hide glue and artificial sinew

[yewsage]

Why is artificial sinew even called that?  Does it have the same properties as sinew?  Can i moisten it, apply it in a matrix of hide glue to the back of a bow (or around the tip, say) and have it shrink down into reflex the same way real sinew does?

thanks

[Uncle Buck]

Arrificial sinew is a polyester fiber dyed and textured to look like the real thing. You could back a bow with it,  But it would not shrink the bow into reflex or have the elastic properties of sinew. Its best used for sewing, lacing and tieing points on

[George Tsoukalas]

I use it to tie on feathers  and wrap nocks but with modern glues like Duco. It is not a natural product so hide glue is not used with it.  Jawge

[walkabout]

th stuff is waxed pretty good so it probably wouldnt stick to hide glue very well. i use it for hafting points and wrapping nocks and sometimes i make strings out of it. gotta stretch it first for that though.

[yewsage]

well why do they call it artificial sinew?  seems strange

[walkabout]

i think because it somewhat mimics sinew, its stretchy and holds tension like sinew, and if you bundle some strands together(such as in making a string) it looks like sinew or gut after some use. i still use it for strings on some bows, depending on the weight and style, because of the color it gains with use. it however doesnt pull back if you soak it and then let it dry like sinew does, but if you seperate strands it looks pretty close to the consistency of sinew

[yewsage]

thanks!  ok i'm gonna try it.  This new vine maple flatbow i'm working on has a slight check in one of the side nocks.  i filled it with superglue.  But i want extra insurance.  So if i set it in epoxy, in tension, around the last couple inches of the limb, i should be good to go?

[walkabout]

you could just wrap it with the art. sinew and coat that in superglue as a"bandage" to help reinforce the check. artificial sinew (depending on what color and kind) has a break strength of about 15-20 #, but it stretches alot. if you use it like you would use normal sinew, i cant guarantee results. i have yet to be able to seperate the strands into a good thin sinew like form, but i have used it for wrapping and know other people who do as well. if you wrap with it be sure to stretch it first, then after you get it wrapped warm it up so it will shrink tighter.gluing it can be a pain like i said because its waxed, but ive had good results laying it over a thin layer of tb3 to hold wrapping in place.

[walkabout]

its kinda like a weak rubberband it will stretch then settle back then stretch again until you get it warm enough to set the stretch for good.

[ChristopherO]

I believe a better idea for insuring that check would be to sand the tip at an angle on the back and glue another piece of strong material, such as wood, antler, horn, and then shape it into a decrative new nock.  Conduct a search for overlay tips to get an idea what I am talking about.  They look great and are strong.

[frank bullitt]

Jason, from my experience, I wouldn't use it to wrap a limb. It does stretch alot, and you don't want that under tension. For decorative looks, it's ok, but not for strength.

I have wrap alot of limbs with F.F. serving and set with superglue. Works good and lays down nicely.

If you don't have any available locally, you can use fishing, "spider wire", line. Even any of the serving materials for bowstrings will work, well.

[George Tsoukalas]

I'v used it for wrapping limbs. In that case I set it in epoxy. Jawge

[jbat73]

artificial sinew, great stuff, why do they call it that, cause it's used mostly for sewing projects like sinew once was, and it somewhat looks like real sinew that has been covered/soaked in hide glue. i've used it to haft points and reinforce self nocks as well as wrapping limbs for decoration, and only after i've seperated strands using the smallest of  strands. makes a nice tight reinforcement. i use to give myself a nice carpal tunnel type feeling,lol, i'd wrap them so tight. i do agree with jawge that it can be used for the limb, wrap it as tight as you can and use epoxy or loctite/super glue. if you don't it will loosen and fray over time. good luck