tick tick tick

[Matt Stuckey]

Deer season opened here in Ohio on Saturday and the only bow I have to shoot is a board bow i recently finished up.  Its 72" drawing around 50#s.  The problem is the last few times I've shot I started to hear an occasional "tick" as I began to draw.  I looked it over and could never find anything. Then when I went to unstring the bow i found the problem.  The glue line at the handle is starting to separate, it doesn't open up until stressed.  

Is this a ticking time bomb, or can it be saved.  I've got TiteBond III, but no sinew to wrap with.  Are there other alternatives?  Should I just load it up with TB and clamp it. I thought i had a good glue line to start with.

Thanks for any suggestions.
Matt

[Dano]

No glue will help, if the limbs bend into the handle area the handle will start to pop off. The only way to stop this is in the design stage. You have to keep at least an inch of non-bending limb before the handle. You could wrap the fade/handle transision with sinew for a quick fix.

[Pat B]

Get some hemp twine from Wally World in the craft dept and wrap the handle. I like to set the wrap with Massey finish(2ton epoxy thinned with acetone). This will not fix the problem but it will hold your bow together.    Pat

[John Scifres]

You could add a handle overlay to strengthen it from bending.  A 1/8" thick piece should do it.  You can also wrap with serving thread and epoxy as a stop-gap.

Finally, if you are hunting with a bow you just finished, keep your shots short, well within your effective range.  Your effective range is the distance you can hit the vital area of your intended animal the first shot....every time.

[Matt Stuckey]

I do intend to keep any shots to a very close distance.  i have just moved back to an area I am able to hunt and it will be enough just to get out into the woods.  I'll probably carry more blunts than anything, why not miss a few squirrels while I'm out.  

If I do the overlay would I need to do any retillering or should I just be happy that My first attempt at making a bow will fling an arrow where I want it at close ranges.

[George Tsoukalas]

I've doweled them. Drill some test holes in scrap and choose a dowel that fits reasonably tight. Drill from belly to back but mark the drill bit with turns of masking tape as a stop so you don't go through. A couple in the handle and one in each of the fades should do. Use some wood glue. Then wrap the handle with some silk fabric set in the same wood glue. Do a handle wrap of some B50 or hemp set in glue and you should be fine. Jawge

[Matt Stuckey]

Thanks for the replies.  I will see what I can do and take some pictures.  I have the hemp string and I think I have a dowel around here, if not I can find one pretty easily.

Matt

[Matt Stuckey]

What is the proper technique for doing the handle wrap.  Do you coat the handle then wrap the string and re-coat.  Seems like I'd end up glueing myself to the bow.

[Pat B]

I wrap the string around the handle area, tucking the tag end under the wrap. Then I mix 2ton epoxy and thin it with acetone(Massey finish) and daub it on with a rolled up paper towel then set aside to dry. Do this in a well ventilated area.
 I've also used Tru-Oil to seal hemp cord handle wraps and on one of my hunting bows, I didn't seal it with anything. This yew bow is sealed with bear grease. I tried Tite-Bond glue to seal handle wraps but it got sticky when it got wet.  Pat

[Springbuck]

I ahve dowelled them like Jawge, but I put the dowels in at a slight angle.

  You could go buy a dog-bone and cut some lace from it or a sew on rawhide patch.  Wet rawhide will shrink like heck, just liike sinew while it drys.  Put it over a heater vent or something like that and it will dry overnight.  You can stain it with wood or leather stain and Poly-Urethane it, too.