Egyptian composite build a-long

[welch2]

Glad ya found it Brian. The more folks I got helping me out on this one the better my chances are.

Ralph

[welch2]

Well , both horn strips are finally on. I think it's starting to look like a bow.







Now I have to give it the oval shape (except the back) and even up or taper the thickness of the horn .Then it's sinew time .   


Ralph

[The Burnt Hill Archer]

 

[radius]

that's deadly, man...don't rush, but keep it coming!

How thick are the horn strips, would you say?

[welch2]

Just measured it for you , right at 1/4"  .The bow is 1" wide at the handle now ,and 3/4" thick.

The originals were almost round , a slightly flattened oval .So I guess I'll be laying the sinew on kinda thick. about 1/4" thick to get right shape of the limbs.

Ralph

[radius]

thanks...now, how you gonna pull that sucker?!?!?!  Looks like you'll need a winch!

[welch2]

You may be right . The limbs don't flex very much right now . Old King Tut may have a pretty strong archer , huh?

I'm trying to stay as true to the museum bows as I can .That includes trying to induce 4 -6" of reflex when I sinew it.

       But this bow is for the bow trade  on palio planet. And the guy I'm making it for shoots 60# at 28" . A few of the originals had part of ,or the whole of, the horn shaped like a keel or a ' V ' ... I could do that to lose a little weight . 

     If I have to alter it  much to make near 60 pound draw ,I'll just make another one . I really want to get an idea what these bows were capable of.


Ralph
 

[radius]

are you on the line for a bow like this, as far as the trade goes?  Or just any bow at his dw and dl?

i have been following your threasd since you started, but obviously i don't read from the beginning every time:  have you made a bow like this before?

[welch2]

The trade is for whatever whoever drew you wants to build ,at the draw weight and length ,yes . Lot's of fun.

I made a bow kinda like this a couple years ago.

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,2260.0.html

Ralph

[radius]

cool, i just checked out your "mirkwood bow"...you must have a truckload of patience, man!  I've never worked with horn, but it seems like it would take forever and also stink to high heaven.  Good on ya.

Scott

[welch2]

Thanks Scott , most of time is waiting for something to dry . Working on horn smells a little like burning hair.

I'm working on a way to tie it in reflex .Right now now the tips are still about 1/2" behind the handle (deflexed) .I am thinking about glueing small blocks on the back side of the tips. Then run a string over them to pull the reflex in . I might try it without them first .

But built up tips would give me room under the string to sinew in comfort....

Ralph

[Knocker]

Hi Ralph,

A couple of questions.  I am pretty new at primitive archery, and never worked with horn at all.  So I understand that the horn is on the belly of the bow?  I would have thought it would be the backing...  So you must be doing this because the horn is very good in compression right?  And then the sinew is strong under tension.  Do you think the horn would also be a good bow backing - it has awesome looks and seems it would make a nice combination on the back of a light colored wood like vine maple or oak.

Keith

[welch2]

    Yes ,the horn is the belly because it's great in compression . Horn is also very heavy and weak in tension ,so most consider horn a very poor backing material.  Horn also has to move a long way to store that compression energy ,requiring horn bows to be reflexed more than self bows . Then with all the reflex you have to sinew it to handle the tension and protect the back.

    If you like the light dark contrast , cover the sinew in a light colored bark, like birch . This Mongolian bow I had made for my brother is ibex horn covered in birch bark.







Ralph

[Knocker]

AThanks for the information.  Very cool bow.  Now of course we all want to see the bow strung and in full draw...

Thanks,
Keith

[welch2]

I wish I could full draw that one . 
I gotta make a new string for it but ,here is what I have .



This is as far as I can pull it.



This is the bowyer ,Tumurhuu Batmunkh and he is head of the Mongolian archery association, former champion and bow-maker.



Tumurhuu is 62 years old ,and he makes it look easy.

The string has stretched a bit ,and as it is, it has lots of hand shock ... Ask the guys who shot it at the Classic.

Ralph