Hill bows with clear glass.....pics and opinions?

[Learner]

After seeing a response which I received on a similar topic, I realized that I needed to ask a different question.

Basically, I'm looking to order a Hill bow with clear glass over the lams, both on the back and belly.

I intend to use this bow eventually for hunting, and therefore would rather have the back and belly lams to be a darker color than the standard bamboo.

It was brought to my attention that I might not like the look of carmelized bamboo under the clear glass.  So now I'm leaning towards a Halfbreed with yew for the outer lams.

So if anyone has a glassed Hill, could you please share your photos and opinions here?  Thank you much in advance!

Following are some specific questions I'd like to see answered:

--- will the clear glass actually be transparent, or more of a "hazy translucent"?

--- is "clear fiberglass" actually fiberglass, and if so, does it have the same performance characteristics?

--- does it hold up well visually, or does it tend to reveal yellowing, cloudiness, checking or fine cracks, as it ages?

--- with clear glass, should I be requesting a satin or a gloss finish?

Thank you very much,
Frank

[David Mitchell]

Frank, you might want to seriously consider the Half Breed from Hill.  It has bamboo cores and yew for the outer laminations or lots of folks like the Cheetah also--both are beautiful bows.  I am very partial to yew and have a Redman that has four laminations of yew under clear glass with an ebony riser which is very dark and a nice contrast to the yew.  The more recently purchased bows I have had made with colored glass as it is more like the bows I started with years ago (before we even used the term "traditional archery).  I do have several bows with clear glass and on all of them the glass is very clear and not hazy.  But there is an issue with a lot of the clear glass in that some of it has streaks in it that don't generally show up until the bows are well along in the process when the tape is removed that covers the glass initially. I would discuss that matter with Craig when you order the bow.

The performance is the same between my different bows whether clear or colored glass.  The choice of gloss or satin is just a matter of your preference.  I personally don't think it matters for hunting purposes--some guys say it does and others regularly kill game with glossy bows.

Sorry but I don't have any pictures to post.

[Sam McMichael]

I have a friend who owns a HHA bow with yew limbs under clear glass. It looks very nice.

[SELFBOW19953]

Here re photos of my Cheetah.  Clear glass can have streaks and show imperfections in the veneers/lams.

 

 

[damascusdave]

Just give Craig a call at HHA

DDave

[centaur]

This is a JD Berry, not a Hill, but it is yew with clear glass to give you an idea.  
The same bow, this time in overcast conditions.
   
And a Cheetah.  
I have a Wesley with caramelized bamboo, this Cheetah, and a Redman. All are good bows, and wood choices are more personal than performance driven. I will say that my Redman is the quietest bow I own, followed closely by my JD Berrys.
My next bow will be a Berry that will be all osage, so I will have quite the colorful bow rack.

I have a serious prejudice concerning knots in active lams. My Cheetah shows some stuff at a knot as well.   It has not changed over time, but a knot is a very stubborn chunk of stuff.   It is like a big wart on the nose of a beautiful woman.

[mjh]

I don't have photos but the carmalized bamboo looks just fine to me in the field.  There's a bit of variation of the length of the bow.  A nice low carmel color as opposed to brighter clear bamboo, other woods show up nice as well.....

[Crooked Stic]

Phil my guess is your streaks are more to do with lack of glue in those knots.

[Learner]

Originally posted by David Mitchell:
Frank, you might want to seriously consider the Half Breed from Hill.  It has bamboo cores and yew for the outer laminations or lots of folks like the Cheetah also--both are beautiful bows.  I am very partial to yew and have a Redman that has four laminations of yew under clear glass with an ebony riser which is very dark and a nice contrast to the yew.  The more recently purchased bows I have had made with colored glass as it is more like the bows I started with years ago (before we even used the term "traditional archery).  I do have several bows with clear glass and on all of them the glass is very clear and not hazy.  But there is an issue with a lot of the clear glass in that some of it has streaks in it that don't generally show up until the bows are well along in the process when the tape is removed that covers the glass initially. I would discuss that matter with Craig when you order the bow.

