Broken Bow

[Arrowbuster]

Can this be fixed?

[Arrowbuster]

Back hasn't been violated. I was wondering if I could glue this back and it stay together?

[sleek]

Oof, thats a rough one. Without seeing the rest, its a hard thing to guess. But Id say its possible as long as the glue goes into all the spaces and that the wood is clamped well enough, but you avoid whats called a dry joint, where too much glue squeezes out.

[bjrogg]

Strange one there. I think it’s worth a try. Might try a good wrap of some kind to.

Is it a delamination? Or is it damage from a dry fire or something?

Bjrogg

[Arrowbuster]

I thought about going ahead and trying to pull apart so I can be sure to get glue covering everywhere. It happened while bracing it, bottom loop popped off after I got it strung, I just set there for a minute saying what the hell happened. It was an awesome bow. Reason I am wanting to fix it. I actually won this bow in a charity auction for Dire Wolf. Arvin made it. Best shooting bow I have ever owned.

[Hamish]

 Need more photos. Does the crack go right through to the other side? If it does then you can use a vacuum to help suck the glue from the other side.


I'd glue it up, then wrap the handle in epoxy soaked thread, like bjrogg suggested.

Also make another string with a smaller loop for the bottom limb.
What method of stringing are you using?

[sleek]

I thought about going ahead and trying to pull apart so I can be sure to get glue covering everywhere. It happened while bracing it, bottom loop popped off after I got it strung, I just set there for a minute saying what the hell happened. It was an awesome bow. Reason I am wanting to fix it. I actually won this bow in a charity auction for Dire Wolf. Arvin made it. Best shooting bow I have ever owned.

I KNEW i recognized that handle design! Lol Arvin is on here as Selfbowman if you weren't aware. I would not pull it apart any further. How far up the handle into the limb does the damage go?

[superdav95]

yup. ive got one of his bows.  I would do like sleek says.  i would also use a good 2 part epoxy like west sytems or ea 40.  I would heat up the crack area just a bit with a heat gun and also warm up the glue to get it more runny to get down into the crack deep and fill all the voids.  then I would clamp it and leave it overnight.  I think it would be fine so long as the crack didnt migrate into the limbs.

[Del the cat]

I thought about going ahead and trying to pull apart so I can be sure to get glue covering everywhere. It happened while bracing it, bottom loop popped off after I got it strung, I just set there for a minute saying what the hell happened. It was an awesome bow. Reason I am wanting to fix it. I actually won this bow in a charity auction for Dire Wolf. Arvin made it. Best shooting bow I have ever owned.

I think you are right. If you can pull it apart (carefully get a thin blade in and tease it along) you can then glue the whole break. Otherwise it's almost impossible to get the glue right into the split.
I had a similar crack open up on a Yew ELB, it went diagonal from grip to 2/4 along one limb.
See this video at the 2:00 mark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0DxAZGxz2M&list=PLBz2tD9476KQrsVT5EV9735gvIor1uw77
I split it apart, glued and bound it.
Its held up fine.
Del

[simk]

there's a simple trick boys!

dont pull it apart and don't use epoxy like west sytems or ea 40. those are artificially thickend with thixotropic agents.

use a casting resin suitable for wood. these normally are used for making laminations of fiber cloth and they are designed to creep.

pour it in that crack and it will quickly displaces ALL of the air and automatically creep into every crack. no heating required, room temp is just fine. use one that has a open time of at least 60 min and clamp after 30min. If the crack goes all through seal it well on one side with super adhesive tape - ducktape does not work, the epoxy creeps underneath!

cheers

[simk]

proof?

I for example have this horn-sinew-wood composite. I opened it carelessly and braced step-through-method after the sinew was dry. it hasnt been tillered.....lesson learnt.

I braced the bow again and put resin on one side. After a little while it came out the other side of the hairline crack. I unstringed the bow, and after curing I finished the bow and it serves me well now as a personal bow and test bow since summer. Yes I also added a little extra sinew to the area. Nevertheless its amazing that this works even in the most stressed part of the bow right where the powerlam ends.

I have fixed a lots of hairline cracks and checks that way and they never came back. Actually you cannot check weather there's glue in every crack finally - its a similar thing as going to church - just have to believe 

[Eric Krewson]

You can also use compressed air to blow the glue through the break.

[JW_Halverson]

there's a simple trick boys!

dont pull it apart and don't use epoxy like west sytems or ea 40. those are artificially thickend with thixotropic agents.

use a casting resin suitable for wood. these normally are used for making laminations of fiber cloth and they are designed to creep.

pour it in that crack and it will quickly displaces ALL of the air and automatically creep into every crack. no heating required, room temp is just fine. use one that has a open time of at least 60 min and clamp after 30min. If the crack goes all through seal it well on one side with super adhesive tape - ducktape does not work, the epoxy creeps underneath!

cheers

Wow! That's a brand new word to me. Thixoptropic. Had to look it up and per Wikipedia:
Thixotropy is a time-dependent shear thinning property. Certain gels or fluids that are thick or viscous under static conditions will flow (become thinner, less viscous) over time when shaken, agitated, shear-stressed, or otherwise stressed (time-dependent viscosity). They then take a fixed time to return to a more viscous state.[1] Some non-Newtonian pseudoplastic fluids show a time-dependent change in viscosity; the longer the fluid undergoes shear stress, the lower its viscosity. A thixotropic fluid is a fluid which takes a finite time to attain equilibrium viscosity when introduced to a steep change in shear rate. Some thixotropic fluids return to a gel state almost instantly, such as ketchup, and are called pseudoplastic fluids. Others such as yogurt take much longer and can become nearly solid. Many gels and colloids are thixotropic materials, exhibiting a stable form at rest but becoming fluid when agitated. Thixotropy arises because particles or structured solutes require time to organize.

Thank you for the new word and concept, Simk.