natural wool string silencers

[sticksnstones]

I got a bunch of wool right off a sheep and I'm picking out bits of hay and thinking about string silencers. Every time I've done this before the wool has been in the form of yarn already. Before I go and twist this into yarn by hand, is there a better way to turn raw wool into a string silencer?

Also, I've always used Scotch Guard on my wool silencers in the past. Since this hasn't been combed out, dyed, etc, will the natural lanolin be enough waterproofing on it's own? Just wondering what other folks do.

The topics I've found in the archives all start with wool yarn, not raw wool. Wanted to make sure I wasn't missing an option here.
Thom

[Zradix]

Sounds interesting.....
I guess you could spray a bit of water on some to see how it does with the natural oils..

I wish I could be of more        ..

I really no nothing of threads or fabric.
Myself I'd be rolling a bit between my hands trying to make a "snake" and seeing how that held up, if at all...lol

Looking forward to hearing what others in the know have to say.

[KHALVERSON]

thom
ive got some felted wool silencers from two tracks that work awesome
i know felting is labor intensive but that may be another option

[Mike Vines]

Thom, I have tried the natural wool silencers, and as soon as you come out from a day of hunting, you wil be unstringing your bow to cut the clumped up mess apart.  They grab every burr you go near.  I switched over to the felted wool silencers that are made by Chuck and Chris at Two Tracks and can't see going back to anything else.  If it does get a burr, it is simple to pick off.  And they perform wonderfully, atleast to my ears.

[sticksnstones]

Good thought John, this will be an easy thing to field test with a spray bottle of water!

I meant to buy some of those from Chuck at Kalamazoo, and then we got to talking about Longwalker bows and I forgot about my shopping list. Hopefully he has some at one of the events coming up.

Here is a string I'm testing for hunting purposes. 14 strands of FF, loops at 18, half length but double thick cat whiskers for silencers. I'm sure this is the lowest performance string I've ever made, but if I come across a car stuck in a ditch I'll be able to tow it out    

   
Thom

[NJWoodsman]

I've used Llama wool, which is very fine. I separated it into strands about 2" long, formed into a bundle, then tied in the middle with serving thread. Work good if you do it right, otherwise it comes loose in a wispy mess. I prefer the rubber cat whiskers.

[Zradix]

The Toelke bow I just got had some of those thick whiskers on it...The bow is QUIET.

Boy Thom.that string is ROUND!
Nice job!
   

[sticksnstones]

Thanks for the comments and pointers guys! I also got a good PM the other night and a few follow ups that were REALLY helpful so I thought I'd post an update on this thread.

I took some little clumps of wool and rolled them into a 8 short and fat little rolls, about the diameter of a Tootsie Roll but a little wider. I separated out the three string bundles and put 4 of them into the braids and squenched them closely together. Here is the raw material and the initial placement of the wool.
   

So that was pretty ugly. I got my hand a little bit damp and twisted the wool with some friction until the fibers just started to come together (not a full on felting.) I dried them off a bit, then worked the wool for another minute or two to come up with this.
   

I kinda like it! I shot it dozen times or so, gave it a little trim, a little more felting, and a few more shots to get it all settled in. Now that tiny bit of string buzz is gone and it's even quieter than it was before. Final product!
       

It certainly didn't absorb the water, it is very repellent naturally. I'll shoot this a bit and see how it works out in the long run.

The method described in my PM would be great for continuing this technique for a couple more inches to make a long slender silencer which sounds really ideal for a recurve with noise problems. I though anything more than this might look goofy on this bow.
Thom

[ms greenhead]

I have used sheep wool right from the sheep for years works great. I just take a pinch and snip from the hide and put it between the two different color strands and shoot away the lanolin is a natural water repellent

[TxAg]

Thanks for the update. Looks good

[Stone Knife]

That's what I use, they smell a little funky when they get wet but with the natural oils they don't hold water.

[Razorbak]

Thom
you be surprised how quiet it would be if you try that other method on the longbow like the squatch..very surprised

[sticksnstones]

Thanks for the comments everyone. I'll be honest, I think doing a puff out of store bought yarn is easier, but this was a fun little project to do! I did notice that smell during the pseudo fletching and on my hands afterwards.

Art, I set aside enough material to do a set with the method you describe so when I get more free time I will be doing one! Since I'm very short on bows these days it probably will be for the Sasquatch.
Thom

[Razorbak]

Thom.  LoL that's why you got wash the wool in the dish detergent   ALOT of the smell will go away. LOL.  It's all good fun in experimenting