Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Joel Hamberg on October 02, 2017, 02:26:32 pm
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Hi!
Never published anything,though I read and enjoy all your sharings.
I have never seen anyone backing a bow with seawolf skin. It is supposed to be amongst the toughest skins according what I have read, next to eel.
It has been used a lot in northern europe and at the arctics for shoes and clothes. There is one species, spotted seawolf, that grews partuclarly big and has a spectacular pattern. I made this bow for a friend and only took one photo it seems. Bow aint that special but the skin came out great. Ash selfbow, flat limbs, 66' long and 55@29. Originally skin is greyish, which is beautiful too but with the shellac I used it turned yellow, something that I first was disapointed about but then I got new feelings for it as I worked with it, now its more "leopard". Some actually call it leopard seawolf-not correct.
I would like to see more of your fish skin backed bows....can be dreamlike beautiful. I bought a bow from Bill Carson with a perfect sturgeon skin backing. A true sensation to look at (and shoot). Also it seems you have the best looking sturgeon at your coasts...
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Very nice and a unique backing. :OK
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Very cool, didn't know that they were a critter!
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Wow. That's some beautiful skin. Now I have to search it to see how much it is to buy!
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Wow! beautiful. I demand more photos! You can't do that to us. I'd love to use that skin someday for a bow. Here are a few sturgeon skin bows I've made. It's incredibly tough stuff.
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/705/23506644946_47f503e206_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/BPcGzQ) (https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5641/22904440004_2895ffef36_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/ATZf31) (https://farm1.staticflickr.com/712/23461693351_de6db82bc9_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/BKej3k) (https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7524/28064010681_ccd02a9831_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/JKVoD8) (https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7379/28063979331_1a517a70fc_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/JKVejB) (https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4245/34322666834_6f0a73a77b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/UhYD4Q) (https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4473/36795060633_92aefaff13_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Y4siB8)
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That seawolf bow looks cool! Weylin i always thought sturgeon skin looked like a star map
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I agree with Weylin, you really can't just tease us like that. Heck I thought Sea Wolf was a TV show. Oh maybe that's Air Wolf I don't know don't watch much TV anyway. Beautiful skin and the only picture you took of that bow is a nice one.
Bjrogg
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Seawolf was an oldschool arcade game back in the day...from the 70's, I think.
I looked up the fish. I've seen those in the aquarium before, they are cool. The skins look great. Very nice.
Did you catch 'em or buy 'em?
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Sturgeon skin bow I did a while back. Weylin is right, incredibly tough stuff....and might I add, a total pain in the a$$ to work with. Lol
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2885/34021205455_321ccd5c52_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TQkz6R)YS13 (https://flic.kr/p/TQkz6R) by James Rocco (https://www.flickr.com/photos/145628524@N05/), on Flickr
Also did channel catfish skin accents on a bow a few years ago...
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You mean wolf eel. We used to catch those when I worked on a fishing boat in the northwest. I had thought they would look beautiful on a bow and they sure do.
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Thanks for nice comments and especially to all you that posted your pics of fish skin backings. I drewl...maybe not a sain reaction.
Well, I am a fishmonger in Sweden so I can have access to plenty different species such as halibut, seawolf, salmon, cod varieties, turbot etc, We used to get bigger sturgeons before and also eel and shark, Now ray, shark and eel are banned (which is very good in my opinion) so they are not easy to come by.
I did salmon too, inspired by a pic at Echo's archery site. Did not work out great due to bad preparations, I think it was a bad idea to glue directly on a finished, oiled bow. Rugged and washed with alcohol but probably too much oil in the wood left-had it explained to me by another local craftsman.
Will try again, looked promising.
We got sturgeon too but not same species so their skin aint that pretty as the ones caught off your westcoast-starlike as someone described it.
Anyway, I am generally not so impressed by painting and pimping bows for dandy appearance so the natural camouflage as well their function of preserving the back of the bow or other purposes is what works for me.
I am a little puzzled as to what glue would be best, titebond 11, fishglue...other? How muchglue is really necessary.
The bow you see on pic seems to work, has stayed on well for 3 years now so I did right that time..but failed the next and the next.
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Joel,
Beautiful bow! You did well, and apparently everything right! How about a photo of a sea wolf with it's skin on for us "landlubbers"? It's about 3,000 km km to any sort of salt water from here!
Parnell,
Wonderful photo - how long did you follow the pack to get that shot? >:D Lol! Good job of Photoshopping that one!
Hawkdancer
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Beautiful!
The bow and its backing!
You can send some skins to me!! ;)
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Thanks again.
Simson, I tried an old link to your website. it didn't work out. Do you still have it, can you send me a new one at Joel.hamberg@icloud.com?
When I get hold of new skins I can send them.
Turbot, burbot and ling are some other I am about to test in time.