Louis Armbruster bows

[Iowa Bill]

I wish to locate Louis Armbruster bows that might be for sale. His shop at one time was in a small Iowa town.

Help??????

[Jack Shanks]

Those would be Zebra Longbows. A friend had one that I sold for him last summer. There was a left handed one on the classifieds here at the same time. Here's a link on a thread going last year over on bowsite that his daughter started.

 http://forums.bowsite.com/TF/bgforums/thread.cfm?threadid=367074&forum=2#2810405

[Jack Shanks]

Sorry Bill, I didn't read the bowsite thread and now see you had posted on it back in October. A couple of other people had also seen that thread and contacted me about my friends Zebra last summer. One of them bought it.

[Orion]

Actually, Louie lived in southwest Wisconsin, Potosi, I believe, or Beetown, just across the river from Iowa.  Built a very nice bow, but I Haven't seen one in a long time.  A shooting partner I used to have owned one of Louie's bows -- about 70 inches and 60#@28 inches.  He modified the grip from the original sharp oval to a bit of an index.  Very smooth shooting bow as I remember.

Another fella bought the biz from Louis before Louie died, and may have even apprenticed under Louie.  He was building Zebra longbows and came out with a recurve of his own design.  I believe his last name was Duncan.  Haven't seen or heard of him for the past 15 years or so.

[Jack Shanks]

Orion,
 
 Actually, Louie was still alive and living in Arizona last May when his daughter started that post over on bowsite.

[Iowa Bill]

I had been looking for him for a long time when that appeared on bowsite. I DID speak with him then. Before he moved to Wisconsin he had a shop and lived in Blue Grass, Iowa which was near where I lived at the time.

Trivia: I was attending the second BIGGEST flea market in the U.S. 5-6 years ago and came across one of his bows that I now own. Been giggling bout that find ever since!!!!!!

[Orion]

Jack:  Oops.  Since Louie was up in years when he sold the business to Duncan, I just assumed he was no longer with us.  Bad assumption.   I don't frequent Bowsite so didn't see the post there.  

Iowa Bill:  Another bad assumption on my part.  Louie was middle-age when he lived in Wisconsin.  I didn't know him, just of him, and assumed, incorrectly, that he was a life-long native.  

I'll get my facts straight or keep my mouth shut next time.  I apologize.

[Jack Shanks]

Orion,

 No apology needed for me and I bet Louie is glad you were wrong about that part.

[Iowa Bill]

I bet he is also. It sounded like he prowls the mountains a lot out there.

[Tom I.]

Some may not know it, but Louis produced a video on making his longbows...It's a neat video...
Don't know where it can be found today...maybe his daughter can give us some input on that...
Tom I.

[Dick in Seattle]

I had several conversations with Louie when i started building bows in 2008.   As noted, he was down in Arizona.    He did produce a video way back when, before he retired.  The producer recently re-edited it to dvd and it is available through him.  I actually liked Louie's VHS version a bit better.  It had some holes, which is why i contacted him, for more info, but his narrative was solidly enjoyable.   The dvd is a bit better organized, but left out some things I liked, and also had an obvious error or two in dimensions on diagrams.  I bought a bunch of the tapes and sold them with a comments sheet I put together, but it was not something i wanted to do on a continuing basis.  Check the classified ads in the back of Traditional Bowhunter magazine and you should find the ad.  "Making a Traditional Longbow", contact Terrance Mealy  563 263 0804  cost is $35 and it comes with a little book.   The ad does not credit Louie, which I think is a mistake.  Don't be surprised when the phone answers as a law office.

As an active amateur builder, I grab everything I can get on building.  I found Louie's presentation very valuable, and I'm pretty much building just as he did, though my bows are straight while his Zebra's were reflexed some, like the Hills of that time.  I even made my forms of aluminum like he did, though I used thick channel rather than solid machined.  I liked his through-pin clamping, too and also copied that.

You can check my forms (and bows) at oldpharttsarchery.com

Although I've never met him, and JD Berry actually got me started, I really feel I owe a lot to Louie in terms of where I'm at right now in my bowmaking.