Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Justin Snyder on April 08, 2007, 12:32:22 am
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My first bow, BBO had a splinter rise on the boo a couple of months after I finished it. I sanded the finish off and wrapped it with sinew then refinished it. Well after 2 years the sinew wasn't in the best shape. I want to re-wrap the limb. I have taken the sinew off. I'm wondering if silk wrapping will do the job. I don't expect that it is as good as sinew. Would you use silk or sinew?
Also, with silk backing can it be spliced on the limb? Justin
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Justin, Silk wrap set in super glue is pretty tough. Wrap it tight, saturate with super glue and let it dry. Sand it smooth with fine paper and add more glue and let dry. Sand one more time and add super glue and smooth it with your finger ::). As long as the glue stays wet, it won't stick you to the bow ;D. This will create a solid band around the splintered area.
It probably ain't as good as sinew but it is purtier. ;D Pat
ps. you will have to peel the glue off of your finger tip.
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I splice two pieces in the grip area, although I have done so on bend in the handle bows with no problem. I haven't tried it mid-limb.
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Thanks guys, I broke down and went to the local fabric store and bought a yard of silk. It is pricey, but if you figure out how many bows you can get from a yard it is less than $1 per bow. I still havent decided how to fix my first bow, sinew or silk. Justin
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Justin, I think I would glue the splinter down with super glue, add the silk backing(with TBIII) and wrap with pretty silk wrapping. ;D. That should hold it fine.
I have one of Vinson Minor's Cane Dragons. It lifted a splinter in the boo so Vinson added a thin rawhide backing over the boo and it has held for 2 or 3 years so far.
Another cheap sourse of silk cloth is blouses , dresses and neck ties from a used clothing store. With these items you also get a nice pattern for your bows back. ;D Pat
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I bought the biggest blouse the 2nd hand store had in silk. I cannot get a piece long enough to cover 1 limb without a splice. :'( Justin
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Well, like you said, $1 per bow ain't bad! Pat
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Justin, two options that I know will work. Just patch the splinter with a small square of silk just a few inches longer than the splinter. Maybe two or three 2-4" layers where the splinter starts. Also, a patch of rawhide will work. Just make it a bit longer than the splinter and then glue it on just like a backing. You dont need a full length piece and you dont need to wrap the limb.
If you use rawhide, feather the edges after its glued on. Also, if you use a strip of silk with ca glue you dont need to wrap it around the limb. Just over the back.
I've been working on a new bow and it popped a splinter about 8" long .25" wide right down the middle. Silk worked fine.
I have a few snake skin covered bows with a silk patch and one with a rawhide patch. no one knows but me. :)
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Thanks Matt, will a silk patch cause it to need re-tillered? Is it that strong of a backing? The reason I was going to wrap the silk thread around the limb is so I could leave the bow as close to the way it was finished in the first place. Justin
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The silk wont, but the rawhide patch I used stiffened up that section of the limb a bit and I had to adjust it.
I dont know if its that strong, but if you use one strip down the length, and then 2-3 smaller ones right at the start of the splinter it seems to capture it pretty good. Be sure to sand the boo well, and then use a lot of ca glue. I use a plastic bag around my finger to smooth it down.
Here's a photo of the latest one I did. I added some arrows to show the start and the end of the splinter. at the top you can see where it is built up with a few extra pieces.
This is a little 58" bow for my brother. He shot it almost all weekend and its 58 lbs @ 29". I also worked the heck out of it on my tree. I didnt want it to blow once I finish it and add skins.
BTW, if its white silk it will almost turn clear, looks like glass.
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Thanks again Matt. That is amazing, you can still see the splinter. It does resemble glass a little. Justin
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OK guys, I finished the patch. Ill post some pictures for critique and to maybe help out someone who hasn't done it before. You can see the splintering was pretty bad. First I super glued on a patch of silk from a shirt from the local second hand store. Then I wrapped it with red silk thread. The ends of the wrap are tied in like serving a string. The last step is to saturate the wrap in super glue. I put a plastic bag over my finger to smear it, like huntersim recomended. Justin
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That looks good but will it stiffen that limb too much? I think I would go with a silk backing after glueing down the splinter...but you know how good I am with boo backed bows. ::) Pat
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Unless I misunderstood Matt, it should be fine. I took it out and shot it this morning. It shoot pretty darn good. If anything I think it may bend a little more there. Keep in mnd that it was my first bow, so the tiller probably left a little to be desired anyway. It still pull the full 60# @29" Justin
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She seems to be fine. She's bending nicely at the wrap. Pat
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I think if that dont hold it, not much else will. I've never done a thread wrap like you did, just because I like to hide the patch, but it sure looks like it will hold well.
Just curious Justin, do you think it lifted a splinter in that spot because of the way the limb is bending at that spot? Or do you think it was from another reason. Also, did you check the tiller before and after the wrap, a comparison of sorts?
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No Matt, I didn't check it before the wrap. I was scared to. My guess is I did something to cause it. I built it for my 2004 pronghorn hunt. I had been shooting it for about 3 months. I went out to shoot it about 3 days before the hunt and when I strung it I heard it pop. I used sinew to wrap it. I made it through the hunt and got my speed goat, but the splinter seemed to get worse. I wrapped it again only this time I put a sinew patch on, much like the black silk patch. That was a BIG mistake because it caused more splinters to lift and started a hinge. I took it off immediately and it has been sitting for over a year waiting for me to get brave enough to fix it. Justin
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Thanks Justin. Wasn't trying to sound critical if I did, just curious. I like to look for the root cause, comes from my profession I guess. I seem to run into all sorta problems building bows.
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I didn't think you were being critical. I never could figure out what caused it. I usually set them aside until I find the root cause. But with 3 days left and no backup, I was just getting it fixed NOW. Justin