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Natural string: How strong?

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WhistlingBadger:

--- Quote from: pierce_schmeichel on March 27, 2024, 03:23:43 pm ---I personally love raw hide bowstrings. They are super easy to make. All you have to do is spiral cut a couple 3/8" string of raw hide. Then soak them, then twist them together and let them dry with a weight hanging from it.

Sinew makes an incredibly strong string...As long as you make it 1/8" to 3/16" thick string. Also a little truck I like to do with sinew strings is twist them up together into the string dry with a 3/16"-1/4" diameter  and then I soak it in a fairly diluted hide glue solution. Then hang it with a weight and let it stretch. The glue bonds all of the fibers together really well and makes it a little stronger. As it dries and stretches though it gains length and loses diameter.

But yeah raw hide is my go to for sure. It's super durable, super easy to make, and again super durable haha.

--- End quote ---

I've heard that about rawhide.  I'll have to try it next time I kill a deer or antelope.

JackCrafty:
I've made several natural bowstrings and they tend to break wherever there is an abrupt turn or kink in the string. This means it will break at the loops or where you tie off one end. It also breaks where you nock the arrow but much less frequently there.

Sinew is far stronger than any plant fiber I've tried except when it's wet. Sinew exposed to very high humidty can also be quite weak. Backstrap sinew is the best sinew for strings but you can use leg tendon if you're careful not to smash the fibers too much during the pounding phase of the processing.

I think the formula for the strength of the string is the draw weight x5. This means a 50lb draw bow needs a string that will hold 250 lbs of suspened weight. Sinew strings in this range will be 1/8" diameter at a minumum.

As a side note, waterproofing with oil, fat, tree sap, wax, or rosin on the natural strings has never worked for me. If I want to waterproof a sinew string, I use Tightbond III (waterproof wood glue). It makes the string look funny, it's not natural, and it's not 100% effective but it prevents a splash of water on your string from ruining your day. It also helps prevent breakage.

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