhawing around about it for a year or more and have actually been arguing with a friend of mine about it. He says the wood is too brittle and I'm kinda leaning that way but also thought that if it was backed with something it would work - and you've proved it.
I'm wondering is that mostly sap wood or did you color the back white? Oh, sorry almost forgot I got too excited - that is a good looking bow ;D.
DirtyDan:
Cowboy,
Thanks for your interest in this project. I did paint the sinew after I sanded all of the grooves and irregularities out of the surface. I just mixed up a kind of sand color in acrylic to put down for a base for the colors. I think the Indians used a white clay mixture on the sinew to achieve the same effect. Now to the wood itself. The rancher and I looked almost a half a day to try to find a branch or trunk somewhat straight enough for a bow. I brought three good sized branches home to Georgia. Each was about five inches in diameter. I then sliced these up and took about 3/4" slats out the middle. I then steamed, straightened and shellacked each piece until I found one that would cooperate enough to make a bow. The shellac is important after each steaming or scraping in order to keep checking from occuring. Several of the blanks did twist and crack so badly, I could not use them. But this one seemed to hand in there. I took it down to 1/2" at the ends and began to tiller it. When I got it tillered, I continued to work on straightening it, using both wet and dry heat. Shellac after EVERY TREATMENT. Then I sinewed about three layers of elk sinew on the back and then sanded and re-tillered. Boy, those Comanches around the Red and White River valleys had to work really hard to make weapons!
Dan
cowboy:
Thanks Dan: I'll be cutting some Mesquite for smoker wood here in the next couple of weeks. Going to try and pick some of the straighter one's to start some staves. I may need to refer back to this post from time to time. Wonder if the sap wood would make a backing?
OldBow:
Pretty neat bow. Anybody around to crank it back to full draw?
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version