Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Kidder on August 05, 2020, 08:30:41 pm
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What is the consensus on the best string material for self bows? I just recently learned to make my own strings and picked up a couple rolls of B55. The biggest problem I’m having is for the life of me I can’t get the strands to stick together to make bundles and end up fighting the process the whole time. So second question - is there some trick to it, is it the particular type of string, or am I just a dummy???
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I used to use B-50, it always stuck together easily. I would still use some string wax. Now I use linen thread, it has to be waxed quite a lot and even then it won’t stick together very well when making a string. I still love it though.
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Are you using string wax? If you need some, PM me and I'll send you some that I made. As far as string material, I like to use several of the low stretch materials that BCY makes. I get it from their vendor booth at several of the shoots that I go to. I like 452x, 8190, 8125, etc. They are all low stretch and are easy to twist up a string.
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I like D97 on all my SB's with either Majesty or XS serving for hunting. Not much of a reason to put low stretch string material on a selfbow unless you can kill animals or shoot regularly at 35 -50yds. 452 and 8190 are virtually no stretch materials. You can use them on a selfbow but if the bow has any flaws at all those string materials will amplify the damage it will cause by using that stuff. I can see using 8125 if you have wood that is Arvin quality. Even that stuff is very low or no stretch.
The problem with those materials is not so much shooting it, it's what it does when the bow snaps back to full brace after the shot. All selfbow are going to give it up someday. Shooting no stretch material just brings that day nearer everyday you shoot it.
Shawn~
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I used to use B-50, it always stuck together easily. I would still use some string wax. Now I use linen thread, it has to be waxed quite a lot and even then it won’t stick together very well when making a string. I still love it though.
Thanks - that’s a a very generous offer. I’ve got a little left. Hasn’t seemed to make a difference whether I wax it or now. The stuff I have is pre waxed but adding wax hasn’t seemed to change the outcome.
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D97 all the way for me. 8 strands with 2 strands pad at loops and serving. .030 serving. That’s for my daily shooters and my flight bows. But that’s just me. Arvin
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Is your string wax tacky? When I wax a string bundle it's hard to separate the strands.
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I only add wax to the loops and serving.
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You can take natural fibres and good solid yarns from these fibres:
hemp, nettle, linen.
Also you can use Dacron (B50 and B55). It is a polyester yarn.
The modern yarns are mostly different versions of Dyneema from the company DSM Dyneema (SK 60 - SK 90) with the examples
Sk65 = FF;
SK75 = D97, D75, FF+, 8125;
SK78= Force 10, Astro Flight;
SK 90 = Fury, 8190.
There are also hybrid yarns from Dyneema and Vectran (ex. 452x, xcel)
The difference is usually the make-up of the yarn (thickness, number of fibres, how much pre-waxed).
Personally I prefer Spectra 652, which is comparable to SK65 but comes from a different yarn manufacturer (Honeywell) and I only wax where I build the loops.
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I've always used B-50 and now I use B-55. I don't have a chrony so my bows are fast enough for me and these days I don't mind a little stretch; pants, shoes and bow strings. :OK
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Is your string wax tacky? When I wax a string bundle it's hard to separate the strands.
My separate wax is fairly soft and gooey. Comparable to hockey stick tape “sex wax” if anyone is familiar with that. The threads on the spools stick together but as soon as I pull it off the spools it doesn’t ever seem to stick back together.
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I like D97 on all my SB's with either Majesty or XS serving for hunting. Not much of a reason to put low stretch string material on a selfbow unless you can kill animals or shoot regularly at 35 -50yds. 452 and 8190 are virtually no stretch materials. You can use them on a selfbow but if the bow has any flaws at all those string materials will amplify the damage it will cause by using that stuff. I can see using 8125 if you have wood that is Arvin quality. Even that stuff is very low or no stretch.
The problem with those materials is not so much shooting it, it's what it does when the bow snaps back to full brace after the shot. All selfbow are going to give it up someday. Shooting no stretch material just brings that day nearer everyday you shoot it.
Shawn~
You can use any material on a selfbow and you will not wear it out quicker or affect it at all. If a bow has a weakness it has a weakness and will fail there regardless of string material.
