Creaks and groans...

[philg]

Howdy all,

Awhile back a friend of mine gave me a bear bearcat recurve bow.  All that was missing was a string.  I got a string ordered and started to do research on the bow.  It's pretty old.  It looks in good shape with no warping in the limbs that I can see.  It looks good and none of the lamination appears to be seperating.

Well, the new string arrived today.  I got a flemish string that is beautiful.  The craftsmanship is excellent.  Couldn't wait to get it on.  The string goes on, I draw it back and about halfway back I hear creaks and groans (not sure how to describe the sound).  My fear is that the bow will break when actually fired.  

Is there any wisdom that can be shared regarding is the bow safe to shoot, and can it be reconditioned at all?

I know that this is vague, so please feel free to shoot questions at me and I'll answer as best I can.

Thanks all!!

[Bjorn]

Examine the limbs closely with good light look for cracks in the edges etc. It could also be an accumulation of string wax in the grooves at and near the tips.

[philg]

I just drew the bow back and it made no noise.  Could it also be having been unstrung for years it's just breaking back in?

I've looked at the limbs and they really do honestly look good. Next time I go to my local shop I was going to have them take a look as well.

[Mudd]

I hear that the 1st few shots I make each day but mine aren't coming from my bow...lol

God bless,Mudd

[30coupe]

Originally posted by Mudd:
I hear that the 1st few shots I make each day but mine aren't coming from my bow...lol

God bless,Mudd

Me too, Mudd.    

[dixiearcher]

[David Dumke]

I would have some one who knows what they're looking for examine it. Unless you can get video at a good angle in good quality of the limbs and the noise it makes my guess is it'll be hard to judge, im sure nobody wants to give you a thumbs up without being able to see it.

Just my 2 cents.

[babs]

now thats funny mudd...  My one bob lee did that until I set a higher brace height, I had the brace height too low, and it could also be the wax on the string against the grooves like Bjorn posted earlier that happens on new strings with alot of wax