Main Discussion Area > English Warbow
Hazel warbow
Lucasade:
I shall redouble my efforts to find some cow horn. If this makes it it will get full horn nocks as the string has grooved the wood around the bottom nock too after only about 20 flexes.
Will some hardwood do for overlays in the meantime?
Del the cat:
--- Quote from: Lucasade on May 28, 2016, 03:54:42 pm ---I shall redouble my efforts to find some cow horn. If this makes it it will get full horn nocks as the string has grooved the wood around the bottom nock too after only about 20 flexes.
Will some hardwood do for overlays in the meantime?
--- End quote ---
Highland horn sell nice pale horn tips, I've had it described as both cow horn and Waterbuffalo horn. If you tell him what it's for he will sell you decent stuff. He sounds a bit dour on the phone but is very helpfull. I buy reasonable quantities and he throws in extra srappy bits which are fine for nocks and arrowplates. Most of the tips he sells as for a nocks will actually make a pair of 'em. The black stuff is cheaper but not so nice on a warbow.
If you just want some bits for overlays, PM me and I can send you some offcuts.
Del
Lucasade:
Thank you - PM sent.
WillS:
Certainly shouldn't need tip overlays or horn with hazel. I'd imagine your string is slightly too thin which will bite in and split the wood, or the nock was a bit dodgy. Fitting yew overlays won't do anything, as yew is much softer than hazel.
They need to be nice and rounded, very smooth and not too deep. Side nocks are quite fiddly, and it's easy to make a hash of them (or treat them as if they're normal nocks cut on one side only) which I assume is why most bowyers just ignore them, despite the fact that they're probably the only way English longbows/warbows were made until Victorian times! Stick with it, cos once you get them to work it's very rewarding. Especially when nobody else is doing it ;)
Lucasade:
Thanks for the pics - I'm using 12-strand linen string which doesn't seem overly thin, but I'm going with overlays now as I'd rather not lose the bow. Nock a bit dodgy is highly likely!
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