REALLY need help,please!

[Don Armstrong]

I have glued up 2 bow with reflex. One is a bamboo with hickory backing and the other is hickory with hickory backing.Overall they came out good as far as being even. The problem is after putting about 30 spring clamps on the glue up, the limb edges are showing wide glue lines and the edges are rolled up. The second bow, I put the clamps close to the edges of the limbs but it didn't seem to help. I sanded the back of the backing and got the edges flat. Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong. I am using urac 185 and the first bow was glued up with it being a little cold but the second one, I heated the glue to room tempature. I also am not sure how long to leave the bow in the form after glueing. I left the first one about 6 days but would like to get them out a little quicker but be sure they are set up. Thanks for any help, Don Armstrong

[Pat B]

Don, At the proper temperature Urac only needs a few hours to cure. Those values are on the can. A hot box or even inside your heated home should do the trick.
   Did you use a pressure strip between the clamps and the backing? This will help to give you a more even glue line. On the boo backing a rigid pressure strip with a softer(like blue foam board)strip against the boo will give you good even pressure with the uneven(because of nodes) boo backing.
  I always used spring clamps because that's how I was taught. But, on the last backed bow I made I wrapped the glue up with bands made from inner tubes. This seemed to give more even pressure throughout the glue joint instead of only near the clamps and I got thinner glue lines too. You may be able to remove a bit of wood from both sides of each limb to clean up the edges. If any voids are found, I have had good luck filling them with super glue.     Pat

[Pluck Yew]

Don, did you buy a bow kit? I'm a thinking 30 spring clamps should be enough. I don't understand what you mean "the edges are rolled up" ? can you post pictures? did you clean them up with a sander? I glued up a three lam r/d and only left it in the form over night..even though I could still see that the glue that ozed out into the plastic wrap was not set.. the glue between the lams was...

Shawn...

[Don Armstrong]

Shawn, the edges were higher than the middle of the limb. If you would lay a straight edge across the limb, there would be a slight bowl effect. I can't post pictures due to grinding the backing flat.This was not a bow kit. I got the lumber from a guy locally and made the backing.

Pat, that was what I was leaning toward. I might try to find some tubes to make strips and go with a pressue strip next time. I am going to narrow the limbs as I have plenty of weight to work with. Thanks guys, Don

[Pat B]

Don, Most bike shop will have plenty of old tubes laying around and will be happy for you to take all you want.
   When you take the edges down your glue lines might look fine.     Pat

[Springbuck]

I have had the same problem many times, with Urac, but even more with TBII, since it doesn't fill the gaps as well.  Also, I think the water base made some wood lams want to warp or cup as the glue dried at the same time water was soaking into the wood to some degree.

  I started out using innertube clamps, but I like experimenting and change my forms all the time, etc..and got a bunch of those little spring clamps so I didn't have to put dowel pegs into my forms, etc..  They did not work well.  Just didn't...

 I broke down and bought 30 small c-clamps and, with a few innertubes here and there, am getting by better and my glue lines are prettier...