String Prestretch

[Gordon martiniuk]

Do you string makers prestretch you bowstrings and if so how much weight and  how long

[Friends call me Pac]

I don't hang weights on my strings.  Instead I do the following.

After making my strings I place one loop on a hook that is solidly anchored and a screwdriver through the other loop.  I then pull back with both hands on the screwdriver to get a lot of initial stretch out.  

Next step is to set the brace hight and shoot it for a day.  After a day or two of this it stops stretching.

[A.S.]

Here's what I've come up with. I hang my string on a hook on my exercise bench (about 6' high), then I hook the other end on my lat pull down bar (loose so it hangs). Then I stand on the lat bar thus placing my whole weight on the string to stretch it. I stand there for a minute or so.  After doing this, I see very little creep in my strings.

[LBR]

I have a homemade jig that puts 250-300# of torque on the string (depending on how much I crank down).  I leave it like that for a bit, then let it contract, then put it back under approx. 100# of torque for a final measurement.

Chad

[Jim Curlee]

I install the string on the bow, minus the serving, then I take a piece of leather and rub the string, vigorously. This will take out the bulk of the stretch.
I hold onto the string, in about the center with the bow handle facing down.
Works good.
Jim