Here's a trivia question for some...

[Keefer]

I was doing some web surfing and read something thismorning that some of you may know if you grew up doing the Wing,Bear,and Damon Howatt years so put on your thinking caps and see who knows their history of what was one of the first products Gail Martin wasn't quite known for? Fred Bear was impressed by it!         I'll let you know when the first person get's it correct...Game on starting Now!

[Bjorn]

OK; pretty sure I know what it is but I'm letting this one run-it is too good!  

[reddogge]

An endless string jig?

[Charlie Lamb]

Peppermint Schnapps.

[The Vanilla Gorilla]

String jig.  

Or the Butt-Out tool.

[bretto]

Velcro

[ChuckC]

Charlie, I'd like to propose a toast to his invention ( Peppermint schnapps ), may it always be close at hand.

ChuckC

[Hawkeye]

Ummm.... the Vegematic???

[Ricker]

The Borsalino hat....??        

[centaur]

Fetching jig?

[Keefer]

Bjorn and Reddoge were close close (Bjorn) sent me a p.m. but I know the string jig was needed but the improvement of the string was his first archery related thing he pursued to improve on cause he got tired of strings unravleing on his bows so he started to make his own...Then Fred Bear was impressed and had Gail make the ones for most Bear bows...It started in the basement of his house and  not many knew he had a small operation making strings and arrows right under the house...

[reddogge]

I did read in his obituary that Bear Archery bought 500 of his jigs.

[joe skipp]

Definitely was the invention of string jigs. Next was the fletching jig. I remember reading somewhere that Gail designed the jig and worked on pre stretching the dacron strings without too much failure. Now...I could be wrong but I'll go with the string jig.