Author Topic: Fast Flight on warbow  (Read 29157 times)

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Offline Moen

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Fast Flight on warbow
« on: May 30, 2009, 06:14:46 am »
Hello. I have a #130@30" warbow made from Norwegian ash. Question: How many strands do i need for the string? (Brownell TS-1)
Norwegian...of course..

Offline alanesq

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Re: Fast Flight on warbow
« Reply #1 on: May 30, 2009, 08:07:21 am »

18 strands seems to be about the usual
although it has a breaking strength of 95lb per strand I believe - so there isn't any problem strength wise if you go much less than this

Offline adb

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Re: Fast Flight on warbow
« Reply #2 on: May 30, 2009, 02:47:56 pm »
I use nothing but FF for any of my heavy bows. Dacron is too stretchy. For bows up to 80#, I use 16 strands. For bows up to 100#, I use 18 strands. For bows above 100#, I use 20 strands. I'm sure this is overkill and reduces cast a bit, but I like the fatter string, especially on the heavier bows.

Offline markinengland

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Re: Fast Flight on warbow
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2009, 02:22:03 pm »
I think there can be a risk using too strong a string.
A good measure for string strength has always been 4 times bow strength.
For a 100lb bow this would mean that 5 strands would be enough and 8 would give a significant safety factor. 16 wouldin my opinion be too strong.
20 strands would give a strong enough string for a 475 pound bow! There is some stretch factorin a flemish twist string but my feeling is that a string that is far too strong cannot be good for a wooden bow.
Mark in England

Offline Marc St Louis

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Re: Fast Flight on warbow
« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2009, 03:25:17 pm »
I have used 12 strands on a 170# bow and it was fine
Home of heat-treating, Corbeil, On.  Canada

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Offline Moen

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Re: Fast Flight on warbow
« Reply #5 on: May 31, 2009, 03:33:05 pm »
Ok, Mark. So 10-12 strands will be enough for my 130#? I try to go over 300m/328yrd. And i`m very close. Shoot 290-295m with 18 strands B-50. 30" barrel shaped arrow with 1"x1/2" feather. The Norwegian flight-record is 356m/389yrd.
Norwegian...of course..

Offline Moen

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Re: Fast Flight on warbow
« Reply #6 on: May 31, 2009, 03:34:45 pm »
Quote
I have used 12 strands on a 170# bow and it was fine

TS-1?
Norwegian...of course..

Offline ratty

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Re: Fast Flight on warbow
« Reply #7 on: May 31, 2009, 04:15:46 pm »
i use 12 strands on my 133# bow    D75

Offline adb

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Re: Fast Flight on warbow
« Reply #8 on: May 31, 2009, 06:50:46 pm »
I like the fatter string, because it feels better on my fingers... less pinch. How could a string that is "too strong for a bow, be hard on it?" Better than the string failing, and the potential for the bow to break.

Offline Marc St Louis

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Re: Fast Flight on warbow
« Reply #9 on: May 31, 2009, 07:39:31 pm »
No I used the old FF, break strength 90#.  You will need to lay a few extra strands in at the nocking point so your arrow nock fits
Home of heat-treating, Corbeil, On.  Canada

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Offline Davepim

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Re: Fast Flight on warbow
« Reply #10 on: June 01, 2009, 05:21:25 am »
I like the fatter string, because it feels better on my fingers... less pinch. How could a string that is "too strong for a bow, be hard on it?" Better than the string failing, and the potential for the bow to break.

I agree with you adb, I always use a string that has more strands than necessary, simply to feel thick enough. I have always used fastflight or fastflight plus - never seen any problems. Linen and hemp also have virtually no stretch or elasticity.

Cheers, Dave

Offline Moen

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Re: Fast Flight on warbow
« Reply #11 on: June 01, 2009, 07:41:02 am »
I use this bow for flightshooting. So its no point to use more threads than necessary, just to get the string thick. With a good arrow, i think its posible to take the Norwegian flight-record...i hope.. ;)
My friends was in Batsford, England last week. He tell me about a new flight-record for longbows? Enyone who knows?
Norwegian...of course..

Offline Marc St Louis

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Re: Fast Flight on warbow
« Reply #12 on: June 01, 2009, 09:39:31 am »
The record was set at around 430 yds but this was not a recorded world flight record
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Marc@Ironwoodbowyer.com

Rod

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Re: Fast Flight on warbow
« Reply #13 on: June 01, 2009, 09:50:49 am »
Folks used to say that fastflight was a breaker of wooden bows because it stretched less than a Dacron or linen string.

Well, it does stretch a little less than Dacron, but it's real advantage performance-wise is that fastflight weighs less.
And to be honest the only bows that I have ever seen broken with a fastflight string on them were either radically overstressed or weak in construction.
They probably would have broken sooner or later whatever the string was made from.

Making a fastflight string overbuilt would in fact probably be safer inasmuch as the increased string mass would slow the bow down.
You might just as well say that shooting a heavier arrow will break the bow.

I have an old boo backed laminated target bow 56lb @ 30"(now honourably retired) that has shot a 15 strand fastflight string it's whole competitive life in NFAS, BLBS, EFAA and GNAS.
It has often been criticised by folks with fancier bows for it's 3 inches of unbraced string follow which arose from the boo overpowering the belly from day one, but these same folks have more than once then had the doubtful privilege of seeing this same bow finish in the medals whilst their "superior" bows were in the also ran category.

This bow has also survived the scary experience of a few days experimentally shooting flight arrows with a 6 strand fastflight string, something quite painful on the fingers and making a sound so strained and high pitched that it will not soon be forgotten.

The only reason I use 15 strands is that it gives me a perfect nock fit when served and I figure if I had one on a heavy bow, this and comfort in the draw might be the deciding factor for me in a choosing string thickness, unless I wanted to optimise the string mass by reducing it so as to maximise the cast.

I also use fastflight on a short osage recurve and have had no problems, although my drawlength with this short bow did cause the original  Fullerplast varnish to check repeatededly in horizontal lines all along the whole length of the working limb on both back and belly.
This was made tidy by carefully sanding off the offending surface coat of varnish and rubbing the bow with emulsified beeswax.

The original horn overlays both popped off under the pressure of the string at different times, having been fixed in place with an unspecified superglue.
When reattached with Warn system epoxy no further problems were experienced.

What did surprise me was how well the fastflight held a properly made and waxed bowyers hitch, something I had been assured was not likely.

In conclusion, I guess I would have no worries about using fastflight on a sound well tillered bow, though I might make the string fat enough for comfort but light enough for durability on a heavier bow.

But I guess that I wouldn't feel right with fast flight on a single stave yew....

FWIW

Rod.
« Last Edit: June 01, 2009, 10:04:41 am by Rod »

Offline Davepim

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Re: Fast Flight on warbow
« Reply #14 on: June 01, 2009, 10:54:22 am »
All my bows are single-stave Italian yew, and I use fastflight or fastflight plus because dacron is too stretchy and too elastic. It would be nice to use hemp or linen but I simply cannot obtain grades of this strong enough. Warbow strings were originally quite thick as shown by the internal width of the arrow nocks, hence archers 500 years ago would have had a pronounced reduction in performance, weight for weight, over what we see with thinner bowstrings made with modern materials today. I see no problem with thicker strings even with modern materials, hence I use 21 strands for bows of around 100lb draw-weight - it's safe and feels good on the fingers even if it is a bit slower.

Dave