Explain the Different TYPES of Strings for Me Please...

[Nala]

Hey all,

Can you all explain to me the different kinds of bowstrings for me?  I am woefully ignorant about strings and need help.

Fast Flite, B-50, Flemish Twist, etc....

Every type that is in use today, or at least the most common strings and types that are used, please tell me about them.

Thank you.

Nalajr

This is gonna be pretty basic from me. I know there are a few string gurus who can go a lot more into detail.

B50 and B55 are string materials made out of dacron. Dacron is a higher stretch material.

Fast Flight, D97, D10, 8190 and several others are string materials made out of low stretch materials.

Most newer bows are all made to handle the low stretch materials. There are some older bows that will not due to the fact that the limb tips are not strong enough to absorb the shock from the low stretch strings.

Flemish twist and endless loops are the two designs of traditional bowstrings. Either of these designs can be made out of the low stretch or the high stretch string materials. Flemish twist strings are made from two or three bundles of string material that are twisted together kind of like a braid. Endless loop strings are made from a single piece of string material that is wrapped around two posts until the desired number of stands in the string is achieved.

You can tell the difference between flemish twist and endless loop strings pretty easily. Flemish twist strings will be twisted together from end to end. Endless loop strings will have serving at the end of the string and around the string loops. Generally endless loop strings will have a lot less twists along the length of the string than a flemish twist string also.

I will add this also: Once you get a bow tuned well, you ned to write everything down. Brace height, nock point height, silencer position in string, and STRING MATERIAL (along with number of strands in string).

If you break a string and replace it with a string of a different material, there is a good chance you will have to do some retuning to get everything just right again.

Bisch

[LBR]

"Fast Flight" is a brand name.  It's also used generically to describe most any "high performance" material. The name is owned by Brownell, but ironically the material was invented by the founders of BCY.

Flemish Twist is one of the ways a string is constructed.  You put individual strands into 2 or 3 bundles and twist the ends back into the body of the string to form the loops.

Endless or continuous loop uses one (you can use 2 or 3 also) strand wrapped round and round on a jig.  The loops are formed by serving.

B-50 is also a trade name, and also used generically for the two polyester (usually referred to as "Dacron") string materials on the market--B-50 (brownell) and B-55 (BCY).

There are three basic types of string material:

100% HMPE (high modulus polyethylene) or UHMWPE (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene).

These include materials like Dynaflight '97, Formula 8125G, and 8190 Universal.

HMPE/Vectran blends.  These include materials like 450+, 452X, and Trophy.  Vectran is added to improve stability, but hinders speed just a tad, at least with wheel bows.  It also has a tendency to fuzz up quicker.

Polyester;  B-55 and B-50.

There are different grades of HMPE.  Original "Fast Flight" was SK65 Dyneema--lots of stretch and creep compared to today's top materials, but it revolutionized bowstrings in it's day.  Dynaflight '97 is SK75 Dyneema--it was top dog for many years, and is still a very popular material.  8190 is SK90 Dyneema--the strongest, most durable HMPE material on the market.

Dyneema is a trade name for HMPE, and considered to be one of the best.  There are cheaper imitations that are used in some materials, but not BCY materials.  The higher the SK number, the higher the quality and grade of Dyneema.

Hope this helps.

Chad

I told you there were string gurus who knew more details than me!

Bisch

[LBR]

I'm not a guru--I'm a string nerd!  At least that's what my friends call me...

Originally posted by LBR:
I'm not a guru--I'm a string nerd!  At least that's what my friends call me...

You were who I was referring to though! I have seen a couple other threads where you have explained things in great detail. I just could not remember what your handle was.

Bisch

[LBR]

Lol--I appreciate it.  I enjoy strings way too much...don't get that many opportunities to talk about them in-depth.

[-snypershot317-]

is a flemish twist better than an endless loop or vice versa or does it not really matter?

[LBR]

Depends on your preferences....kind of a Ford/Chevy/Dodge kind of thing.

A well made Flemish is better than a poorly made endless, and vice-versa.

All else being equal, Flemish is usually quieter, endless is easier for some folks to reproduce consistently.

Either one will do the job just fine.  I make both, and shoot both.  I have a slight preference for Flemish.

[AkDan]

Any more testing on skinny's Chad?   I need to call and stock up on some d97....before the string nerds change things lol.

[ISP 5353]

Thanks for the great info Chad!  

[Rob DiStefano]

chad laid it all out well and i will repost what i had posted on another "string" thread ...

to make all of this string stuff lots easier, there are basically two string fiber types these dayze - hmpe (lotsa flavors and trade names like dyneema, vectran, spectra, etc) ... and then there's good ol' b50 or b55, which is a polyester (dacron). hmpe will always have less stretch and creep than dacron.

i have loooong since stopped making and using dacron bowstrings in favor of any quality hmpe string material. i've used just about all the flavors and always come back to straight dyneema, specifically bcy's df-97 or f8125, but truthfully, any of the hmpe's will work well.

yes, if you do a LOT of experimenting with different hmpe string fibers you will probably find one that works a bit better with a particular bow. not too many folks have the time or money to go that route, so just get a trad gang stringmaker sponsor to work with you on a good string for yer bow(s) and yer gonna be good to go, promise.

[LBR]

18-20 strands of 8190 is pretty skinny, and seems to work well on dang near any draw weight.

I still don't care for low strand count strings--haven't found any real benefit to them, at least on my bows.

[Nala]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate it.

Nalajr