The continuous story of "Elkie".

[Pat B]

Back in '06 my friend Kenneth invited me out to hunt elk with him in the San Juan Mountains of
S W Colorado. It was my first and so far last Elk hunt so I wanted to build a bow specifically for this hunt...and "Elkie" was born. 60" t/t, 3 layers of sinew on osage with timber rattler back covering. 56#@26"(tillered out to 29")
 

 

Kenneth with Elkie at full draw...
 

Elkie on a red rock ridge above our Colorado elk camp.
 

[Pat B]

After the hunt I gave Elkie to Kenneth for inviting me out to hunt with him and his hospitality while there. A few months later Kenneth called to tell me the sinew had started lifting from one limb. I told him to send it back to me and I'd see what I could to make her better again.
Here is how Elkie looked when I got her back.
 

 

I stripped the sinew off in sheets. Each limb was sinewed but not tied together through the handle(another lesson learned)like it should be.
 

[Pat B]

Skip ahead a few months and I have the time to get back to working on Elkie. All the sinew was stripped off, the back was sanded to remove the old hide glue and clean up the back. I ran my toothing blade along the back to give something for the sinew/hide glue to adhere to and wiped the back down with alcohol.
  I sized the back with 2 coats of hide glue and put down the first layer. I started at the handle and went out each limb so both limbs would be connected with the sinew. These pics are after the second layer was added about 2 weeks after the first. Everything was looking good so far. I planned to add one more layer of sinew to even up the back before adding more snake skins.
  Before sinewing Elkie I tied a loop of sinew around the handle and with the tips up on 2x4 blocks I pushed the handle down and placed the sinew loop under a screw hook in the form giving her some reflex for when the sinew was dry. I just sinewed over the sinew loop with pland of cutting it flush after the sinew job was cured.
 

 

 

 

"...but the story never ends!"

[Pat B]

Jump ahead another 2 weeks...a few days ago I noticed that about 1" of the sinew at one end had lifted. Uppon further inspection I also noticed that about 8" had lifted from the middle of the other limb.  Today I began to gingerly peel the sinew "sheet" from her back. It came off in one continuous sheet...
 

 

 

 

..so here is where I am today. I thought about soaking the sinew sheet in warm water to seperate the strands for reuse. I have had a few suggestions and think I'll go with the one Art Butner gave me.
  I will sand the back smooth and clean it again with alcohol or acetone and seal it with a good varnish. When the varnish cures out completely I'll reglue the sinew "sheet" back down with TBIII. It should still get the benefit from the sinew and Art assures me it will work. The sinew sheet is in the coutour of the back so mating them should not be a problem. I also noticed today that the sinew sheet is about 1" shorter than where it came off the bow showing it had drawn the bow into reflex. I'll pull Elkie back into reflex so the sinew fits the back perfectly before glueing it back down.
 So from here we will just have to see what is in the plan for Elkie. We have been invited back to Colorado this fall for another chance at elk and so Elkie can earn her name and so I can enjoy another fantastic week in the San Juan Mountains chasine old Mr.(or Ms)Wapiti.

[Walt Francis]

Pat, that is a bummer!  It appears you are doing everything possible.  Good luck with the TBIII; I switched to it a couple of years back and haven’t had any problems.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I have zero sinew experinece Pat, but I use TBIII all the time for almost everything. That stuff doesnt let go. I bet you latest repair will work perfectly for ol "Elkie".

[Roy from Pa]

Get er done Pat. I'm sure Art knows what he is talking about and I'm sure you will end up with a sweet bow.

[Pat B]

Yeah Walt, especially since She was a gift for Kenneth. Elkie has tought me a lot about sinew bows and patience but the patience is getting thin! d;^)
 Pearl, I've had good luck with TBIII with other projects and if Art says it will work, I have no doubt it will.

[red hill]

Good luck, Pat. Any ideas as to why the sinew lifted after the first attempt to repair "elkie"?
Stan

[okie64]

Hope it works out for the best. I was kinda wandering if tb3 would work with sinew? I cant see why it wouldnt.

[bigcountry]

What hide glue?  Knox?  Your a much more patient man than I.

[Pat B]

Okie, TBIII works fine with sinew, even for applying it instead of hide glue. When used like hide glue it doesn't have the same recovery as with hide glue but the two are compatable. In this application the sinew is imbedded in hide glue so I should get the benefits of that combo with the security of good adhesion to the bow with the TBIII.
  Red, I have no idea. I thought I was doing everything right but must have contaminated the back somehow. The sinew/hide glue just didn't adhear well in those places.

[KellyG]

Pat did you heat it with oil? If so you think it may have retained any and it seeped out? Just a thought maybe if it is getting sinewed dry heat with out oil. You know I really dont know just trying to think of reasons it my have happened.

[Knawbone]

Pat, sounds like your plan for Elkie will work out fine. How did you get Timber Rat. skins, I didn't know you could get them because their a protected apecies in New York.Is that you in the third picture- That guy looks alot like me. Im 5' 8" 142 pounds. B.O.L with your Elkie repair

[Pat B]

Kelly, I did use oil when I initally built this bow back in '06. The sinew seperated from the bow in a different location this time from the last. I still have no idea why. This was one of my first sinew backed bows.
  Knawbone, that timber rattles skin came from GA or SC many years ago(probabbly 33 or more) but I don't believe they are protected there. I know Eastern Diamondbacks are.
 BC, I used hide glue for the initial sinew backing but I will use TBIII to re-glue the sinew/glue sheet back down to the bow.

[John Scifres]

I had a bow do almost exactly the same thing.  No matter what I did, the sinew wouldn't stick.  I think some osage just has too much oil in it for sinew and hide glue.  That was before I starting using TBB3 though.  I'll be very interested in your results with it.

I'm going to CO for elk this year too, northern though.  Gotta make a special bow  

[Pat B]

John, I'll be making another "special" bow too for Colorado if I get to go. Probably a simple straight limb osage bow.
  I got Elkie's back scraped, sanded and wiped down with acetone before adding the first of two coats of Defthane clear poly and will add the second coat after 6 hours. I'll give the poly a few days to offgas before putting the sinew back down with TBIII.

[Art B]

Pat, there was a guy over on the PA board some months back that had the same problem as you. His sinew backing came off in a sheet just like yours. Using the prescribed proceedure like I mentioned he sucessfully glued it back down with the TB3 glue. Believe he wrapped it down with an Ace bandage or something while it dried....Art

[Pat B]

I should have her glued back up in a few days. I'm looking forward to shooting Elkie again. She was always a nice shooting bow.

[snakewood3]

I'm curious as to why use varnish before re applying the sinew. Varnish being an oil based finish and not an adhesive. Why not size the bow with thinned waxless shellac or better yet TB 3 ? I have little experience to offer here but it seems the wrong direction.