Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Billbob on August 12, 2015, 02:22:10 pm

Title: Death in the family.
Post by: Billbob on August 12, 2015, 02:22:10 pm

Was shooting a 58"ntn hickory pyramid, 2"@ the fades to 1/2" tips was pulling 50lbs @ 26" last Saturday when as I was drawing the bow, the top limb snapped off and ended up behind me.  Scared the crap out of me..lol.  The tiller looked good and I can't figure out why it broke, but I read something on here the other day about not heat treating the back of the bow.  I was trying to add reflex with a heat gun and toasted the belly and the back.  Would heating the back cause the back to fail?  This was going to be my bow for this fall, now I have to start over.  :(  If heating the back caused this, I don't want to do that again.

     

Title: Re: Death in the family.
Post by: Gordon on August 12, 2015, 02:28:54 pm

Yes, heat treating the back could most certainly result in a tension failure.

Title: Re: Death in the family.
Post by: wizardgoat on August 12, 2015, 02:31:20 pm

Dang, too bad you didn't read that very important tidbit before you toasted it.
Chalk it up to a learning experience and make a better one!

Title: Re: Death in the family.
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on August 12, 2015, 02:51:17 pm

Next time try wiping the back down with veg oil before you temper the belly. It will still turn gold if you get too much heat on it, but it wont char and weaken nearly as much.

Title: Re: Death in the family.
Post by: Pat B on August 12, 2015, 04:17:56 pm

Will you post pics of the break, back and belly? ...just in case there is another reason.  ;)

Title: Re: Death in the family.
Post by: George Tsoukalas on August 12, 2015, 04:23:11 pm

It's short. 26x2+10=62"
t should be a minimum of 62".
Jawge

Title: Re: Death in the family.
Post by: Billbob on August 12, 2015, 05:51:13 pm

I should have taken a pic but I didn't. I had a camp fire going so I turned it into ashes  without thinking about recording the damage. Never saw hickory just snap like that.

Title: Re: Death in the family.
Post by: Spotted Dog on August 12, 2015, 09:31:58 pm

I always keep the longest limb for an atlatl.

Title: Re: Death in the family.
Post by: JW_Halverson on August 12, 2015, 09:48:59 pm

Sometimes things go from ho-hum to plenty exciting mighty fast, huh?   >:D

I have had more of them just fail in a sloppy splinter infested super-hinge, but I have had just a few gimme the BANG-DANG IT! sort of failure.  I am always left panting, heart pounding, knees knocking, and laughing because I am unscathed.  I am mighty glad to hear you were unhurt.  Well, then....Next piece of wood!

Title: Re: Death in the family.
Post by: mikekeswick on August 13, 2015, 02:54:45 am

It was very short for your draw length with a stiff handle. Think highly strained!
Was the hickory from a board? I'm forever reading how people think hickory is indestructible but it definitely isn't, grain violations will break hickory - i've seen it too many times now  :)
If it was a stave of hickory we are getting much closer to indestructible but not if the back gets too much heat. My reflexing/heat treating form is only 1 inch wide so there isn't anyway the heat can get reflected back onto the back.