64" Kodiak string

[Mobear]

Got a 66 Kodiak 64" length in the mail yesterday.  Bought it on the TradGang classifieds, gorgeous bow.  Strung it up with the flemmish twist string that came with it and shot a few arrows.  The brace height was about 7 1/2".  Shot well, quiet, no wrist slap.
Strung it up again tonight to shoot a few more arrows and the string broke at the top of the serving.  Put on a 60" B50 loop string on it and the brace height was at 7 1/2" again.  I let the bow sit for an hour and the brace height went to 6".

Can I excpect to be able to twist the 60" loop string enough to get the correct brace height, or should I get a shorter string?

Woud I be better off with a flemmish twist string?

How long does a dacron string take to fully stretch and what is is the right way to break in a new strig?

Not sure if I'm posting in the right forum.
Thanks - Anthony

[d. ward]

Anthony you should be able to twist the loop string a little.They can not be twisted as much as a flemish.I would stick with the flemish if at all possible.bd

[kenscollick]

When I make a string for a vintage bear i make them 5" shorter than the bow length. I prefer the flemish strng

[PAPALAPIN]

It is all personal, but I prefer endless loop B-50.

In my opinion you are better off getting the right length string to achieve the brace height you want.  Twisting the string will make your string thicker, and a slight bit slower.

Rule of thumb is usually 3" shorter than the bow measures from notch to notch along the belly side of the bow.

Again, flemish vs endless loop is personal.

[Mobear]

Sounds like 5" shorter is the way to go.  It looks like the string is a little thick with all those twists.  I had the same experience with the 55 Kodiak I had, 4" shorter than the measured length along the belly just seemed too long.
How about the stretching issue.  How long does it take for a dacron string to fully stretch?

[PAPALAPIN]

To the best of my "limited" knowledge, i did not think that B-50 stretched any.

As usual, I am probably wrong.

If you will contact any reputable Trad supplier, such as 3Rivers or others, and tell them what you have, they will supply the correct string.  If it is AMO 64", which a 66 Kodiak should be, they will know exactly what to send you.  Another good source is Rainman on this forum. He ain't so great, but his strings are.

Again, Endless loop or Flemish is your choice.

[Jeremy]

AMO standards weren't adopted until Feb 1968 and state that a bow's length is determined by measureing the string that braces it correctly (measured under tension) and adding 3".  So a 64" bow should use a 61" string.  That's after it's been prestretched and settled in.  The '66 Kodiak is pre-AMO standards though.

Any good stringmaker should prestretch their strings before shipping them out.  If your brace is dropping 1.5 to 2" in an hour, that string was NOT prestretched.  

If the 60" braced the bow correctly, buy a 60" string from a reputable maker.  It'll still take awhile for the B50 to settle in, but we're talking a drop of brace of like 1/4-1/2" over the coarse of a week or two, not 2" in an hour!  A flemish string will take a bit longer to settle in.

First thing first though, twist the string you have up to the point where the brace is correct and measure the string under tension on the bow.  Then order the correct length.

[PAPALAPIN]

See, I learned something again.

What Jeremy said is good advice.  Twist your string until you get the brace height right, then measure the string for the exact length.

I would then tell the string seller what the bow lengthe is (64" AMO or not) and the actual measurement you took.

Mobear...you come here to learn...so do I...been doin' this for almost 50 years and I learn something here every day.

Thanks, Jeremy

[Mobear]

Great advice!

Twisted up the endless loop string till the bow had about a 7 5/8" brace height.  I'll take a measurment from that and see what the string length should be.

Thanks Jeremy.  See, I knew it was going to be easy!
Jack, Thanks for the advice on the phone today.  Hope to see you in Gainsville.