Using Phenolic ?

[Forwardhandle]

I never used any kind of Phenolic but I want to use .060 Phenolic as tip material single layer on the tips with no cut in string grove on the back side of the tips & use 10 strand Fast Flight Plus string do you guys think there would be any issue with cut threw I plan on padding the string loops with B50 ?

[Crooked Stic]

You will have to round the phenolic to get rid of the corners. I would use two layers and groove part way thru the top one because .060 is not that much.

[Forwardhandle]

Kinda figured it I usally use water buffalo horn but the peaces I have for spares are to thin alone so maybe do the phenolic and then horn or double phenolic , I like using the horn because you heat it up to about 115 deg then press it on the tips it conforms to the limb perfect let it cool before gluing up it holds the shape !

[BMorv]

I didn't know that about horn.  I will give it a try.

[Forwardhandle]

Yea Ben the thinner it is the less heat it takes realy very easy to bend permently but if your using it for belly lams the less heat the better, I made a simple jig for straitening it , I usually pre heat the horn to 100 deg in a electric blanket then use a heat gun & infrared thermometer & never go above 115 deg putting shims along the area to bend , did this thread take a twist 

[BMorv]

Hey you started the thread.  You can veer off if you please.
I didn't intend to use as a belly (not yet anyway).  Does it begin to melt or breakdown if you heat it more than 115 degrees?

[Forwardhandle]

If I remember right from reading Adam Karpowicz book it can loose some compression quality due to breaking down the carotene in the horn if to much heat is used but 115 deg is no where near doing that ,some guys steam or boil at 212 deg but if using it for tip over lays non issue ,I have about 6 pairs of raw horn that I need to process and you get a lot of over lay material from cut offs left over , I have a horn composite bow I have been working on , on & off for 2 years but my FHLB fetish put it on the back burner for now...lol

[BMorv]

Thanks for the info. 

"FHLB fetish" LOL, I guess we'll see you on one of those strange addiction shows...

[Forwardhandle]

I thought this was a strange addiction show  Ben the water Buffalo horn you get a lot of mileage out of the cut offs, I got 5 bows out of the cut offs from just those lams , I have one odd unmatched horn strip that I could probably get 50 bows out of for tips , my friend Ed made a bamboo backed horn belly bow years ago but said it was a real dog , a lot of those composite bows are on par with a lot of glass bows just take a lot longer to make  I really have most of the hard work done on mine , I could probably turn it into a curing bow in 4 Saturdays just got distracted with other bows but been thinking about that bow a lot lately !