String Making questions

[vermonster13]

Well I took the plunge and decided to learn to twist some strings. I got a real nice board from Bernie(thanks again my friend) and picked up the rest of what I needed off the classifieds from SuperKodiak(thanks for the good deal). I twisted up my first dacron recurve string last night(figured I better learn on the cheap stuff). I put it on a bow to stretch some, twisted it back to brace and have it strung again(miracle of miracles the loops are holding). My question is do you guys think it's a good idea to put some arrows through it before serving it up to get some more stretch out of it first or should I serve it before shooting? Thanks for the help in advance.

[minnesota_hunter]

i have only been makeing strings for a year now, but i always string the bow, and let the string strech over night some days 2 nights. befor i serve them.   i am not sure if that is the right way to do it,  but i have not had any problems.

[ks_stickbow]

I usualy just serve it up right after I make em. for regular b50 it will take some shooting time to get the major part of the stretch out. Leaving it strung up will get some but it'll stretch more after shooting...I never shoot em without serving...nocks just don't fit and are to loose it's just plain to dangerous (in my opnion) to take that risk of dry fire. I am a 3 under shooter so the risk goes up big time since I do not want to put on a nock right on the string without serving.

[Bjorn]

Congrats vermonster! Like ks I never use a string without having served it first-even with D97. For one thing the nocks won't hold and you could have a; dare I say it?

[vermonster13]

A little floss will take care of that Bjorn. I have read conflicting info on it so I figured I'd ask all of you who I trust a lot more than the other sources.

[Bjorn]

Sure, so will a few wraps of serving. Are you wanting to test the integrity of the string? If so, yeah that's a good idea especially for the first few. Why spend all that effort serving a string till you know if you like it.

[vermonster13]

Integrity and I have been led to believe that serving it after getting as much stretch out as possible first makes a better string.

[portugeejn]

I usually string the bow overnight and then serve them.  If I am in a hurry I will take them out and shoot a few arrows through them then serve them.

I have made a couple strings for lighter weight bows (less than 30#), I served them right away (before I knew any better) and to be honest with you I've never had a problem with them.  Now I let them stretch strung up, at least over night.

Ron

[p1choco]

Congrats vermonster.  Like others have stated, I like to let my strings stretch.  Either by leaving them strung or by hanging weights.  When I first started making string I was happy with the first loop but not as happy with the second loop.  The string never came out even the way I wanted.  I learned to back twist the string before the second loop and now I'm proud of how my strings turn out.

[highnoonhunter]

Hey David,

I used to leave my bow strung overnight and then serve it. But lately I've been serving it right away.
What I do, is serve the string in the direction that when I put twists in  my string, the serving will also tighten.

I feel most people don't know about that, and when they put twists in their string, they're ever-so-slightly, untwisting their serving.
It's especially noticeable when you make a string that's a tad too long, and you serve it and then have to put a lot of twists in it. If you've got it served up in reverse to how the string twists, it'll loosen up a lot.

Anyway, that's what works for me.

hnh

OOPS, EDIT: But I still string my bow up overnight just to let the string stretch out. But now, I just serve it before I stretch it.

[Carbon Caster]

VM,

I would rig a place to stretch the strings.  With B50 all you need is a nail or hook on a rafter or some such and 50#'s of weight on the other end.  Just rig it in such a way that the weight doesn't allow the string to untwist.  Hang the weight on it overnight and the next day put it on the bow then serve after twisting up to proper brace height.  

If you are using the FF type materials, I highly recommend pre-stretching at a higher weight.  Your bodyweight should be just about right.  Don't hook it around your neck though.  LOL!!!!


Congrats on being a REAL LIVE string maker now.

Brian

[ber643]

My pleasure to be of help to you VTm (and I had two boards and you had none - LOL).

I also let em strech a bit (over night or two) before serving, but also I don't shoot them until I serve them. Just my way. Just so you stay safe (for you and the bow), no matter which way you go, I think it's another thing that is personal preference. I've never had a problem with excessive stretching. One thing i do also though (before serving and usually after making the string (and stringing a bow) then again in the AM is lay the bow across my lap (back against my legs) and push down evenly on limb tips to stretch the string - Firmly but remember you are just trying to stretch the string (you'll feel it happen), not overpower yer bow - LOL. FWIW (I was taught to do this by others, BTW.)

[Golden Hawk]

David, I pre stretch all the strings I make before serving them. A ratchet tie down strap and a solid acchor for the other end works great. Congrats on makin the plunge.

[Three Arrows]

I leave on the bow overnight and get the brace set the next day and put masking tape where the nock goes and shoot a couple dozen out of it.  The less twists you put in the string when you made it (after your loops) the less it will stretch.

[Rob DiStefano]

No matter whether you twisted or spun up a string, add a few more twists and brace it on the bow, add a bit more wax to the string and rub it in good with a piece of leather or piece of paper (heating up the wax and letting it get into the string fibers), then sit down and set the bow limbs on yer knees with the string facing up at ya, push down on the limbs a buncha times to further stretch it out.  Now serve the center section.  No need at all to shoot it in or wait.  Never had a problem doing this to the thousands of strings I've built over the decades.  

[Falk]

I do with my strings as mentioned by Rob above. I've heared though - and have been carefull ever since - that you can break a string or bowtip quite easily this way. So, don't push down on the limbs to hard ...

[vermonster13]

Thanks for all the info guys.

[SHOOTO8S]

Years ago, I ruined a set of limbs by getting a little to heavy handed, when pressing down on the limb tips to stretch a dacron string. I doubt limbs with reinforced tips could be harmed but a little caution is never a bad thing  

Most of the serving slippage issues are due to serving a string and the adding twists, which makes the string body a smaller OD, leaving the serving loose. One trick to combat this is to twist the string to a shorter lenght than will be needed, then serve and take out twists to obtain desired brace

[vermonster13]

I'll post some pics this afternoon. The string is all served and seems ready to go. Hopefully I'll have both eyes still after testing it.

[Goose]

OK, I've been trying to keep my mouth shut here for a while, but have to jump in here now.  I agree 99% with Rob.  
Before I do the serving, I give the string a good rubbing (but don't over do it) with a piece of good leather (I have deer and elk leather)and some decent wax.  My wax is a bees wax and Alox mix.  With the string on the bow, I rub it until the wax melts (which doesn't take much).  If you get carried away you can damage the fibers of the string with the heat generated by the rubbing.  With a B50 string you can drop 1/2 inch of brace height pretty quick.  The high tec strings also drop pretty quick.  The trick is not to do it too much.  This takes away a lot of the break in period.
I've just never tried to push on the limbs as I did this, but it may work. Limbs are expensive, strings are (OK, not free)but cheaper.  
What are you using for serving?
Goose