The performance is the same between my different bows whether clear or colored glass.  The choice of gloss or satin is just a matter of your preference.  I personally don't think it matters for hunting purposes--some guys say it does and others regularly kill game with glossy bows.

Sorry but I don't have any pictures to post.

Thank you for your advice, David.  I am strongly leaning towards the Half-Breed now.  Although I may still go for the Wesley, but with the outer two lams being yew.  (I wonder how that would be named?  A Wesley Half-Breed?       ).

Thanks also for the warning about the clear glass "streaks".  I'll be certain to ask Craig about this.

Best wishes,
Frank

[Learner]

Thank you for the photos, Pat.  They are very helpful.  

Are all your bows satin finish, gloss, or a mixture?  I can't tell for certain from the photos, but they look like they might be satin.

Best wishes,
Frank

[Learner]

Originally posted by SELFBOW19953:
Here re photos of my Cheetah.  Clear glass can have streaks and show imperfections in the veneers/lams.

   

     

Thank you for the Cheetah photo, Phil. Photos like these are exactly what I need to help inform my decision.  

The pictures on Craig's site are too limited for me to be able to see details like this.

Best wishes,
Frank

[Learner]

Originally posted by damascusdave:
Just give Craig a call at HHA

DDave

I definitely plan on doing so.  I've talked to him several times already about different things.

But to me it's like hiring someone to do any job: you want to see examples of their work.  Or more broadly, in this case, examples of how the different woods appear under clear glass, irrespective of the actual quality of the work (although that definitely matters, also).

I find myself leaning towards the yew at this point.

[Learner]

Originally posted by mjh:
I don't have photos but the carmalized bamboo looks just fine to me in the field.  There's a bit of variation of the length of the bow.  A nice low carmel color as opposed to brighter clear bamboo, other woods show up nice as well.....

Michael, if you get a chance, and can snap even a few photos with a cell phone, I'd love to see them.  If you can't get them posted here, you could message here on the forum directly.

Thanks,
Frank

[Learner]

Originally posted by pavan:
I have a serious prejudice concerning knots in active lams. My Cheetah shows some stuff at a knot as well.   It has not changed over time, but a knot is a very stubborn chunk of stuff.   It is like a big wart on the nose of a beautiful woman.

I'm with you, Lawrence: I don't particularly like knots that are visible, either.  

From some of the photos posted here so far it looks as though the yew may possibly have less of these?

Best wishes,
Frank

[centaur]

Originally posted by Learner:
Thank you for the photos, Pat.  They are very helpful.  

Are all your bows satin finish, gloss, or a mixture?  I can't tell for certain from the photos, but they look like they might be satin.

Best wishes,
Frank

I am a fan of satin finishes, and that is what all my bows have.

[Learner]

Originally posted by Learner:
 

Originally posted by mjh:
I don't have photos but the carmalized bamboo looks just fine to me in the field.  There's a bit of variation of the length of the bow.  A nice low carmel color as opposed to brighter clear bamboo, other woods show up nice as well.....

Michael, if you get a chance, and can snap even a few photos with a cell phone, I'd love to see them.  If you can't get them posted here, you could message here on the forum directly.

Thanks,
Frank [/b]

mhj sent me the following photos, which I'm posting here with his commentary.  These are very helpful to me, as they provide a good view of the carmelized bamboo.  Thanks, Michael!

  **************  

  mjh says:

The photos are of my HH Big Five Caramelized Bamboo Clear Glass.   The Camera I'm using is not the best, photos are outside at the local range in various light conditions. I was trying to match different knives I had with different bows.   Don't have that particular knife anymore.

   

   

   

   

   

   

  **************


Thanks,
Frank [/qb][/QUOTE]

[Learner]

After seeing Michael's photos, I would say that it's a hard call.

But I think that I'm leaning towards the Half-Breed, with the two outer lams being yew, and the two inner ones being the standard bamboo, under clear glass, with a satin finish.

For the riser I would like to have the Texas Ebony, with the same for the limb tips.

And possibly the wine colored grip wrap, with stitching.

So many choices!      :eek:

[David Mitchell]

Sounds like a good choice.  

[RC]

A mighty purty Cheetah I once owned.RC