Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Stickhead on October 19, 2014, 04:51:49 pm
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Hi, guys,
Here's one that I didn't think would survive. It's actually from a Osage board I came across. It had very straight grain, but a very scary knot that goes from the belly out the side. I posted some early pics of it, asking for advice, and the concensus was that it would make a good garden stake.
I decided to back it with the most indestructable material I know: triggerfish skin. Yep, triggerfish skin. This stuff is strong as steel, has great tension strength, weighs practically nothing, and I get it for free from a fish market.
The bow is 66" N-N, 1-1/2" wide at the fades, tapering to just under 1/2" at the tips. It pulls a solid 65# @ 26", which I was aiming for. I flipped the tips a bit, and it gave up very little set, so I ended up with around 2" of backset. It has purpleheart tip overlays, a basic leather wrap, and a turtle scale for a strikeplate. I'm thrilled that this bow even survived (at least so far, after about 100 arrows), and it turned out to be a heck of a shooter - sends 'em nice and straight with authority.
...Tom
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...more pics.
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So long as you don't use a trigger on this bow, I am happy as a humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa.
What species of trigger were they?
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Nice bow.
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How many skins did you use?
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I used 6 strips of grey triggerfish on each limb. I think it took 3 fish in total.
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A beauty Tom, looks like she's holding great and hope it lasts forever. How is your triggerfish ERC holding up? Interesting backing...
Don
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Thanks, Don,
I can't believe you remember that ERC. It shot great when I used it, but it met a violent and untimely demise. I accidentally left it on the back of my truck after hunting, and it ended up on a highway, runover by countless cars. Sigh... Interestingly enough, I retrieved the pieces later, after I figured out what happened, and it only broke at the handle and the tips - the only places that weren't covered in triggerfish skin. I'm tellin' ya', this stuff is tough.
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Good lord, I done that same thing years ago with a wheelie bow. I heard it slide off the top of my Volkswagen and watched it disintegrate in the rearview :o So sorry about that ERC, it was gorgeous man.
Would like to know how you apply the skins...Are they fresh or rehydrated? How about the oil in the skin?
Don
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Man that's gorgeous
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That is a beauty,very nice. :)
Pappy
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I like it, that drawn profile really catches my eye. Nice :)
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Don,
To apply the skins, I get the fresh discarded skins from the fish man, and scrape them well to get rid of any flesh or sinew. Sometimes I throw them in the freezer and deal with them later.
Once they're scraped clean, I lay them out on a table to dry for a couple of days (not inside, though, or the wife'll complain about the smell). At this point, they can be stored in bag or box forever. Dogs love the scraps as chews, by the way.
When I'm ready to use them, I'll soak one or two in a pan of water for 10 minutes or more, to get them plyable, then pat dry. Then I lay one out on the bow, starting from the fades, and trim it to size with scissors. Apply a layer of TBIII to both the bow and the skin, attach the skin, and bind it tightly with parachute cord wrapped over the entire skin. I move to the other limb and do the same thing.
The next day, remove the cord, clean up the excess glue with a fine file, and repeat the process for the next piece. I overlap each piece over the previous piece with a V-shaped cut. Do this for a week, and it's done.
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This bow really gets your wheels turning on unusual backings. Beautiful bow!
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Nice work man! That backing is a eye catcher.
What the hell is a triggerfish?
I have googled it and come along with some heavily colored caribean small fish ......???
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Lotta different species of triggers. Several of them are popular in saltwater aquariums, but you gotta have really large tanks. Many of them are crazy colorful like the Picasso trigger (a.k.a. humuhumunukunukuapu'aa), or the clown trigger.
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Great looking bow
In my opinion, Triggerfish are one of the best eating of the salt water fish.
If I remember correctly, down in Mexico they are called "Barraleta" // shoe leather // Even the seagulls leave them alone, one of the few fish you will see whole and untouched on the beach.
They are the dickens to fillet.
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I LIKE IT! Nice work!