Hill bows with clear glass.....pics and opinions?

[RC]

[RC]

[RC]

Helicopter I killed with it...lol


 

[RC]

Of the Hill bows Craig builds the Wesley is my favorite. RC

 

 

 

[RC]

Big Five carmelized boo..

 

 

 

[Learner]

Beautiful bows, Rob.!  Thank you for the pics.

And nice 'copter "harvest".  Did you use one of Rambo's exploding points?

 

[Bladepeek]

All of my bows, with the exception of a couple Bears, have clear glass over the veneers.

I think all bowyers fight the same problem of streaks showing up in the glass and that's something they have no control over, but it seems to be most noticeable over dark veneers. Gloss, satin or matt; doesn't seem to make too much difference in whether streaks are present, since the surface is controlled by the finish sprayed over the glass.

[Learner]

My thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread.  It's been very helpful to have your feedback and photos.

Yesterday evening I was blessed to have a long conversation with a long time practitioner of the Hill method.  The insights I gained from him have helped me to further refine my choices for my first ASL custom order.

So as of now, here are current choices:

-- Hill Big 5 takedown, with all carmelized lams, and the large takedown grip
-- 45# @ 27",  66" length
-- brown glass on back, clear glass on belly
-- no tip overlays
-- locator wedge for index finger, and locator spline (made from wrap material) under belly axis of grip
-- wine colored grip wrap, laced

One of many interesting points which this individual raised is that the tip overlays add weight to an area where it is not good to add weight.

I found that especially significant because on my own I had already been having thoughts about that issue.  This is because years ago I fly fished for a hobby.  So when trying to decide whether to have tip overlays or not, it occurred to me that this could be similar to trying to flycast a heavy bass fly: the fly adds so much mass to the leader that it negatively affects the flight of the line.  Now I know that the masses here are quite different, but so are the velocities.  So his unsolicited opinion confirmed my suspicions.  Maybe the difference is only slight, but I can live without the overlays in favor of possibly better performance, less hand shock, etc.

Well, some of my choices could yet change.  But this is currently where I'm leaning.

Frank

[Orion]

Looks like it will be a fine bow.  

Trying to visualize a locator wedge for the index finger  and a locator spline.  The takedown sleeve Craig uses is smooth, so either of these things will have to be built up under or over the leather grip.  Regardless, a lot of Hill shooters, myself included, would consider them unnecessary.  It's not difficult to correctly grip a Hill.

Your long-time practitioner has given you his personal preference for the grip. It may or may not work for you. They may turnout to be irritating pressure points for you. However, since they'll likely be formed with leather, they'll be easily removable if they don't work for you.

Hill limb tip overlays are so small as to have virtually no noticeable effect on the bow's performance.  Of course, Hills do have a wedge in the limb tip area and overlays aren't really needed. More a personal preference than performance thing IMO.

It's difficult to account for all the variables on your first bow of a different type.  After you shoot one for a while, you'll have a lot better idea of what works for you and what doesn't. Good luck.

[Learner]

Thank you, Jerry, especially for the information regarding the tip wedges.  You're the second person who has mentioned this to me.

Are those wedges made of the glass being used, or the lams wood?

Also, do you find it easy to consistently locate your hand on that large takedown grip?  Without the taper at the backside like the one piece bows, I wonder how the consistency would be for me.

Thank you,
Frank

[RC]

I have shot fast flyte on both homemade and Bought Hill bows that had no tip wedge or overlays. MANY shots through them but with that said the amount of speed you lose from a tip wedge will be unnoticed. I actually don`t think there is a shooter alive that could tell the difference. RC

[Orion]

Lerner, the wedges on the Hills I've had and have all have been fiberglass, though I suppose Craig would put in a hardwood wedge if someone wanted it.

Guess I've never found it difficult to position my hand on any riser, and, in fact, a little variation really doesn't make any difference.  If you shoot split vision, like Hill did and I do, your subconscious orients the arrow where it needs to be vis-a-vis the target regardless of where your hand is on the grip. I could grip an inch below the shelf and still shoot an accurate arrow.

Just as important is not torquing the bow by gripping the riser too tightly.  I start the draw with the grip pressing gently into the palm of my hand and keep a relaxed, relatively open hand during the draw, letting the riser find where it wants to be in my hand. I lightly close my fingers around the riser as I reach full draw.  This results in a firm, but not strangulation type grip, which doesn't torque the bow and reduces hand shock transferred from the bow to your bow arm.

Hills are fun to shoot.  I think you'll like it.

[Learner]

Thank you, Robert and Jerry.