take-down guys: I need your help!

[katie]

I had the chance today to buy a nice take-down recurve at a nice price.  The bow was in great shape.  It shot excelent.  Then I noticed that on both limbs,  It had a crack in the glass.  The crack ran from where the limb started (at the riser) to about 1 inch beyond the riser.  My guess was that the bows bolts had been too tight?  My question is, is this a deal breaker?  How will the cracks react?  I would have got the bow in a second had it not been cracked.  I have never had a take-down so I am asking all of your advice.
Thanks

[bentpole]

katie ,sounds like the old "tightened to much" scenario. Are you sure it's only the glass that cracked? I would ask some of the bowyers here or bowdoc what they think . Myself i would find out from someone how much to fix it and have the seller drop the price accordingly. Or don't buy it at all.

[ron w]

It may not go any farther, but I would be worried about the longevity of the bow. Better to not get it and wait for another than have that one give you problems later on. We work to hard for our money not to get all the value we can get for our dollar. Just my opinion!!!

[katie]

Thanks guys!

[Steelhead]

I have seen this on quite a few bows.Its not always because the bolts bolts tightened down to much either.Alot of times the wood swells a little bit in the fadeouts because of moisture getting in the pin allignment holes or bolt holes  and the glass cant expand like the wood so it cracks under the pressure of the swelling wood.Thier other reasons for these stress cracks as well.

I have shot at least 4 with them and never had a problem with the bow blowing or delaminating and thay shot great.Some people have i am sure though.Most likely its a hairline crack and not some gaping thing.

I sealed mine with loctite 420.I let it seap in best I could for a little bit..Fill it in again later to make sure it filled in.You can sand it and put some finish on it when your done.I have haerd some bowyers drill a very small shallow hole at the end of the crack to keep it from going farther up the limb.They then fill that hole with epoxy I believe.A diamond tipped bit would be good I think.

I would not pass up a great deal on a bow because it had a few stress cracks on the base of limb personally.

We have all seen old bear bows with stress cracks in the working part of limb that are being shot to this day.Those stress cracks on the bow you describe I assume are not up into the working part of the limb much or at all.The older bear bows are repaired with high quality super glues by guys who restore them and they are used again

You might contact bowdoc and or Rich Lopez for some advice on a home repair job.Or do a search in the vintage bow forum and see if something pops up.They have done a few threads on bow repair and restoration thier with bows that have stress cracks on the limbs.

If its a great price I would consider buying it personally.

[L. E. Carroll]

I once had a like new Robertson with the same thing on the bottom limb.  Called Dick for advise and was told to use locktite super glue or if I like send it to him and he would repair in the same manner.  If it's a bargain I'd buy it and use a little glue and a bit of heat from the hair drier to get it to "Wick" Into the slight crack. The ones I have seen never seem to extend even close to the end of fadeout. I consider them "cosmetic" and just fix
accordingly.  

[katie]

Thanks guys.  It would be $810 new.  The guy wants $200 for it.  I would have no problem getting it.  I just have this one problem.  I tend to buy a bow, shoot it a few years, then sell for another.  It is a sickness:)  I would feel stange putting it up for sale down the line with stress cracks in her.

[Steelhead]

I you sale down the road just give a fair description Katie and a 3 day inspection and all is fair.I knew a few of the ones I bought had stress cracks like you describe and it was no biggie.I would suggest putting cork or a thin rubber strip on the riser where the limbs mount on that bow if you buy it and also some felt or something on the bottom of the bezels or limb bolts to reduce effects of vibration on the stress cracks.It will also keep moisture out and high humidity.

[Hud]

Kate,
You can buy Loctite 420 online, but it is not cheap then buy a couple syringes at your pharmacy. A needle is necessary to get it in deep, fill the crack and let it dry. Use blade scrape flat, refill if needed. Next day scrap smooth, then sand with 220, 400 and 600 garnet paper. Wet sanding with 600 will smooth it out nicely, then you can put a little Polyurethane on with a brush. If you want to do more you can.

Loctite has a website, where you can print out info on this product.