Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Leadweight on November 09, 2018, 11:32:26 am
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A friend of mine found this 61in bow for me at a thrift store. How can I go about finding what brace height it should be at? Also is there any maintenance I should do first before trying to use it?
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If it were mine, I would check the back meticulously for splinters and if clean go to a low, say 3 brace height. I would exercise the limbs a lot at half draw the. Going into full draw @ 3 brace height. At that point Id go to a 6 brace and do the same as above. If nothing clicks, pops, or bangs it should be shootable. Most folks tiller to 28, I would take care to not draw past that at all. Hope its a shooter for you.
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Are there any markings on the bow? It looks like an old lemonwood bow from the 1940's.
As Morgan said work it slowly. You have to re-teach it to bend and recover. If you go too fast it could break.
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Cool find. Let us know how it holds up. If it really is from the 1940s it would be really interesting to see if it still shoots!
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So after not finding any splinters I went ahead and strung it and got to a 6in brace and so far so good.. it seems to of had some kind of gloss on it but that's flaking off, no other markings besides a stamp that says medium near the grip. Speaking of, the grip seems to have separated from the belly. Should I go ahead and reglue and replace the leather?
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If I were going to try shooting it, or flexing it at all for that matter, I would repair that handle. Is that a dowel pin by your thumb?
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Yea it is, not quite sure what it's for though as I'm new to primitive style bows.
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I think that dowel indicates the arrow pass.
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I think that dowel indicates the arrow pass.
That makes sense! I was trying to figure out what would be pinned that way.
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Well I stripped off the old leather and will get started on a new grip. Thanks for the advice and I'll make sure to post some pictures when done.
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Were there any markings under the handle wrap?
Looking back at the pics the wood could be hickory, another popular bow wood of that era.
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At 61", I'd guess that is a youth bow. I would not draw it to 28". You have the handle wrap off, but don't say whether you have reglued the handle. Definitely needs to be done.
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Most of the old bows I have picked up the handle has had to be reglued. Not sure what glue they used back then but it seems to deteriorate over time.
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The only marking I found was a 20 and yes I'm going to reglue it together.
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They sure drilled that arrow pass deep ???
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Thar 20 is probably 20#.
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Alright, so I got it nice and cleaned up. Put a coat of boiled linseed oil on it, made a new leather grip and added a arrow rest, as well as glued everything back together. It also shoots well and it does seem about 20# draw weight.
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cool find Leadweight.
one thing I you might want to consider doing before it gets shot too much, is to evaluate the tiller. sometimes wood bows need adjustments.
if you were to post a pic of the braced bow, taken from a vantage point that is level with the bow, and straight-on square with the bow, it would be a nice addition to this thread. ( hang it on a nail on a wall with a plain background?)
I am not saying anything needs to be done, but it is hard to tell what the bend looks like from your pic of it leaning up against the door.
If it is indeed a kids bow, drawing it further than it was intended to be drawn, could be detrimental, (if it need adjustment )
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How's this?
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I took one of those old lemonwood bows and glued a bamboo back on it. Turned out a fine shooter. A very thin boo back would easily get you to a hunting weight stick. Probably in the 45-50# range.
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That bow was made with the lower limb shorter than the upper, as was standard practice in that time. SO, the tiller looks good--the lower limb is bending more than the upper, which makes the tips draw and travel evenly with each other.
I say again, I would NOT draw that bow to 28". The 20# weight and the 61" length both strongly suggest a youth bow, which would normally be drawn only 25 or 26 inches.
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Cool find!
And nice work restoring it :OK