String Makers

[Savage]

Do most bowyers make thier own strings? Also who do you suggest for making padded loop flemish strings?

[scrub-buster]

If you are going to make bows, its a good idea to learn to make strings.

[Savage]

Some how I knew you were gonna say that. hahaha. I plan to learn that skill eventually but I tend to focus on one skill at a time til I get it down pat. Right now I am still working on perfecting my bow building. However I would like to find some good quality strings for my bows until I learn to make them for myself.

[John Scifres]

I make my own.  It's pretty simple.

[Savage]

How long does it take to make one? And with time and material do you save any money? Have you calculated what it costs to make it yourself?

[twitchstick]

There is some good stuff in the "how to section" and everyone is real helpful here.
You can do endless or flemish strings both are not that hard to do and can be fun. I found out I had better learn how to build strings when I desided to build a bow last year. Building strings is part of building bows IMO. Now I wished I had learned to do it sooner in life.

[rimes]

I have made a grand total of two strings so far. I did a little searching around and found some good info and went for it. I did not find it terribly difficult to do. i used a scrap piece of 2 by and some nails to make a jig and ordered some B-50 from 3 rivers. Wasn't that expensive to get started. My strings are far from perfect, but they work. I figure they will only get better with time. Along the same lines as these questions, anyone know about how many strings you can expect to out of a 1/4 pound of B-50? I know it will depend on number of strands and lengths of bows but just a rough estimate. Thanks

Kris

[Savage]

Can someone give an explanation of the different string materials?

[John Scifres]

I use Brownells dacron B-50.  It's cheap and matches well with my budget and desires.  Some of the other materials stretch less and are faster (more efficient at energy transfer) but cost 2-3X as much.  Still, in the end, making your own strings is cheaper than buying them.

A $7 roll makes a bunch of strings so I can't imagine it costs more than $1 a string.  It takes maybe 15 minutes to twist and serve a string.

[Savage]

What's the BEST string? And is it as durable?

[scrub-buster]

I use the B-50 and have never had a problem with it.  It took me all of 2 bows to decide I needed to learn how to make strings.  I had to order them and then wait for them to get there.  And then one of them was the wrong length.  So I bought the "Doing the Twist" DVD and some string.  I have made a bunch of endless loop strings and one flemish twist.  I made a cheap string jig out of a 2x4, some shelf brackets, and some bolt hooks.  I can adjust the length to really exact measures with the bolt adjustment.  I can also pre-stretch the string.  It ain't fancy, but it works.

 

 

 

[Savage]

I have heard of that video a couple times. Does it talk about different materials and different techniques (endless loop, padded loops and flemish twist)?

[scrub-buster]

It covers endless loop and a couple of different kinds of flemish twist.  I don't think it discusses types of string, but I may be wrong.  Go to the "books and videos" page on the classified section and ask if anyone has it for sale or trade.  You might get a good deal on it.

[Savage]

Thanks.

[Dave Bowers]

Endless loops are real easy; you can make a simple jig from a 2x4 and 2 nails or 3/8" dowels to make it so you can build different lengths.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Yes to everything already said. It's cheap and easy once you get the hang of it. I make Flemish twist strings for my selfbows and for my Bear Grizzly recurve. The B50 is the cheapest and it's good quality material, the faster stuff is supposedly a bit harsh on older bows and selfbows. To be honest I really don't think you gain that much in performance to justify the cost? Because keeping cost down to a minimum is high on my list anyway. The one thing that I don't skimp on is serving and serving jig. Get yourself a good quality serving jig and you will thank yourself for it later, plus I use the braided serving.......good stuff! I don't like reserving unless I have to and the braided serving is very tough and durable.

Watch the Flemish twist string videos and serving videos, get good at it and you will wonder why you didn't do this sooner.

Here's a couple of links to get you started.

Flemish string jig plans.
 http://www.tradgang.com/stuff_bin/stringjig.jpg

Serving a string video.
 

[Savage]

Thanks Semo!

[Jeremy]

I use the low-stretch materials on everything except my bows from the 50's.  Those tips aren't designed for it (not properly shaped).

My favorite is TS-1.  Much lower stretch than dacron, and a little less stretch than a quality linen string.  It's more expensive than dacron, but it's thinner and stronger, so you can use fewer strands and even if you don't the string is still lighter.

Even if the bow wasn't faster with the low stretch strings, I'd still use them.  Less handshock on every bow I've tried them on, more durable and resistent to abrasion, quieter on everything except one recurve I tried.  On selfbows there's the added bonus that you're not getting smacked in the wrist with every shot (like you do with dacron).

The only thing you really need to do to make a bow "FF ready" is to shape the string grooves properly.  A nice teardrop shape with no corners or other stress risers.

I usually gain 5-7 fps when switching from a good dacron string to a good low-stretch string.  Guys will tell you that's not a lot, but it's the equivalent of shooting a bow that's 5-7# heavier!  Those kinds of gains are well worth it in my mind, especially with selfbows.

[hova]

i use b50 from nocking point. braided serving from gander mountain. no string making jigs or serving jigs , i just make the strands about 1/3 extra the length i need , make a loop , measure it roughly , and make the other end. with tapers and everything , i am endnig up still cutting a foot excess off the length. its not as difficult as it may look. it reminds me of furled leaders...


-hov

[red hill]

Yep, like others have said. Make your own. It isn't hard, materials aren't expensive, and it doesn't take long.  Either flemish twist, or endless loop strings will work.  Getting the correct length seems to be the toughest part for me.
Stan