Had a weird glass issue - first time ever...

[cunruhshoot]

Here are some pics of the issue with a little background. This bow came out perfect no flaws and shoots awesome it is 35# @ 28" 3 piece take down. I shot it at least 500 times and then gave it to its new owner who is a friend. She has been shooting it a couple days a week for some time now. This weekend I was shooting with her and her husband and happened to look at her limbs and was frustrated to see the following...She was not paying attention and did not notice if this was a slow process or when it started to happen.


 

 


 


 

The streaks run along the full length of both limbs back and belly and even run on the belly of the limb that is up against the riser. The bow still shoots great but I took the bow back so that I could build her new limbs.

Do you guys have any idea what is going on? She understands what it means to dryfire and says she has never dryfired the bow and I checked her arrows and they are nocked properly and not too loose. This is a first for me I have never had a bow do this. The limbs are smooth to the touch, no sign of the glass breaking through but this looks like the glass is separating from the veneer.

[bigbob2]

I've got several strips of clear that haven't been used yet that look a whole lot like yours.Probably just the crappy product that the manufacturer  has been putting out.

[mikkekeswick]

Was it definately not like that when you were making it? I'm sure you would have seen it!
To me it looks like the bonds between the glass fibers is failing? Not enough resin used in manufacturing?

[Troy D. Breeding]

Never seen anything like that.

[Bowjunkie]

Is it BoTuff?

[cunruhshoot]

Yes it is BoTuff from Bingham. It was as clear as could be at the beginning.

 

And I put plenty of arrows through the bow to ensure that it was a shooter.

[cunruhshoot]

This is just a thought I had right now...I used .040 glass and the total stack of the limbs is .240.  If my math is right that means that 33% of the stack is glass. Is that too much glass to wood ratio? Or does that have nothing to do with an issue like this?

[Trux Turning]

Can't say I've seen that before- as for the glass to wood ratio- I've used that same formula numerous times (.040 glass- .240 stack) with zero issues.

[monterey]

My trade bow 2014 had a short streak like that along with a few other odd anomalies that looked like poor glue joints.  The glass looked like it was cracking but their was no gap whatever that I could see.  Have heard nothing about it from the recipient and can only hope all is well.

[BenBow]

I had some clear glass that the glass fibers separated. Some of the glass stayed bonded to the wood and the outside of the glass pulled away. The glass looked fine before so there was nothing visable to indicate there was an issue. Just a manufacturing defect.

[cunruhshoot]

Thanks for all the insight. I will continue to build...I have two to glue up right now and this deal kind of brought me to a standstill for a moment not wanting to duplicate a problem if it was a issue that I could avoid.

I don't know how the big bow building companies produce at the mass production level and not have issues like this, when I am putting so much care and effort into one bow at a time!

[JamesV]

Just a wild guess here: was this by any chance Gordon almost-clear glass???????

[7 Lakes]

Wet the glass before glue up with Acetone, if there are streaks, they will show up.  That's some of the worst I've ever seen, if it was just streaky glass it should have shown up in the sunlight before you ever shot it.  Maybe something else is going on.