Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Morgan on November 04, 2017, 07:39:17 pm

Title: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Morgan on November 04, 2017, 07:39:17 pm
And I blame Brad. ;D. I have had a little 56” hickory bow that I posted on here before. For all intents and purposes it was the first bow that I made that wasn’t a dog. It’s been in the corner of my shop since I made it and I’ll often string it and shoot it when taking a break from whatever I’m doing. It has taken quite a bit of set  and when I tillered it out, I started the fades all wrong so I’ve been intending on heat treating the belly and bringing the fades back and retillering it but I’ve been hesitant to do so.
Brads topic of nothing to lose staves motivates me to bite the bullet and re-work this little bow. I figured I’d try to heat in some curves while I’m at it and hopefully wind up with a bit of r/d. Now I’ve never heated curves ever. Made a quick jig and first limb bent like a dream. Clamped tip to jig and let the bows weight bend it as I heated it. Second limb didn’t go so well.
Oh well, that’s part of it. Have a lot of staves and that little bow wasn’t any prize winner.
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: upstatenybowyer on November 04, 2017, 07:41:33 pm
In my experience hickory does not bend easily. That crack doesn't look too bad though. You might be able to wrap it with sinew and save the bow.
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Morgan on November 04, 2017, 07:57:02 pm
That was about 3” from the tip. Not much limb thickness there and it opened up a lot when it happened. When I pulled the clamp off it closed up. I’ve got it in the corner may try something with it one of these years. If it was 60+ inches I’d just chop it down. Pretty sure I should have steamed itinstead of dry heat, but I wanted to kill two birds by bending and heat treating at once.
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: darinputman on November 04, 2017, 08:05:39 pm
I've done the same thing on a couple this past summer one was my first  using a takedown sleeve new I shouldn't try but was too bullheaded not to. In the corner with the rest.
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Badger on November 04, 2017, 08:08:47 pm
  If it took a lot of set when it was straight it will even take more set when you recurve it.
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Morgan on November 04, 2017, 08:21:32 pm
  If it took a lot of set when it was straight it will even take more set when you recurve it.
Lol. See there, shows how much I know.   ;D I had it in my head that I could fix the set with heat and if it took the same amount, the tips would still be forward of the handle helping cast. Was also gonna bring back the fades about an inch giving each limb an inch more wood to work with. Moot point now, think I’ll stay away from the curves for a while. Might try some reflex in the tips of my next bow, but no more recurving for me.
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Badger on November 04, 2017, 08:28:02 pm
  I was teasing a bit, you can very often make some heat corrections and improve the design a bit. Not uncommon for them to just take more set but sometimes you can improve them quite a bit. I shouldn't tease like that.
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Morgan on November 04, 2017, 08:38:40 pm
  I was teasing a bit, you can very often make some heat corrections and improve the design a bit. Not uncommon for them to just take more set but sometimes you can improve them quite a bit. I shouldn't tease like that.
Tease away brother. I’m green as a gourd at this stuff so I may be too dense to tell if you are or not  ;D
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Pat B on November 04, 2017, 08:51:59 pm
Hickory bends more successfully with steam, not dry heat. The few I made years ago all lost their recurve after a while.
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: bubby on November 04, 2017, 09:08:25 pm
Just clean that up, run some ca glue in it when it is opened up aome, then glue a thin lam on the belly side. Easy peasy
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Morgan on November 04, 2017, 09:38:24 pm
Just clean that up, run some ca glue in it when it is opened up aome, then glue a thin lam on the belly side. Easy peasy

Really??? It looked to be busted more than half in two... I have some white oak veneer that is quite thin.... hmmmm think I’ll give it a go.
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: bubby on November 04, 2017, 11:09:03 pm
Take the piece you want to glue on, wrap it in a wet, very wet towel and put it in the microwave for 3 mins or so. Should bend like rubber, if not do another minute or two then clamp it to the tip to match the bend. This will make the glueup better
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Morgan on November 04, 2017, 11:27:42 pm
Take the piece you want to glue on, wrap it in a wet, very wet towel and put it in the microwave for 3 mins or so. Should bend like rubber, if not do another minute or two then clamp it to the tip to match the bend. This will make the glueup better
Thanks bubby!
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Msturm on November 05, 2017, 12:02:19 am
I did that flipping the tip on the tip of a guava selfie too. filled it with CA glue. and put a real thin little guava patch ontop. Wrapped the area in sinu just cuz.   Still shooting!
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Del the cat on November 05, 2017, 02:37:16 am
Rasp it and put a thin pre-bent patch over it.
This is how we learn all the fancy techniques, that's the joy of the old "don't care" bows.
Del
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: stuckinthemud on November 05, 2017, 03:09:50 am
Had the same thing on a little laurel bow, cyano sorted it, didn't need a wrap or veneer but I monitored the repair carefully the first few times I strung it
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Greenriverwoodcraft on November 05, 2017, 07:32:53 am
I recurve a lot of hickory and anticipate it cracking so I leave it fairly thick, way thicker than what I am planning on for a finished thickness that way I can work down through the cracks and splinters and still have enough meat to get a bow.  Boiling for at least an hour and using clamping a strip of sheet metal to it while you bend is also a good precautionary step.
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Morgan on November 05, 2017, 12:08:42 pm
Finished bending the limbs and got the CA glue in the crack. I have a friend that is responsible for most of my bow staves. His house looks like bass pro inside and he said he’d like to have this bow to leave strung hanging on his wall. He cannot draw a bow due to injury and understands that if I finish it for him no one needs to draw it. Since it’s going to be hanging on a wall, I’d like to doll it up a bit. On the patch, ca glue 2 tin epoxy, or titebond? I want to thread wrap the patch, what glue do I impregnate the thread with. I know CA can turn white.
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Pat B on November 05, 2017, 12:28:32 pm
It's not a good idea to display a strung bow. Not only is it not good for the bow but someone will want to draw it of just do it so there is potential for someone to get hurt.
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: bradsmith2010 on November 05, 2017, 12:47:41 pm
well I will take full responsibility for you having so much fun working on that bow,, seems like you got resolved and patched back together,,,next time you will do better on the bending,, I cracked a curve a few weeks ago and put a underlay on it, works fine and looks ok too,, shoot it a few times before it goes on the wall,, should shoot nice,, )P(
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Morgan on November 05, 2017, 01:06:08 pm
well I will take full responsibility for you having so much fun working on that bow,, seems like you got resolved and patched back together,,,next time you will do better on the bending,, I cracked a curve a few weeks ago and put a underlay on it, works fine and looks ok too,, shoot it a few times before it goes on the wall,, should shoot nice,, )P(
Ha! I am having fun. Doing things that I haven’t before, and haven’t had the guts to try lol.
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Morgan on November 05, 2017, 01:09:17 pm
So, I was looking at some cane in the corner. Split some sections between nodes and peeled the outer fibers off. Turns out it is thin and hell for stout. Think I’m going to use this laid side by side for the belly patch
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Morgan on November 05, 2017, 01:35:12 pm
Well got her wrapped up. Laid a little brown paper down and the cane fiber on top. I’ll pull the nylon cord off in a few and Hope she holds.
Title: Re: Ruined a perfectly good bow.
Post by: Morgan on November 05, 2017, 02:35:05 pm
 Patches seem to have took, brought the fades back. Will feather the patches and put a string on her Wednesday and see if I can get her to bend.