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Hickory short bow(s) build along
GlisGlis:
I like the idea of the twins backed with different materials :OK
superdav95:
Looks very clean Aaron. Nicely laid out as far as I can tell from the pics. It will shrink in thickness quite a bit actually. It will become almost translucent as well. How much reflex did you add to the bow before adding the sinew? You may have mentioned it already but one consideration that I would recommend is that if any more then a few inches of reflex induced especially over a short bow with sinew running the entire length you may want to consider wrapping it with a cloth wrap and or tensor bandage or something to ensure that it doesn’t lift up as it dries and shrinks. It will have a tendency to pull off the wood as it dries if not held down in highly reflexed bows. Especially short bows. Wrapping my short bows with sinew is standard practice for me now. I use horse leg wrap and bicycle tire tube over that to really cinch it down. I’ve tried jute cord wraps and other non elastic type wraps and all worked well but they leave unwanted marks as the sinew dries. I’ve used old cotton t shirts strips too with good results. FYI and hope it turns out good for you. Looks good so far. You may not have enough reflex to even worry about it just a consideration. Cheers
Aaron1726:
Thanks for the encouragement guys. Glisglis, yeah I'm curious to see what the difference might be. I like the idea of the sisal with tb3 for the water proofness, but I'm really excited to see how the sinew turns out.
Dave, it didn't really have any reflex left when putting the sinew on. I had a couple inches after the heat treat, but it lost almost all of that. I'm in central NC and our humidity is quite high most of the time, but especially this time of yeah. So I'm guessing that played a role. I had wondered about wrapping it, but was afraid of having the wrap stick to the sinew. I did a rawhide backing once and wrapped it, but there wasn't any exposed glue surfaces. When you wrap, do you wait until it starts to dry before wrapping? Or how do you keep the wrapping from bonding to the sinew? I guess it's dry enough today it would be fine.
Thanks again yall
superdav95:
--- Quote from: Aaron1726 on May 23, 2023, 08:06:08 pm ---Thanks for the encouragement guys. Glisglis, yeah I'm curious to see what the difference might be. I like the idea of the sisal with tb3 for the water proofness, but I'm really excited to see how the sinew turns out.
Dave, it didn't really have any reflex left when putting the sinew on. I had a couple inches after the heat treat, but it lost almost all of that. I'm in central NC and our humidity is quite high most of the time, but especially this time of yeah. So I'm guessing that played a role. I had wondered about wrapping it, but was afraid of having the wrap stick to the sinew. I did a rawhide backing once and wrapped it, but there wasn't any exposed glue surfaces. When you wrap, do you wait until it starts to dry before wrapping? Or how do you keep the wrapping from bonding to the sinew? I guess it's dry enough today it would be fine.
Thanks again yall
--- End quote ---
Yes I wrap after it has set up and dry to the touch on surface. This allows for the wrap to not stick too bad. It also makes it better for not leaving wrap marks so much when waiting for surface to dry a bit. We are humid here too so I bring my sinew work inside the house where the ac is. I also put a good layer of hot glue on top of the sinew with my finger or brush. As far as your bow is concerned I wouldn’t worry about wrapping it as the reflex is not existent or very slight. It will likley pull into some reflex on its own with sinew drying.
Aaron1726:
Thanks Dave, really appreciate the help. I noticed this today, one spot where it looks like the sinew is pulling apart in the middle of the bow. It's right in the middle of the handle. Not sure if it's anything to worry about or why this would happen? My first thought was to put a little more hide glue on the spot to help bind the loose ends and fill it a little. Any thoughts?
It's drying well I think, it has reduced in size quite a bit and it no longer white, turning more tan and translucent. I measured the tips when I layed things down at the edge of the 2x4 my vise is mounted to. It's about 1/8" higher than it started so seems like the sinew is starting to pull a small amount of reflex in.
Thanks again
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