air hose bow form without a top

[Flem]

That, there is some serious Bondage!

[monterey]

I'll be pulling it in the morning soooo....  I'll be posting results and also a critique of what might be done better.

[C. Johnson]

Can't wait to see how it turns out!  I really need to experiment with this idea myself.

Of course, the vacuum bag style Kung Fu is intriguing me as well.

[kennym]

I'll be pulling it in the morning soooo....  I'll be posting results and also a critique of what might be done better.

This is how we all learn, by somebody posting how theirs worked!!

[arachnid]

Monterey, what rope are you using to wrap the hose?

[Forwardhandle]

Thanks Mike for posting, I like your ramp shims instead of the extra wraps I see the zip ties to , theres talkers & doers I better quit talking and get mine done like you 😊

[Forwardhandle]

Mike if your still hanging around what drill bit size for those 7/16 dowels ??

[monterey]

Questions answered: the rope is Paracord.  It seems to have all the strength needed.

The drill:. Pretty sure it was a 7/16.  The dowels were a light tap with a hammer fit. On other forms that weren't a tighter fit I have put a drop or two of titebond on them.

Hmmmm, I didn't do any shims anywhere.  You might be looking at my cobbled up side guides?  I guess that would be a shim.  There are two on each side in the area of the riser to make sure it stays straight.  Those guides are the same ones I used for the rubber band system except I shortened them and rounded them off.  These would be better made of metal for sure.


So, I'm calling this a success.  The glue lines are good everywhere.  These are pretty steep.  They rise from zero to 1.75" over a length of five inches.  The glass and a .030 parralel are all that runs up the belly side of the riser.  I have previously built with thick butted tapers running up the ramps and know that they can be problematic with any pressure system unless it is perfect.

For a pressure strip I used a full length strip of galvanized sheet metal gotten from Bingham 26 year ago.

The zip ties are ideal for this process.  I pulled them very tight and was able to position the side shims perfectly when the ties were pulled tight and was able to wrap the hose down without anything skittering around.

I put ten pounds of pressure on hose and cut and pulled the ties.  I overlooked one which my sharp eyed grandson spotted after airing to 75# and we were able to cut and pull it but I suggest pulling them at low pressure!

Here's some pictures.

Some things learned.

The dowels are 2.5" apart.  A bit closer together would probably be better.

You need to get ALL the air out of the hose.

You need to keep the hose carefully centered and not allow it to extend more over either side.

You need to pull the hose down tight against the layup.  You are simulating a top form with a minimal gap.

So that's it for now.  Happy to answer any questions and hear all suggestions.

[Forwardhandle]

Cool every thing looks great I took a second look between my tired eyes and my old ipad2 it look like fade shims...lol  I'm glad you where the pioneer I will drill mine at 2 in. Centers , Mike did you wrap your zip ties over the pressure strips or just the limbs ? My fades are pretty shallow but it's good to know it works good for steeper ramps like yours ! Now all I need is some time to finish it.

[monterey]

The ties went on before the pressure strip.

[Bvas]

The ties went on before the pressure strip.

I would’ve thought over the pressure strip.

Would probably be easier to remove. Also probably wouldn’t hurt anything if you accidentally left one on.

[kennym]

Nice job Mike!!  :thumbsup:And thanks for all the info shared!! 

[Forwardhandle]

I'm going to try that mule tape he mentioned in the vid ,I found a 300 ft spool on the big A site , hey Mike was there any reason why you didn't do the zig zag shoe string wrap like in the vid ? Thanks for all the pioneer work !

[monterey]

Hmmmm, I thought what I did was zig zag.

[Forwardhandle]

I think on the vid he went back and Chris crossed back so it was more covered but no big deal yours worked fine I was just asking.

[mwosborn]

Looks like that worked great.  Thanks for the pics.

[Flem]

Have not seen many Bow's without sexy curves, around here. Your glue lines look perfect!
How long did it take to truss it up?

[monterey]

I trussed it in about five minutes once the ties were in place.  Much faster than rubber bands and much cleaner also.  I might get a larger diameter hose for 1.75 and 2 inch lay ups.

[Forwardhandle]

Got my spool of the mule tape he showed in the video its like a super strong flat rope no strech I can think of a lot of uses for this stuff beside the form it should lay flat against the hose its 5/8 ''

[Mad Max]

Hi Guys.

Did anyone use an air hose form without the top part? i remember seeing such a form here some time ago (the guy
used a rop, I think, to secure the hose on the laminations and then he pumped the air).
Any pros/cons? I would think this kind of form would be more versatile, allowing more then one riser design.

Your thoughts?

Trux Turning  did that for his riser overlays with out the form.
That may be what you saw.

That Mule tape looks good