Since 1982

[zipper bowss]

It just occurred to me. Zipper has been around for 35 years! Bob Thompson started Zipper in 1982 in Ravenswood WV. To honor Bob lets see some of those great looking Bob Thompson built Zippers.

[Buckeye1977]

This is an all curly maple recurve I bought from Bob at ETAR in the mid 90's. One of the best shooting recurves I've ever shot! Couldn't ask for a better guy to deal with. Bill filled his shoes pretty well. Keep up the good work!

Nick

[Jwilliam]

I will be watching this one. I don't own any Bob Thompson Zippers, but I do have 5 made by Bill Dunn.    

[ron w]

I had a Zipper built by Bob. I bought it used at Denton Hill and then had Mr. Dunn give it a lower wrist grip, great bow, had 3 sets of limbs but alas I had to let it go, I dropped down in weight. I do still have 3 Zipper ILF risers, 2 from Bill and one I got used. I killed the bear in my Avatar with a Zipper riser and Dryad limbs.

[cacciatore]

I am been looking at Zippers made by Bob for 20 years but never pulled the trigger. I still have the original brochure.
Fortunately I am been smarter with Bill and I own 3 of his fantastic recurves.

[zipper bowss]

Well...I was going to share my Bob Thompson Zipper pics. Unfortunately Photobucket has me blocked because I do not want to buy more space.

[fnshtr]

I bought one from Bob. He lives just down the road from me. Makes some fine musical instruments too!

Mine was an early Zipper Extreme. 55@28 and 60". I kick myself every time I think about it, because I sold it on these classifieds!

[A.S.]

Being a native West Virginian, it was an easy choice to have Bob build my first custom bow. It was built in 1990. [email protected] hurts me to even think about drawing that much weight now.  I retired it several years ago, but it still hangs proudly in my man cave.

The dark autograph on the back of the sight window is from the late Stacy Grosscup, he shot Zippers in his exhibition shows.

 

 

[Mike Vines]

35 years is a pretty good run.  The captain at the helm now, is one of the best there is.

[highlow]

What weight is it Allen?

[cacciatore]

Originally posted by A.S.:
Being a native West Virginian, it was an easy choice to have Bob build my first custom bow. It was built in 1990. [email protected] hurts me to even think about drawing that much weight now.  I retired it several years ago, but it still hangs proudly in my man cave.

The dark autograph on the back of the sight window is from the late Stacy Grosscup, he shot Zippers in his exhibition shows.
     
   

     

[Kevin Dill]

Seems like a long time ago: I wanted a custom bow and heard about the Zipper. I ended up at Bob's house and he gave me the 'Thompson Talk' on his recurves. As we talked about woods he told me he was using black locust due to its durability. Now...black locust is a fence-post tree around here and as common as mud. He was making beautiful bows from it simply by knowing how best to saw and laminate it. I was surprised. I told him I knew where there was enough large-log black locust to keep him in business for 20 years. We made a deal.

I cut locust trees and hauled the logs to a local sawmill where they were cut into 2" boards. I hauled all that wood to Bob and we stacked it on his back walkout under the deck to dry and age. He built me a fine bow with 2 sets of limbs and I used it to kill several deer. Interestingly, that bow had a dramatically offset/canted grip and I think it was Bob's idea that I try it. Somewhere I have a picture of myself with an old doe, that recurve and some frayed Trebark camo.

Bob was a heck of an innovator and built much of the equipment he used in woodworking and bow building. His basement shop was amazing to see.

Another story: I recall Bob having a broken or injured bow arm...or maybe it was a wrist. Anyway he couldn't shoot a conventional bow, so he got creative and adapted a bow to be held by his boot so he could hunt. If my memory is good, he killed a deer that way.

[David Mitchell]

Many years ago I wrote a bowyer interview article on Bob for TBM.  I entitled it "The Can Do Bowyer" because Bob has such craftsman skills that he can do about anything.  He made a beautiful cedar strip canoe, a cedar strip topper for his pick-up that was just outstanding and so unique, built and flew a sport Pitts Special bi-plane then got into quarter scale flying model planes.  He made guitars, custom pool cues...you name it.  Of course his bows were/are his outstanding product.

Something pretty unusual happened when Bob decided to retire from the business of bow building--he made the smoothest transition with Bill Dunn that could possibly have occurred. It was virtually seamless.  That's very unusual in the custom-crafted bow business.  Bill has not only done extremely well with the business, he has carried on Bob's design and expanded the Zipper offerings. Well done, Bill and Tracy! Thanks for keeping a great line of bows alive and thriving. I know Bob is proud of that.      

[A.S.]

Originally posted by highlow:
What weight is it Allen?

David, it is 62@28.  It makes my shoulder hurt just thinking about drawing it. Ow!

[beachbowhunter]

My first ever on top, my first ever custom with snakewood below
 

[beachbowhunter]

A doubly rare bow...a Zipstick with cocobolo. Bob didn't like longbows and was allergic to cocobolo but I think his son wasn't allergic to either.

   

 

[beachbowhunter]

A Standard also with snakewood..

 

I still have these limbs and wish I had the riser.

[zipper bowss]

Kevin, Your Black Locust did not go to waste. When we moved all of the equipment and supplies to Ohio. There was still a 2'high by 2' wide stack of book matched Locust for limb cores.

I have one of those old Zipsticks laying around here also, Norbert. Mine is Bubinga and Curly Maple though.

[x-ring]

I ordered this Zipper from Bob back in 1989 after watching a shooting demonstration by Stacy Groscup.  Stacy was shooting Zipper bows and I got to shoot a couple of his and really liked them.  When I ordered this Bob called me and told me he had added some extra antler to the front of the bow and to the rear sight window...he said this was the first time he had tried this and hoped I didn't mind.  The riser is gray action wood and bubinga.  

     
   
   

[imbowhunt10]

I have 2 of Bob's Zippers, and believe his are among the prettiest made. The best part of getting the bow was making a trip down to Bobs to pick them up. Bob made my first one in 2001, and the second in 2003. I have pictures of the 03, and will try to  get some posted of the 01 later.