Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: roofus on January 05, 2009, 12:49:28 pm
-
I am in the process of building my first Hickory board bow. I have it to 24" and the Tiller looks pretty good, 4" and I'm good to go!
At this point I hear a small pop. I inspect the limbs and there has a splinter lifted, maybe more than a splinter. Does this look like something I can save or is it firewood.
[attachment deleted by admin]
-
If it is the mark 1/3 of the way in from the right, looks like a growth ring splitting. Saturate the crack with super glue and add a temporary wrap until you finish tillering. After you finish tillering you can replace the wrap with a prettier one and add one on the other limb for balance.
-
Here is a link to a Photobucket with multiple angles. I don't think we are looking at the same thing. Thanks for your help, you guys are priceless!!!!
http://s287.photobucket.com/albums/ll124/roofus5/Hickory%20Splinter/ (http://s287.photobucket.com/albums/ll124/roofus5/Hickory%20Splinter/)
-
Is that a cloth backing? That's the place I was talking about. If it is backed, you may have to remove the backing to fix it. Pat
-
Yup thats cloth. Cotton, petty heavy, like you would find on some fast food restaurant uniform pants. Thrift store $2.
I've been reading old fix-a-crack threads and found alot of info. I will take off the backing and try to wrap it. I think I will scrape on it a little more first.
Will the wrap change the tiller? maybe cause a hinge?
-
Been there and done the super glue trick.Boom !!!! LOL! It's just my o2 but I think 2 hr 2 part epoxy from the hardware store mixed up and then thinned with acetone would work better.Open the crack and let it run down in there/saturate and then cover it with a layer of brown paper bag about 4 inches long and clamp it with a spring clamps not a screw clamp and let it dry for 24 hours at pretty high temp under a light bulb at say 130 deg. After 24 hours I would sand lightly and add another layer of brown paper bag about 6 inches long to feather it out.After 24 then put the cloth back over it. If it holds up to complete tiller then I would rap the limbs with linen or jut or what ever for about 6 inches in that spot for more safety and on the other limb for looks. .I just aint impressed with super glue for that. I think watered down tight bond is better too. Good luck with how ever you do it. ;D
-
Sounds pretty strong. Will the wrapping cause hinging or anything like that?
-
I'm confused. Is it on the belly? Jawge
-
It is on the back. The greenish cloth in the pic is the backing.
-
how deep is it ?
-
The line ends about halfway down the thickness of the limb. I have not tried to lift it to see if the whole splinter is that deep.
-
I still am confused. If the bow is backed and I see the crack then how can the crack be on the back? You could try a wrapping of silk fabric. Use epoxy. Then do a wrapping of thread, B 50, or artificial sinew. Wrap the corresponding portion of the other limb to make it look like a decoration. Jawge
-
george,
in the last photo he posted you can see 2 fabrics,the foremost one is the back of the bow.you can see the crack on the side and follow it under the fabric
it is leaving a whitish line where it lifter under the fabric.looks like it could be deep too
-
If you wrap it with something you are gonna make the limb stronger there. It might be a little stiff where you reinforced it but it shouldn't hinge. Might get hingey on either side of it.... I usually break those bows and start on a new one. :'(
-
I'm gonna just scrape it down to 40# and wrap it and give it to my son. He'll be able to use it with out blowing it up.
Thanks for all you help guys. Hope I can help people someday too.
Rob
-
I fixed exactly the same kind of crack on an osage bow this year. Scrape off your backing to about 1/8th inch past the cracks edges, open the crack by stringing the bow, fill the crack with super glue, unstring the bow, wrap the cracked area 1/8th inch past the crack with nylon serving thread and saturate the wrap with superglue. You shouldn't have any more trouble from this area.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/killer4wrap.jpg)
Here is the bows back. Sure was a difficult decision to scrape that copperhead skin off to verify that there was a splinter forming under it.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/copperheadbackcrackwrap.jpg)
-
Added another picture.
-
I wrapped mine last night and intend to finish it up in the next couple of days then I will post some pics.
My nieghbor wants to build a bow so I will help him get started and then start my own next Hickory board bow attempt.
I think it is funny that I would have success with my first two bows with Oak and then have Hickory fail? Seams like Hickory is almost unbreakable.
What kinds of backings have you used successfully on Hickory Board Bows?
-
Here is a pic of the bow at almost full draw. 27" or so. I'm afraid to go any further.
[attachment deleted by admin]
-
looks good to me, but hey dont be scared its only a bow >:D
-
Yeah I know it's just a bow. It's just alot of energy as well. Not to mention I may be a bit of a wiennie. ;D
Thanks for the encouragement however.
-
well look at it like this
if you dont pull it al the way back 1.youll never trust that bow 2.youll never know if its gonna blow or be a bow 3. if it breaks you learn from it and atleast it wont happen in the woods or at a shoot.
but ya get out the football helmet,chest ptotector and ummm cup, and dont forget the wife with the camera taken action pics of it happening >:D
good luck
peace,
tim
-
Ask Jawge nicely and he may let you borrow his tillering helmet. >:D
Seriously, just shoot the sucker and see what happens. Take photos and give us a post-mortem (if she blows).
-
Look good to me but I am like Tim I always pull mine a little passed where I think I will shoot it
at least a few times.Nothing worse than trying to shoot a bow you have doubt in.It will cause all kinds of shooting problems,snap shooting and short drawing to name a few.I know this from experiences. And believe me you don't want that. :)
Pappy
-
What I would do, and this could be really bad info. Anyway here it goes. I would take off the entire backing strip, sand the back lightly to remove all the glue, and backing. Do the Urac thinned or the super glue trick to solidify the crack. After that dries, I would then sand it for another backing strip. I would then put on a hickory backing strip, file it a little closer to the edge, to cover the crack better. Then just go back to retillering the bow, but I wouldn't shoot for a real high draw weight. Maybe around #45.
Thats my way. Not sure its the right way.
Bill
-
I have had success patching splinters on backs, but this looks like more of a crack that is going to get worse. Its almost full thickness and on the edge, a bad combination. Where on the limb is this crack? how much does the bow bend there? How wide is the limb there? what are the bows dimensions?
Would it be possible to cut the crack out by ripping the limb, making it more narrow? Or if it is near the tips make the bow shorter?
Maybe I have too much time on my hands, but whenever I have a bow with a problem like this I cant jus scrap it. It becomes an obsession. If I fix it great, if not and she blows up in my face at least I learned something. Its only a piece of wood, how hard could it be (to fix) ?
-
Badbill and Tommy:
I pulled it back a few times and it held. Like Sailordad said it's just a bow. It's just a board bow at that, it isn't that big of a deal to make a new one. They are pretty easy.( No offense to anyone I have the utmost respect for you all ) I'll just call this one a failure and move forward and learn from my mistakes.
Just a side note. Where the crack occurred did have some grain runout.
I did take it out and shoot it yesterday. 70 degrees out in Colorado in January. It actually shoots very well. Pappy: It is different shooting a bow you don't trust. :-\
But I was mildly impressed with it. I'll just put a finish on it and shoot it 'til it breaks. ;D
On to the next project! Thank you all for your input and expertise.
-
ada boy ;D