Need some help with Bear '59 Kodiak

[Bjorn]

The grain in that riser is beautiful Larry!

[desertrat49]

Very interesting, Larry! I have a gold ink '59 that could be that one's sister! I got her 3 years ago, knowing that someone had removed the grip with a box knife, leaving a scar on either side of the grip area and into the risers.

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Thanks to (not in any particular order) Trap, Tony W, Bowdoc, Larry M, Drywood, and others, I had finally managed a nice reproduction of the original leather grip.  

 

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Oh, my! Where had she been all my life?!  Turned out beautiful (IMHO) on the first try; been researching and planning this for 3 years. I think I'll name her Jolene. That's Frieda on the right.

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Needed a little cleaning up here and there where I got a little too enthusiastic with the barge cement.

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Thanks again for everyone's help on this project.

[Larry m]

Thanks Bjorn....

Yeah Chuck, that grip came out very nice. I think for me the template was the key and then patience in the placement of the grip after skiving the leather and a bit of trial before the final glue up.

When the real Bow Doc was on here this site was a lot more active with his very educational tutorial's. Very amazing what that guy was capable of doing to some of these old classics!

[desertrat49]

Thanks, Larry! I'm really thankful that Tony W. was able to resurrect some of Bow Doc's 101 series. I've had that template on heavy card stock for a couple of years sitting in my 3-ring and several pieces of leather rode to work on my dashboard, sunning themselves to a nice tan at high altitude. I think this piece of leather was around 3 oz; could have been lighter or perhaps had more diligent use of the skiver applied. But, the nekkid grip felt a little skinny and now it has a nice, kinda bulbous feel that Dean Torges writes about in "Hunting the Osage Bow". Picture is of how I got most edges to look. Use of the skiver was a challenge!

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[desertrat49]

(Say, I'm a little slow on the uptake, but is "Bow Doc" a play on words for "bois d'arc"? Grew up in Texas and it was pronounced "bow dark"; put a little deep south spin on it and you have "bow dahk".)

[Larry m]

Mr. Don Ward out of Seattle Washington.
The one, the only and original bowdoc! (bow doctor)
Not sure what has happened to him. Several of his friends post here and perhaps they could fill in a bit of info if appropriate.
He had some great post's on restoration tips at one time and helped many an aspiring archer with tips on old bow restoration.

[desertrat49]

Sorry, Larry. Answered your reply sometime yesterday but appears to have gotten lost in the ozone. I followed Don's 101 when I registered several years ago and am very thankful to Tony W. for having resurrected (some of?) and annotated it. Also owe a debt to Wade Phillips for his "Field Guides to the Old Bears", so to speak, from another forum. When I was working, I put together a sorta representative group of 1950's Kodiaks that I wasn't too afraid to (no aluminum or compasses):

1953 K4 56# Kodiak -Static recurve
1955 64" 57# Kodiak -Representative of the '54-'56 early working recurve (refurbed by previous owner)
1957 64"37# -The first Kodiaks with sight windows (37# for sore shoulder days)


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And, of course, the '59's.

[desertrat49]

I understand that Don Ward is the REAL Bow Doc(tor). Just struck me as funny that it could be a play on words as well.