240's sheep horn bow build with Tom Lucas

[wizardgoat]

By limb training I mean the bow is very unstable and can sometimes show a weak limb, you can squeeze the weak limb against the string when braced and it will even itself out after a few squeezes. 
My second horn bow is much thicker, and much more stable. Draw weight is a combination of horn and sinew thickness of course, but amount of reflex is a big factor too.

[mullet]

240, thank you for the build along. I was working in Pocatello last summer and went to the Shoshone Reservation Museum on some time off. I bought a book about the Sheepeaters and it was mostly about Tom and his bows and High Altitude explorations of the early campsites and soapstone bowls. A fascinating read.

[Traxx]

I met Tom,years ago,,through my mother,who is an artist as well.We didnt discuss horn bows though,,mostly about Packing and Cowboyin...

[NorthHeart]

Mullet- no problem sir!

Wizardgoat- i read your build along and really enjoyed it.  I noticed you didnt soak the horn.  So for all your horn shaping you used dry heat?  With what, a heat gun?

[NorthHeart]

Another day working with Tom.  My horns which were soaking for about 6 days weren't flexible enough yet, so we did a set he was already working on.  We use a clamp padded with a piece of thin wood to hold down the front, then lash the rest of the horn down using a strong rope.  The horn lies flat to the 2x4 for the most part, however there are parts where it isn't perfectly flat and for this we go back after the lashing is all tied and we clamp over another piece of wood.  We do both limbs the same way.  The very tip of the sheep horn has a tendency to twist, so after its lashed we use a crescent wrench to straighten it.  Any sided to side discrepancy we fix by tapping the horn straight with a dowel.  I ask Tom why not just use a series of clamps all the way down and forgo the lashing.  He tells me hes been down that road and prefers this method because he can see what the horn is doing and make corrections easier.  He also mentions the lash method was probably how the Shoshone did it as he cant imagine another way they could have.  Its a shame none of their methods or secrets were kept alive by their descendants, the way i speculate it, Toms method is likely as close as well ever get.

[NorthHeart]

Notice the crack running down along the horn in the first pic.  This will be filled with thin CA glue, then over again with thick CA glue, finally hide glue will go down in it before the sinew is glued down.  If i haven't mentioned it before, the inside of the horn will be the bows BACK, to be covered in sinew.  The outside of the horn serves as the belly of the bow. 

After both horns are lashed they are set behind the stove inside the house.  It gets warm there, but not hot.  In the summer they could be left in the shop, but with temperatures here being below freezing, they wouldn't cure and would just freeze.  Tom estimates about a month for them to dry, emphasizing the importance of making sure they are fully dry before removing the lashing so they don't try and bend back.

[NorthHeart]

More sheep horns lurking in hot water, beckoning to become bows!  The water is kept on medium heat and topped off daily.  Its too hot to keep your hand in, but not boiling. 

Twice now i have seen these horns glued onto the skull serving as a mount.  We leave this glue/epoxy on as they soak, to be addressed later after they are flattened out.

[wizardgoat]

Coming along nicely! No I didn’t soak them. I boiled for 8-10 minutes and straight into the caul. About 3/8 thick at that point

[Redhand]

Great build along 240.  You are learning from one of the great ones.
When I was straightening the horns for my bow I soaked the horns in water for 2 weeks.
I didn't heat up the water I might have to try that on the next bow.

[Aaron H]

Very cool!  You are lucky to have such a great teacher when it comes to this style of horn bow.  I am watching with great interest.

Also, does your screen name stand for Nissan, BMW, and Dodge?

[NorthHeart]

I am truly fortunate to be learning from Tom, i agree.  I showed up at his gallery many times to both admire his work and show him my bows which he enjoyed discussing.  He said he could tell how enthusiastic and serious i was about the horn bow.  And when he said i could share his methods(and i asked him multiple times if it was ok) i knew pics and a buid along were in order.  He said he doesnt want to die with his secrets and would rather pass them on.  Pretty awesome.  So i go to his shop everyday im off work.  Next week we will be lashing down my horns assuming i can get off the mountain, as they are now soft enough.  He actually plans to hunt deer this season with his horn bow, which i must say is pretty darn cool.

Aaron H- yes sir!  Its in reference to 3 of the vehicles that had an influence on me when i was younger and in the "car tuning" scene.  I actually considered something more fitting when i signed onto PA, but im somewhat forgetful, and if i use the same screen name on all the forums then all i have left to remember is my password:)

[High-Desert]

What a great build along. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

I was way off on your screen name, I saw it and thought it was a military reference to the 240 machine gun and search and rescue team.

[NorthHeart]

What a great build along. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

I was way off on your screen name, I saw it and thought it was a military reference to the 240 machine gun and search and rescue team.

I like your thought process!  I tried for the Marines at 18 and again for the Army at 32.  I had Airborne Rangers on my contract and was medically discharged for an eye related issue.  Im currently looking into possibilities of the French Foreign Legion.  Being fully capable and being told i cant do my dream, well that simply doesnt work for me. 

But the next best thing has been pursing bow building and my passions related to the outdoors.  Being in the wilds of WY, and about to move to Montana, i suppose im doing ok:)

[loefflerchuck]

Good to see you on here Shelton. Nice country where you live. I was in Jackson last week.  When I get my horns cut for the first time I soak them in cold water for 3 days and then boil them for no more than 12 minutes. without soaking them they do not soften in the boiling water to flatten. Then I just leave them strapped to a board for a couple days.
 I think of the few people who make bighorn bows Tom is maybe the closest to how the natives did it. I also use methods from 2000 years of written history of asian horn bow makers to my advantage. For example I use heat for much of the final tillering. From what I have seen Tom just scrapes his for the tiller.
 I'm looking forward to seeing your completed bow later this year.

[NorthHeart]

Chuck, i appreciate the suggestions regarding horn.  My future bows might be a combination of Toms methods and yours.  I dont want to rush anything, however im all about saving time and getting better results if the 2 can happen simultaneously.  Thats efficiency.

So let me make sure i understand.  After you cut the horn you soak it for 3 days in cold water, boil it for only 12 min and immediately strap it to the board, and then remove it in 2 days.  So that entire process happens in only 5 days time?   Do you ever encounter any issues with the horn "giving back" or twisting back to its original shape? 

Regarding heat for tillering...is this before of after the sinew is applied?  If after, do you not have to worry about scorching the hide glue and sinew from where the heat sinks through the horn from the belly side?