A little bowstring history

[bawana bowman]

I actually made a string using grass fibers recently just to compare the noise level with dacron. Twisted up the grass string like I was making a piece of cordage. Had 1 loop and a bowyers knot. Fixed it to a 40# bow and started shooting, was actually quiet just by itself, didn't need to fuss with it at all! Just wish it would have held together longer! Got 31 shots before fibers pulled apart, but with practice I could learn to have them last longer. Next I'm thinking of trying bamboo like they use in Papua New Guinea. Guess I'm regressing, have yet to try fast flight,(always been happy with dacron) but I'm going backwards in materials.( You never know these skills may become necessary to know).

[freefeet]

Originally posted by Rob DiStefano:
but so is that really low stretch/creep dynaflight'97 that's so popular - it's dyneema (also a trade name) that's made from hmpe (high modulus polyester).

Actually, it's high modulus polyethelyne.

PE = Polyethylene

Polyester is Polyethylene terephthalate or PET.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by freefeet:
 

Originally posted by Rob DiStefano:
but so is that really low stretch/creep dynaflight'97 that's so popular - it's dyneema (also a trade name) that's made from hmpe (high modulus polyester).

Actually, it's high modulus polyethelyne.

PE = Polyethylene

Polyester is Polyethylene terephthalate or PET. [/b]

THANX!  yer absolutely right, and i knew that, too! ack! - mea culpa, post amended!    :eek:

[Biggie Hoffman]

I don't want my bowtips to be like a fine flyrod, I use mine as a staff at times.

[LBR]

Just noticed where I goofed--I meant to say that PENN 66 and B-75 were considered the "stuff" for bows/archers that didn't use FF type materials.

I just haven't seen (heard) the big difference in noise between dacron and the FF type materials I use--mainly Dynaflight '97 and Formula 8125.  Proper tuning, silencer material, and silencer placement take care of it for me.  My longbow is whisper quiet with one small set of silencers, and my recurve is almost as quiet, both with Dynaflight '97 strings.

It has been a LONG time since I shot regular FF though--it might have been noisier--I don't remember.

Chad

[Jeremy]

Let's not forget some of the other original string materials: gut and rawhide  

As for some of the other "trad" materials:

silk stretches a bunch more than dacron
linen stretches less than dacron, but more than FF
I haven't seen a good hemp string, but I'm guessing it'd be a lot like a good linen string.

[twitchstick]

Thanks for class guys.      

[Pepper]

Are you using "endless loop", or "Flemish twist" in your string tests?  Both?