Leather wrapped grips? Attempt #2 added.

[tomsm44]

Just curious about every bodies thoughts on them.  I've seen them in pictures and think they look cool, but I've never really handled any bows that have them much.  What advantages or disadvantages have you guys seen from them besides aesthetics, or is there really much of a functional difference?  I decided Tuesday to try putting one on my longbow just for kicks. It came out ok, but I need to make a few changes.  It doesn't come up quite as high as I'd like, and it has a few wrinkles where it doesn't fit quite as tight as it needs to in a couple areas.  I think I can modify the way I cut the two ends that meet in the front and work out these problems, but I'm going to shoot it like this for a few weeks to make sure I like it first.  I also want to figure out a way to dress up the lacing ends if I decide to keep it.

   
   

[ranger 3]

I have a beaver tail grip on my PLX and really like it. When my hand is sweaty it is not slick and the bow doesn't slip.

[MnFn]

I think it looks pretty good Matt.
I have grips on long bows with and without leather. And stipple, and checkered recurves for that matter.
My preference is leather covered.  Without leather, they are too slippery when my hands sweat.

[1/4 away]

I have one on my Toelke Lynx riser and really like it a lot. It feels great in the hand.

[Yewbender]

This is how i like my leather grips...rough side out.

[Yewbender]

[Steve Jr]

I agree I think it looks pretty good. I prefer a leather wrapped handle myself. For the same reasons mentioned above.

[Roy from Pa]

Take it back off and stretch it by hand in both directions, then put it back on. Slide it all the way up and hold it in place and see where it needs trimmed. I apply an adhesive to the leather before putting it on and get it in the position I want. Then stitch it up.

Yours doesn't look bad, it just needs moved up further.

 

 

 

[Flatshooter]

Hey Matt, that looks good for your first attempt. I'm a fan of leather grips and have made several for my bows over the years. A few tips if you're interested in an another attempt. Leather stretches more in one direction than another. I always cut my handle material so I can maximize the stretch around the handle. An important aspect of the project is to wet the leather before wrapping it around the handle for a fitting. Cut your piece about 1/4" shorter than the circumference of the handle without stretching it too much. I use Barge cement  and spread it over the underside of the leather being careful not to cover the holes.  Wrap and  lace artificial senew through pre- punched holes. You can buy a leather tool to insure holes are evenly spaced. Best of luck and hope you find this helpful.

[tomsm44]

Originally posted by Flatshooter:
Hey Matt, that looks good for your first attempt. I'm a fan of leather grips and have made several for my bows over the years. A few tips if you're interested in an another attempt. Leather stretches more in one direction than another. I always cut my handle material so I can maximize the stretch around the handle. An important aspect of the project is to wet the leather before wrapping it around the handle for a fitting. Cut your piece about 1/4" shorter than the circumference of the handle without stretching it too much. I use Barge cement  and spread it over the underside of the leather being careful not to cover the holes.  Wrap and  lace artificial senew through pre- punched holes. You can buy a leather tool to insure holes are evenly spaced. Best of luck and hope you find this helpful.

Thanks Flatshooter.  I do a good bit of leather work, so I'm set up on tools.  The only veg tanned leather I had on hand was thicker than I wanted for this, but I thought about buying a thinner piece later on and wet forming it.  This is a thin soft leather like you'd see on a purse or clothing.  I bought it to use as a lining for a belt/holster I built last year.  It's really soft and stretchy, but it won't wet form the way veg tanned leather will.  I think it will just be a matter of getting the front trimmed to the right shape so that it will fit the contours better.  I may find that this type of leather just won't work as well as veg tanned for this application, but I really liked the look of the color with this bow, so I wanted to try it out.  It's also a fairly slick finish on the outside, so it may not work as well for sweaty hands.  I'll just have to try it and see I guess.  I do like the slightly softer feel it gives, kinda like the hard rubber grips on some metal riser bows.  Not squishy, but not as hard as solid wood.  

Thanks for the input guys.

[monterey]

You can wrap the entire handle area that you want to fit  with masking tape so that it is in conformity with the exact fit you want your leather to have.  Put on plenty of layers.  Then cut the tape layer down the center of the back and carefully remove from the handle.  That's your pattern.

You will need to adjust a bit for the character of the leather and allow for stretch.  Stretch is good when you see it coming!    

A string wrap with heavy cotton twine works good too but might look out of place on many bows.

[Flatshooter]

Yup, veg tanned leather is all Use.  Sounds like you're good to go Matt!  I've also stippled my leather grips to get a better feel. I just trace the pattern of my hand on the grip and use a punch to lightly tap the leather for a stippled effect. Looks and feels great

[V I Archer]

I have leather grips on nearly all my bows.  My Caribow has a beavertail grip, my new favourite!  The beavertail grip feels awesome when shooting.  I think ya did a bang up job for a first attempt.  I considered replacing a few plain leather grip swith beavertail on a few of my bows but have been far too nervous about trying it myself.

[ranger 3]

You can get a beaver tail grip kit from big Jim with instructions and it is not had to do.

[Sam McMichael]

I have had longbows both with and without handle wrappings. In some respects, I prefer the slick handle, especially when the riser wood looks nice. Oddly, a slick handle has never been a problem even in our hot Southern early bow season. However, all my Hill bows came with leather wrapping, so I  am very used to handling it. If you try it and don't like it, it is not hard to remove.

[slowbowjoe]

Nice work for your first. BEST tip I've gotten to get the right fit: Clamp the leather snug to the grip with heavy duty spring paper clips, or small woodworkers clips. All the way down the grip. Position the leather how you want it. Draw a straight line along the bottom of the clips on both sides.
Takes the guesswork out of the stretch factor, and works better than trying to figure out cutting curves in the leather to fit.

Might also add some holes to your stitching; reduces wrinkles. I like 14-15 on each side (those come out pretty close, fewer would probably work fine). I eyeball these, and fine tune the positioning with my stitching. You should be able to get the leather as high up on the grip as you want.

Show us your final version when you get it!

[soap creek]

3Rivers has a how-to video on leather grips, very informative.

[tomsm44]

Attempt #2.

I got the top up a little higher this time.  Looks much better.  I also doubled the number of holes like one of you suggested.  I think that helped a lot as well.  While lacing it, it got twisted a little at the bottom.  I thought it looked kinda cool, so I twisted the top the other direction a little before getting all the lacing tight.  Maybe not for everybody, but I thought it looked cool.  It still has a few wrinkles that I couldn't quite work out, but I think that's just a result of the type of leather I'm using.  I believe I could fix that pretty easily by using wet formed veg tanned leather instead.  I think I'm going to keep this one on for a while and see how I like it performance wise.

 
 

[M60gunner]

I had some veg tanned leather I call wallet thickness. Pretty thin stuff. I needed a leather grip for a metal riser. I soaked the leather then wrapped it around the grip. I used large spring clamps to hold it in place. About an hour on our sun and it was formed perfectly. I used some Barge cement to hold it in place while I trimmed and stitched it up.

[slowbowjoe]

Even nicer nah the first one, toms. You're a quick learner.