can i save this bow?

[selfbow hunter]

hey guys i have another question for you all. its fianally getting warm enought out shoot outside again so ive been pulling my bows out and tuning them up one bow has me worried though its a purple heart bendy handle bow backed with hickory i made last fall turns out the hickory had a flaw in the grain that i didnt think was imprtant when i made the bow but now the backing has lifted a huge spliter across the back of the bow about halfway down the bottom limb anyway i was wondering if its possible to glue the splinter down and wrap it with silk and glue to hold it down or maybe another backing to hold it all together i really want to save this one as its one of the prettiest bows i have made so far. the bow is about 66 inches ntn and 1 1/4 inches wide at the handle.... i admit i was pushing it with this one but i was willing to sacrafice arrow speed for the handling and accuracy i usualy get form bows of this design if anyone has any ideas on how to get a shooter instead of a wall hanger please fire away

[Pat B]

You can grind(sand) down the hickory backing that is on the bow and add another. You wouldn't have to take it all the way off. If, after the second backing is on and it is too thick, grind(sand) it down until it is right.   Pat

[Linc]

I would superglue the splinter back down and wrap with strong thread.Then I would back it with silk.This way you could avoid retillering the bow and still keep the same draw weight.

[selfbow hunter]

thanks for the help guys i think im going to try the silk idea i bought some today as well as some fiberglass resin that is designed for rc vehicles it says its good for wood plastic cloth etc to i think it will be ok but with the silk do i have to back the whole bow or just patch the spliter and about 6 inches on either side? my idea was to patch it this way and make another patch at the same place on the other limb so it looks symetrical and maybe wrap it with colored thread so it looks like a decoration will this work ?

[Pat B]

I would not use the FG resin. It may crack when flexed. Tite Bond glue will work fine and is easy to work and doesn't stink up the place. I'd also back the whole bow.     Pat

[selfbow hunter]

well i tried it 24 hours of waiting for the glue to cure and as soon as i braced the bow i heard that telltale crack so i think this one is toast o well now i have an excuse to make another one

[wingnut]

Yep it ain't broke til you say it's broke.  But when you say it's broke it's time to move on.  I spent way too much time chasing fixes on broke bows over the years.  Let me tell ya it's not worth more then an hour or two.  After that, heck you could have built another one.

Mike