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Turkish learn-along

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bownarra:
Ostrict sinew is greasy I wouldn't recommend it for hornbows.
I got some a year or two back and didn't like it. It also isn't as strong as leg sinew from heavier animals.

DC:

--- Quote from: MattZA on October 10, 2019, 11:49:26 pm ---
I was pondering something about horn strips. As bownarra said above, bends in joints tend to cause it to fail, so gluing my horn on in strips could be a slight issue. However, will it fail if it's applied in staggered strips? Think the brick-laying pattern of sinew, but with horn on the belly. I wonder...


--- End quote ---

I'm going to go out on limb here but I think bownarra was talking about butt joints in the horn in a bending area. I think it's Persian(maybe) bows that have two narrow strips of horn on each limb. Maybe they only had Gemsbok horn and it kept splitting on them ;D ;D ;D Piecing together a belly like bricks(if I'm following your thinking) would put butt joints in the bending area. I'm thinking it's like cracks in a self bow. Cracks along the length are not a big problem but cracks across are. If you are using two lengthwise strips you may be OK unless the bow is too narrow or the belly is even slightly crowned. Either may tend to separate the horn strips when you bend it. Remember, I'm speculating here, I don't have any more experience with these things than you do.

MattZA:
Yea I think it was the Persians. I presume they used Ibex, which is essentially the same thing. As you say, they probably got frustrated with the damn things splitting ;D

As for the butt joints, that why I suggested them in a staggered pattern. That way when there's a joint between two strips lengthways down the bow, there's another strip alongside the joint that is a single piece. Therefore you'd perhaps have enough strength from the other strips to offset the weakness of the one joint. I'm picturing maybe four rows of horn. Each strip is a different length to the next to it.

DC:
I don't think I'd trust it but what the hey. If you're willing to risk all the work. That may be the reason why everyone kind of slavishly follows the old ways. They're proven and no one wants to risk throwing all that work away trying new stuff.

bownarra:
Just get some water buffalo horn! There are millions of water buffalo :)
No your butting strips idea won't work. Only full length side by side strips will work. This was done because it is easy to get full length strips this way and the bow design was too wide for the available width on normal horns.
Any horn joint in the bending section WILL fail. A butt joint will last the longest but it will fail. The compression these bows take is incredible but that is with a solid horn :)

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