? for those with Flemish string making experience

[ejes]

I am going to attempt to make my own Flemish strings.  A nice older gentleman that I met at a trad shoot this weekend was kind enough to let me watch him make one and to walk me through what he was doing.  It was very interesting and I learned a lot.  While there I bought the "Doin' the Twist" DVD from the folks at the Nocking Point trailer, but I haven't watched it yet, so the answer to my question may be on it.  Anyhow, what I was wondering is how do you go about padding the loops on a Flemish string?

Thanks for any info in advance!

[rbbhunt]

You don't have to pad them.  Leave them as they are after twisting.

[ejes]

I am curious since I see that some that build them for sale offer them padded or undpadded.  Padded, of course, are more expensive.  I just assumed there would be a reason for padding (like being easier on the grooves or making the string a little quieter)  since it was offered as an option.

[TXRED]

Eric,Though I haven't seen the video,I believe Chad covers the padding of the loops.Seems like I recall somebody mentioning that,before.If not,I,m sure Chad or one of the others will chime in & explain it.

[aromakr]

ejes:
Just cut some short pieces of string material and add them to your bundle ends, i.e. if your are using a 8 1/2" pig tail just add a few 8 1/2" pieces to the end of your bundles and make the string as usual.
Bob

[ejes]

Hey, thanks!  I getting home soon and will finally get to sit down and watch it.

[Hatrick]

Yep, as aromakr said.

[Swanny in MD]

Don't know if you necessarily need padding?  

I shoot in the low to mid fifties and make my TS-1 strings 14 strand without any loop build-up.  Can get an easy year out of them.  Anything under 14 strands or over 60#'s,  I would definitely add a couple strands per loop.

Padded strings *can* (not always) contribute to more noise (more waxed surface) and limb twist on a recurve, imo.  But you may indeed benefit from them if your string nocks are left filed in an aggressive shape with relatively sharp shoulders (making more string wear).

[ejes]

Thanks guys.  I watched the video last night and it did, in fact, explain this very well.  I appreciate the comments and help!  I was planning on trying DF 97 to make a 10 strand string.  With that string being considerably thinner than B-50 or the like, I thought padding might be a good idea.  Pete Ward got pretty good performance with this combo in the particular bow I have on order and I just didn't want to saw my tips off with it.

[LBR]

Hope you liked our DVD!

There's a few reasons to pad the loops when using the low stretch materials.  It may not be a requirement, but many bowyers will void the warranty if you don't.  Padded loops add cushion/surface area to make it easier on your tips.  The new materials are very strong, and can act like a wire saw, especially with tiny strings.  I've never saw a bow built for these materials damaged by them, but I have seen two different old bows that were shot with un-padded FF strings that had the tips literally sawn off.  I've never heard of a padded loop increasing noise of the chance of a twist.  I know it will actually reduce noise on some bows, and many bowyers do require padded loops with anything other than dacron strings.  Not saying it couldn't happen, just that I haven't seen or heard of either one.

If you have any questions about the DVD, feel free to contact Joe or me.

Chad

[ejes]

Originally posted by LBR:
Hope you liked our DVD!

There's a few reasons to pad the loops when using the low stretch materials.  It may not be a requirement, but many bowyers will void the warranty if you don't.  Padded loops add cushion/surface area to make it easier on your tips.  The new materials are very strong, and can act like a wire saw, especially with tiny strings.  I've never saw a bow built for these materials damaged by them, but I have seen two different old bows that were shot with un-padded FF strings that had the tips literally sawn off.  I've never heard of a padded loop increasing noise of the chance of a twist.  I know it will actually reduce noise on some bows, and many bowyers do require padded loops with anything other than dacron strings.  Not saying it couldn't happen, just that I haven't seen or heard of either one.

If you have any questions about the DVD, feel free to contact Joe or me.

Chad

Thanks a million Chad!  I did enjoy it; well worth the few bucks it cost.  I actually saw things I liked in both techniques that I think I might meld together.  It was very informative and easy to follow.  I'm anxious to try it myself now, just need to order me some fibers now.  Looked pretty hot down there in the south in JULY!!   :D

[LBR]

Oh man--it was a furnace!  We had originally planned to do it indoors, but the fellow that produced it was adamant about being outdoors due to it being archery related.  If I'd known that, we would have filmed it in February!

Chad

[TRADITIONAL ONLY]

should have done it in January! Febuary is just as hot as July sometimes... :D