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Old Bow Question

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Gordon:

--- Quote ---iber(Vulcanized Fiber) has no apparent fibre pattern, as its made from wood pulp, like paper.
--- End quote ---

Hamish, you may be correct as the backing does not appear to have any discernable pattern. Do you have an idea of the time span during which such bows were constructed?

Hamish:
I think the process was invented in the mid 1800's, but I can't recall it being used in Archery tackle until the 20th century. The 1920's until the early 1950's seems to be the main period, for fiber. Fortisan was invented in the late 1800's, but I don't think it was used in archery equipment until the 1930's, "artificial silk" backing.
There were a lot of "silk" backed bows in the 1940's. Silk backing was more expensive than fiber. Whether this was genuine silk or Fortisan I do not know. I would have thought both materials would have been in high demand for military items during WW2, and thus in small supply during those years.
 All the old books from the early to mid 20thC, like The Flatbow, L E Stemmler, Robert Elmer's, feature the use of fiber backings. Many Catalogues eg Ben Bearson, Bear, York, Stemmler all offer either bows backed with Fortisan, or silk, or fiber(as well as rawhide, hickory and boo). They also offer backings of all materials for purchase by the hobby bowyer.

By 1950 fg relegated the perception of other backings into unfashionable, low technology material.

Gordon:
Thank you, Hamish, for the excellent information. The backing on the bow I am working on is paper thin, I wonder if it would actually hold down a splinter if needed?

Hamish:
 I think the fiber would be at least as good as rawhide, from what I have read. Due to the increased labour compared with an unbacked self/board bow, I don't think the old timers would have used it unless there was a noticeable benefit with safety/longevity.
Most bows backed with fiber were lemonwood. The grain is usually very straight, even and knot free. I have a bunch of lemonwood boards, though not the old Cuban Degame/lemonwood. It still grows in South America, and the Caribbean, and can bought at many exotic timber merchants in the US. Of all the boards I bought nearly all are straight enough to make full length selfbows. The ones that aren't you can usually get at least a set of billets from half the length.

JW_Halverson:
I googled fortisan and one of the articles that came up was a newspaper article in 1945 in the New York Times saying that the military "flare cloth" fortisan was now going to be used in making girdles! (Some of you young folk will probably have to google "girdle")

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