Help! Another backing question

[critman]

Making a 60" board bow for a youngster. It should come out around 20-25# @24 inches. I would like to back it with something for strengthing reasons.  I have a thin roll of nylon webbing that came with a deer stand I purchased years ago. It's exactly 1 1/2 inches wide which is the widest point on the limbs. Will this work for a backing? I have seen linen, silk, paper (?) and all kinds of things to back a bow with. This stuff is super strong so wonder if it will work?

[Pat B]

Generally nylon webbing would be too thick which would steal performance from the bow. Thin nylon cloth will work but the other options, silk, linen and brown paper are proven as backings.

[John Scifres]

There are much better choices.  It might keep it from catastrophic failure but I doubt it will hold down splinters and definitely will not add performance.

A good backing to hold down splinters is thin and low in mass.  It does not stretch much and is simple to glue on the back.  

Nylon stretches like crazy, has it's strength running in 2 directions and therefore has extra mass, and requires a lot more glue to fill its porous surface.

Go buy a $1 tie at Goodwill.  Make sure it is silk.

[monterey]

For these kid bows, I have tried rawhide, automotive fiberglass, cotton duck, 20# bond and brown paper bag.  

All in all, the brown paper bag worked as well as any and better than most.  It is also economical and easily obtained.

The best back is none but only two of the 10 or so kid bows I've made had grain that I felt comfortable with.  Much better to lose some cast than have a kid lose an eye!!

[timbermoose]

for kids bows, i've used that gift tissue paper you get from  dollar stores for stuffing gift bags with. lots of different colors and patterns. woorks pretty good. i've use 2-3 layers with success.

[critman]

Thanks guys, and monterey, I am general manager of a convenience store wholesale company and we have lots of torn bundles of paper bags! Sounds like a plan. What do you use for glue and how many layers do you use?

[Pat B]

One layer of brown grocery bag paper is plenty and any carpenters glue will work. TB, TBII, TBIII, Elmers, etc. You probably won't get better protection from multi layers but you will add more physical weight to the limbs robbing performance.
  If you think about how paper is made (wood fibers felted together)you should feel more confident in brown bag paper backing.

[critman]

Paper bags it will be!
Thanks again for all the info guys.
critman

[monterey]

Like PatB said, one layer is plenty.  If they don't make length from tip to center of handle back, overlap about three inches.

Also, FWIW, all of the backings I listed a tried worked fine EXCEPT the 20# bond.  It did not glue well to itself and the finish paint tended to easily chip away from it.  There are surely solutions to those probs, but the paper bag works too good to further purse things that did not work as well