Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Stringman on March 03, 2011, 01:29:29 pm

Title: birch bark as backing?!?
Post by: Stringman on March 03, 2011, 01:29:29 pm

Somethin I just read here in another post got me thinking. I was up in Wisc a couple years ago and got me a pile of birch bark and brought it home. About half of it is still settin up in my attic waitin on me. I was wonderin if there's anyway to use it as a backing-- just for looks, as I know there wouldn't be any tension advantage with it. Can it be soaked and made pliable again? Or is there another way to make it workable?   

Title: Re: birch bark as backing?!?
Post by: Pat B on March 03, 2011, 01:34:23 pm

I've used thin layers of birch bark as a covering for sinew backed bows. It was a traditional covering for some of the Asiatic composites I believe.  It is mostly decorative but it does have water proff qualities. You can rehydrate it to make it more pliable.
  Birch bark is very thin. You can seperate the layers down to a paper thin layer and that is what I used for a backing.