Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: TorstenT on May 28, 2018, 08:38:21 am
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Hi, folks!
I would like to present you my third finished bow. I named it ‚Bridled Dragons’ - for obvious reasons... ;)
I’m aware that this is not the preferred type of bow in this forum, since it is quite unsuitable for bow hunting - it would most probably snag every branch even remotely in reach and is certainly not built for high performance.
But hopefully some variety is appreciated here as well, so I‘ll show it anyway... ;)
It‘s a Penobscot-like design and is made from Black Locust (heartwood only) with Siyahs and dragon head nocks (not ‘knocks’ :D) from a naturally crooked yew branch. The color is the result of 4 days in ammonia fumes and shifts from dark brown to bronze, depending on the light conditions.
Some details:
- 65# @ 28“
- 69“ NTN (measured over the necks)
- ca. 1“ set
- horn inlays in all four dragon maws to direct the string tension deep into the carved heads
- horn arrow plate
- bullfrog leather grip
- string and cables 12-string Dacron B55 double Flemish twist with reenforced loops
- finish: 2 layers shellac, several layers linseed oil.
The bow was made from leftovers of a failed project for a sapling bow competition at a German forum (Fletcher’s Corner). In this competition we had 6 weeks to fell a small tree with a max. diameter of 4“ and build a bow with 30# of draw minimum. The reason, that it has Siyahs at all is that one of the tips of the main bow snapped off after an overly aggressive attempt to bend small diameter recurves with dry heat. The bow dropped out of the competition, but I decided to save as much as possible. So I cut off the other tip and spliced in Siyahs.
Due to the rather heavy weight of those Siyahs (around 490 grains per piece) and the compression of mainly the inner limbs typical for the Penobscot design, I chose a tiller somewhere between elliptical and whip tiller.
The bow draws and shoots very comfortably with almost no handshock and is surprisingly silent. The average speed of 10 gpp wooden arrows was between 155 and 160 fps. So - not as bad as I thought it would be...
There‘s no observable compound-like effect with this kind of Penobscot design. The force/draw curve is fairly linear (see below).
But enough bla bla - on to the pictures! :D
I hope you enjoy them and I‘m always grateful for constructive criticism!
Torsten
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More pics...
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More...
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The last few...
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Very cool! Excellent work! I like the dragons :)
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Wow! I thought horn tip overlay were cool - those dragons are amazing! Did you carve them? The string looks like reins.
Super cool bow and I like your pic. Bet you could hunt a dragon with it!
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Das ist Uber geil!!excuse my bad German,I worked in Berlin for 3 year in blankenfelde,klienmachow by the teltow canal years ago.great artistic work on that one!very cool,tiller looks great,way to think outside the box!
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Thanx, DC, George and Bushboy! :)
@shofu
Yes, the dragons are hand carved. Roughed out with my trusty Dremel and finished with carving knives, small files and fine sandpaper.
@bushboy
That’s cool! I live in north-western Berlin.
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What a bow TorstenT!!!I commend you to your craftsmanship and persistence.Truly one of a kind like I've never seen before.Congratulations.
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Wow! Very Nordic, unusual, interesting and cool. Again Wow!
Greg
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I love it! Those carvings are top notch!. Not every bow has to be a speed demon or super practical. It's nice to see some variety and artistry. Well done, sir. The tiller looks great as well.
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You are very talented. Artistically designed functional bow. Outstanding craftsmanship.
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I noticed in the full draw photo that the small bow isn't bending that much. Do you think the B55 is stretching? I wonder what the draw weight would be if you used Fast Flight cables? Just thinkin' out loud :)
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What a way to save a broken bow. The carving is impressive. If I only had that sort of carving skill. Very cool bow, "practical" or not, it shoots with plenty speed to make a kill.
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Wow! Thank you all so much for your overwhelmingly positive comments! That really means a lot...
@DC
The secondary bow is quite strong, so even a slight bend adds considerable draw weight. In this setting there‘s very little tension on the cables on brace height. If I’d give them a few twists, the draw weight will rise way beyond 70# - which is still rather uncomfortable for me...
The cables are made from 12 strings and very short, so I don’t think, that stretch is an issue.
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I'd forgotten about the short, that would minimise the stretch, thanks.
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That bow can be used in a fantasy movie right away! (Except for the fact that most pussy actors cannot draw a bow above 20 pounds >:D) but seriously: beautiful carving on those siyahs and besides the looks it is a wel tillered shooter as well, would love to learn to carve stuff like that.
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Wow, very impressive carvings!
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That thing is wicked awesome! Plus the tie dye shirt is appreciated. Well done.
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@leonwood
Yeah - since Game of Thrones already featured a Penobscot-bow (unfortunately in the wrong hands), this one could probably serve as a Targaryen-bow... :D
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That is just a amazing bow. A lot of work in that beauty bud.
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That is too cool! Man, you never know what's gonna show up next on here. What a treat. Amazing work (-S
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Excellent carving! Lots of extra mass though. The cool factor is there though. Arvin
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beautiful dragons and interesting bow :OK
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Awesome bow.
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I really enjoy seeing variety of bows and you've done an amazing job on what looks like a technical project. And your third bow! Wow.
You've really got a heck of a skill set, beautiful work...congratulations.
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Thanks again, guys, for all your praise! I’ve grown so much, I have to be careful not to hit my head on the door jamb... ;D
Btw - today one of the yew horns of the head on the lower Siyah broke off (again), so I decided to give it horn horns ( :D), too. The asymmetry bothered me anyway...
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Stunning bow. Love the colour and the carving, real work or art. I think there is an argument that this is a backed bow in the same way a cable backed bow is but whatever category it’s cool as hell.
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Thank you!
I know. Tom (aka Stickhead) consulted other admins to decide, whether this bow should be regarded as self or backed bow. They let it count as a self bow - but it would have been OK for me, if it were declared a backed bow as well.
I just hope that this decision won’t cause any ill will... ...because that was certainly not my intention!
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There’s not a whole lot of ‘ill will’ on this forum from what I’ve seen ;0)
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That's a head turner anywhere you go I'm sure! Awesome work!
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I just spent a wonderful evening with Torsten, and got to see this bow in person. I have to say it looks even better in person. Thanks, Torsten for being a gracious host and letting me drool over your work a little. I can't believe this is only a third bow.
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Wow sir, exquisite craftsmanship
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Wow, that bow should be on Game of Thrones! Hollywood are you listening?