limb twist

[Scott Watkins]

I shoot a Dale Stahl takedown recurve, and I have recently noticed that the very top and bottom seem to be slightly twisted or bent in a little.  I dont know what is exceptable and what is dangerous when it comes to this.  If it wasnt for this website, I would not have even been looking for something like this.  Thanks for all of yalls help in these areas for those of us that are new to this sport.  The bow seems to shoot just fine if it makes a difference, and it seems that both top and bottom are bent in the same.

[2treks]

I would contact Dale and see what he says.Some good Pictures posted here(or the bowyers bench) would help. Good luck.

[McDave]

Both Black Widow and Bob Lee, to pick two prominent recurve manufacturers, have instructions in the information they send with their bows for correcting limb twist.  Limb twist is not that uncommon, and can be corrected by the user if caught early.  Limb twist will probably get worse if left alone.  I'm sure that any bowyer will be happy to correct limb twist in their bows if you send the bow back to them, but the sad fact is, once limb twist appears, it will probably come back, so it probably pays to learn how to correct it yourself, as they don't have any magic way of doing it at the factory so it stays fixed.

It's easier if you see it visually in the manuals and videos that come with the bows, but basically, you look down the bowstring from each end of the strung bow, holding the recurved end in the cupped palm of your hand.  If you notice limb twist, you twist the recurved end in the opposite direction and hold it there for a few seconds, then check it again, repeating as necessary until the limb twist goes away.

Like an STD, it's something nobody wants to find, but at least you don't have to go to the doctor to get it cured if you find it early enough.

[yaderehey]

I have an old Shakespeare Necedah I picked up at a garage sale that had a pretty badly twisted limb.  I use a straightening method I read about on here.  Held the the limb under hot tap water for about 30 to 60 seconds and then countered the twist and while still holding it under the water had my son change it to cold for about another 60 seconds.  I then strung the bow and let it hang for about 2 weeks before shooting it again.  The twist hasn't come back.  I liked the hot water idea vs. a heat gun or hair dryer as most hot water is no more than about 110 degrees so overheating the limb should not be a problem.  That said I would contact Dale and get his take on it before doing anything.  Good luck.

I should have added I tried for months to twist this limb back into line w/o heat and it would stay for a short while and then drift back to the twist.  For this bow it took the heat to make it stick.

[JEJ]

I have used McDave's suggestion of "bumping" a strung recurve back into line. Put on some work gloves for a secure hold, and slow, steady pressure has worked for me. My old Wing Thunderbird has behaved so far after that correction.

(Can't personally compare limb twist bad news to an STD, but if Dave says so, then I believe it! Dave, thanks for all your good advice over on the Shooters Forum too. Your comments have helped move my bow shooting from "poor" to "half-way decent".)    

[Scott Watkins]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the advice.  I have tried to look up Dale Stahl on the net before, but could not find any good info.  If anyone has any contact info that would be great.  

As I said it seems fairly slight(I guess),would this ever become dangerous or anything like that?

[yaderehey]

You can contact Dale at 215-379-1090.  Dale makes a great bow and he's a great guy to talk to.

I don't think you need to worry about any danger.  You could get a limb twisted so bad the string slips off when you're drawing back, which wouldn't be good.  But your limb would have to be twisted a lot worse than yours sounds.  I don't think limbs with a little twist in them are any more prone to breaking or anything like that.