Kidder - the strands aren't meant to 'stick together' it is the act of twisting that holds things together. I never use wax to make a string as there is no need. Wax a string after it has been made to help sheds water but to be fair with modern materials wax isn't even needed for that ;)
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I am using a homemade wax of beeswax and about 5% collophony. This is normally very solid.
I wax the areas where the twists for the loops are made - that way the twisting is a bit easier...
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I like D97 on all my SB's with either Majesty or XS serving for hunting. Not much of a reason to put low stretch string material on a selfbow unless you can kill animals or shoot regularly at 35 -50yds. 452 and 8190 are virtually no stretch materials. You can use them on a selfbow but if the bow has any flaws at all those string materials will amplify the damage it will cause by using that stuff. I can see using 8125 if you have wood that is Arvin quality. Even that stuff is very low or no stretch.
The problem with those materials is not so much shooting it, it's what it does when the bow snaps back to full brace after the shot. All selfbow are going to give it up someday. Shooting no stretch material just brings that day nearer everyday you shoot it.
Shawn~
You can use any material on a selfbow and you will not wear it out quicker or affect it at all. If a bow has a weakness it has a weakness and will fail there regardless of string material.
Kidder - the strands aren't meant to 'stick together' it is the act of twisting that holds things together. I never use wax to make a string as there is no need. Wax a string after it has been made to help sheds water but to be fair with modern materials wax isn't even needed for that ;)
For a very long time i have wondered about everything stated within these two comments, still not sure the concrete answer...
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I use 50 pound braided spectra fiber fishing line. ZEBCO used to make good stuff for cheap but i guess they went under. Nowadays I use PowerPro fishing line and it works fantastic.
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I like D97 on all my SB's with either Majesty or XS serving for hunting. Not much of a reason to put low stretch string material on a selfbow unless you can kill animals or shoot regularly at 35 -50yds. 452 and 8190 are virtually no stretch materials. You can use them on a selfbow but if the bow has any flaws at all those string materials will amplify the damage it will cause by using that stuff. I can see using 8125 if you have wood that is Arvin quality. Even that stuff is very low or no stretch.
The problem with those materials is not so much shooting it, it's what it does when the bow snaps back to full brace after the shot. All selfbow are going to give it up someday. Shooting no stretch material just brings that day nearer everyday you shoot it.
Shawn~
You can use any material on a selfbow and you will not wear it out quicker or affect it at all. If a bow has a weakness it has a weakness and will fail there regardless of string material.
Kidder - the strands aren't meant to 'stick together' it is the act of twisting that holds things together. I never use wax to make a string as there is no need. Wax a string after it has been made to help sheds water but to be fair with modern materials wax isn't even needed for that ;)
For a very long time i have wondered about everything stated within these two comments, still not sure the concrete answer...
Linen, hemp and nettle is a low stretch material.
Dyneema is a low stretch material (very low) and the newest Dyneema (SK 90, SK 99) is very very low stretch material.
Vectran is nearly no stretch
B50 and B55 is a stretch material (not so much than a rubber cord but....)
Also more stuff (thicker threads) has less stretch than thinner threads...
If you build a very thin string it has more stretch compared to thicker ones.
Twisting brings a little bit of more stretch in the string - an untwisted endless string has less stretch than a much twisted flemish string....
None of the materials is orginal made for bow strings. The archery stuff is a by-product.
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In addition to my posts I have included a table with the "modern" string yarn available in Germany. A friend of mine worked in the field (ropes and cordage for professional applications such as sailing and climbing) and has compiled this table with the specific values of the string yarns based on the manufacturer's specifications.
In addition to the yarns from Brownell, which probably now belong to an Italian company and BCY, there are also yarns from Germany (Lippmann) and Japan (Angel).
The basic fibres from Dyneema, however, all come from DSM* (except Spectra from Honeywell) and Izanas in Japan. Vectran as an auxiliary yarn for the hybrid yarns comes from Japan and polyester (B50, B55) is produced by various manufacturers.
* DSM = Dutch State Mines from the Netherlands
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There is no consensus, as you can see. I use B 50. Jawge
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Linen for me, 18/4 grade unwaxed. If you used the waxed type maybe that's why you had trouble?