Help identifing possible Bear Bush bow

[captaincvx]

Could anyone identify this bow.
I have what appears to be a 1940's era Bear or Grumley bush bow. The bow is 58 inches long and has brush tips. It is backed with something that looks like sinew or hide. There are no markings on the bow. Below the bottom of the grip is what looked like tape but closer inspection shows a solid coating that has cracked. Below the coating is winding of some type of cordage. Any thoughts are appreciated. See pictures at  http://imgur.com/a/eu0Ee

[Bjorn]

I compared it to a bush bow I have, and it is very very close IMO. Is it the real thing? Probably. But probably means nothing to a collector. Someone did try to make it a little more center cut. It will be interesting to hear what the experts have to say.
In case no one welcomed you to Trad Gang...............Welcome to Trad Gang!  

[Larry m]

Nice Find!!

[captaincvx]

Thank you for your help.

[Wade Phillips]

captaincvx -

If your solid osage bow was originally a 1940s era Bear Bush Bow, it was greatly altered at some time in the past. Your close up photographs show what appears to be some finely woven gauze like material under the black outer coating immediately below the handle section on the lower limb. That area was likely cracked and then repaired. The fact that the solid black material is cracked and flaking off, indicates to me that it is simply a thick black paint or some type of early black rosin. The backing is clearly rawhide not sinew.

The lines of the bow, at the fadeouts of the handle section and outline of the bow, and the belly of the upper limb, all appear to have been scraped down, likely to clean up the damaged area and to reduce the weight of the bow keeping the limbs evenly tillered. It is also possible the original intent was to simply reduce the weight and some inadvertent damage occurred during this process that made the repair necessary. The fact that there are no markings on the bow, likely means while scraping the belly of both limbs of the bow, the markings were removed which would have been on the belly of the upper limb just above the handle section, if it was a Bear Bow. Judging from what is left of the bow, if it was originally a Bear bow, it was marked “Bear Archery by Grumley”.

With over a 100 Bear Grumley bows in the bow collection here, and having owned, examined and handled dozens of other Grumley bows since I began accumulating archery stuff in 1958, I can attest to the fact that many Bear Grumley era bows exist today in repaired condition, and many exist without their original markings.

[captaincvx]

I appreciate your analysis of the pictures. The ends looked like the pictures of the Bear bush bow in the 1948 - 1949 bear catalog but the rest of the bow seemed strange. The repair looked like it was done very carefully. The under layer looks like tightly wrapped cord of some kind. It came from the estate of a man from Cheboygan MI which is about 80 miles north of Grayling Mi.

[59Alaskan]

Cool bow regardless.  Someone cared quite a bit about it and worked to make it suitable for them.

[Wade Phillips]

This is certainly an interesting repair. My first impression was like yours, “The under layer looks like tightly wrapped cord of some kind” as most repairs of the day were made from sinew, cord or thread, often impregnated with glue, and covered with varnish. Then I was distracted by the evenness of the under material nearest the wood, which appeared to be a gauze like material on my screen. However, now after closer inspection of your last image, I can see the curvature of individual wraps of the cord at the point that the handle section curves upward. During an examination in person, it would have been immediately obvious that under material was cord.  There is nothing like carefully studing a bow in person to discover its secrets.  

Although far from a pristine museum piece with its repair, scrapped belly, missing markings, cracked leather grip, altered fade out shape, altered outline, and whittled up more center shot strike plate area, your old bow has “character” and is a great example of a real workhorse from the bygone era of the golden age of archery.

[Wade Phillips]

Harold,

Regarding a date of manufacture for your bow... If the bow was originally marked "Bear Archery by Grumley", I would have to date it at 1942. Two unaltered features are utilized to arrive at this date, it is a solid osage self bow and the brush nock shape.

[Ray Lyon]

Seeing this makes me think of my old friend John Grumley (Nels Grumley son). It was always fun to see the look on John's face when he talked of his dad's bows. I'm glad they're in Wade's hands now. I just bumped in to John's son (also named John) the other day here in Traverse City. I tried talking him out of his dad's arrow making equipment. John was a meticulous arrow maker and was my source for heavier spined Acme Premium arrow shafting since he typically used the 50-55# range and I could talk him out of a dozen or two heavier spined bundles every now and then. He had bought a thousand shafts and they were all in tubes spined in 5# groups (but usually within 2#'s of each other) and then within 10 grains. For those of you that've seen the collection of his dad's bows that Wade now has would agree he was equally meticulous about storing and displaying those.

Here's John at Shrewhaven Lodge in mid nineties noted in an article I did for TBM. I noticed in the equipment notes I was using some Acme Premium shafting-from John Grumley of course. He's using a Brooks Bros. replica of his dads bows(John is second from the left). He said the Brooks Bros. bows were as close to his dad's work that he'd ever seen as far as copies.  

 

 Thanks for keeping the history alive Wade.    

[alaskabowhunter]

I bought this a few years ago on auction, cool bow.

 

 

 

 

[Ray Lyon]

Thanks for posting Chuck. Wow what a small world cyber space makes it.

[Wade Phillips]

Ray -

Yes John really liked his Brooks Bows. He told me so many times. I really think he was fond of them simply because they were new and he could shoot them. Obviously the Brooks Bows are not exact replicas of his father's bows, but rather only "similar" to a Grumley. Look at where the handle fades out to the limb on the bow Chuck posted, not even close to Nels Grumley's work. Brooks' workmanship is good, it's just not an exact replica of a Grumley.

When I bought John's collection, he was a bit disappointed when I told him I did not want any of the newer bows including the Brooks. He clearly understood that I put his father on the highest plane possible and everyone else was several tiers below.

Nels Grumley was truly an incredible and gifted craftsmand who while at Detroit, helped Fred Bear more than any other person make Bear Archery what it became when they first moved to Grayling.

Chuck -

Nice photographs! You need to set that bow in the sun for a few months so that osage gets dark...

[Ray Lyon]

Wade, your assessment is spot on.  Nel's was definitely in his own league.  Michigan was lucky to have Bear archery here and then guys like John and Floyd Eclelston to show off collections annually in the state shoots and shows.

Thanks again for all your insight on this forum.