Limited Choices for Backing Materials

[Roy from Pa]

What fujimo said.

[klr650Teach]

Linseed oil from that list.

Can you get tung oil there?

I'm not sure Roy, I've not seen it. I'll look up what the name is in Spanish and keep an eye out in the hardware store next visit. Is it superior to linseed oil?

I have purified raw linseed oil here that has all the fats that go rancid over time removed and then washed 4-5 more times. It is a very light golden color when finished and dries much faster than regular linseed oil.

[klr650Teach]

Be sure to use boiled linseed oil. Raw takes a long time to dry. Can you get poly varnish? Water based or oil base will work.

Hi Pat, as stated in my reply to Roy you will know the linseed oil I use. Poly Varnish? Varnish I can get. What is "Poly"? polyester, polyvynle , polyeurothane? Poly"what"? Sorry to be a pain. As I'll have to translate this into Spanish for the store owner I must know exactly what it is. Thanks

[klr650Teach]

roy,s suggestion of using goat rawhide, as its so thin and very tough.
maybe access to a saddle shop/ saddler would procure some.

also, rawhide is very easy to "make" if you can find someone who is butchering a goat.

I had explained to Roy in a PM that I have lots of tanning experience mostly with Brain and Bark tanning methods. Making rawhide I can do with my eyes closed. My Mexican neighbor just told me he had thrown out several goat skins because he had too many of them but assured me he would let me know when he had more. Eventually I will be able to get some goat skin. At this rate it could be months before I gather all the materials. I will be keeping my eyes open for silk ties. I think they will be much easier to source this time around. But you never know.

Just thought of something else. Can a silk tie be dyed a different color? Any idea what a person would use?

[Pat B]

Polyurethane, spray or brush/wipe on.

[inksoup]

Seriously why does Backing have to be Natural...?  We are using man made glues, strings etc.....who cares.  I have good success using polyester backing, its stronger than a thin silk tie or paper bag.  Polyester is very strong and you can find thin material if you shop around.  They use poly in tires why not a bow..!

when you say polyester do you mean this?



does this act like fiberglass?
it is strong as fiberglass? i mean, in fiberglass bow, nearly 70-80% of bow weight comes from fiberglass.

best.

[klr650Teach]

I believe Wolftrail was referring to polyester cloth like shirt material is often blended with cotton and polyester. I took him to mean pure polyester and not blended with any other fabric material. That's how I understood it.

[KenH]

"Tung" has no translation. Tung oil is  "aceite de tung"

[Pat B]

Any material that can be saturated with glue will work, some better than others. George Tsoukalas uses burlap with good results. I've only used rawhide, linen or silk

[klr650Teach]

"Tung" has no translation. Tung oil is  "aceite de tung"

tung oil is "aceite de lengua" if using the the spelling of tongue in English which I guess is different again.

[klr650Teach]

Any material that can be saturated with glue will work, some better than others. George Tsoukalas uses burlap with good results. I've only used rawhide, linen or silk

Pat, today I bought two silk ties and each are of similar color patterns and also found proper white wood glue (not water resistant). I thought that if one tie was not enough that I could use part of the second tie or the whole tie for the second limb. If I made a pyramid bow I might have enough to back the whole bow with one tie. And the finish I put on the bow will seal it.

Would there be any problem with overlapping the material if say I had to use two shorter pieces on one limb? Rather than butting two edges against one another??

[Pat B]

When I back a bow with soft materials(rawhide, silk, linen, snake skins, etc.) I always do each limb separately and overlap at the handle. If you have enough material overlap it by 4" otherwise as much as possible. You don't have to go all the way to the tips either unless that how you want to do it. I usually leave the last 6" of each limb bare and bind that end of the backing with a wrap with thin, strong thread or sinew set in glue.

[Flem]

If you can find some of those big spiral rawhide dog chews, they can be softened and unraveled and work well as a backing. Might need two for coverage. I use clarified raw linseed all the time on interior wood, should be ok as long as you don't leave it out in the weather.

[klr650Teach]

Has anyone ever used bark tanned deer hide for backing? I have half a hide left over from my last bark tanning session. Would this work or is there too much stretch in fully tanned leather to work as backing?

It strikes me like the hide in a rawhide chew bone would be thicker than what might be ideal, this led me to wonder about the bark tanned deer hide I have which is less than 1/8 inch thick with the grain not removed.

[Roy from Pa]

That will work.

[klr650Teach]

Would it be best to glue the flesh side or the hair side of the leather to the face of the back?

[Roy from Pa]

I'd say flesh, but I never seen bark tanned deer hides. Maybe Pat will jump in.

[klr650Teach]

Top photo is of the hair/grain side
Bottom photo is the flesh side

Unlike brain tanned deer hide that has a lot of stretch, bark tanned deer hide has very little stretch and is more suitable for making pouches, purses, possibles bags etc. Not so great for clothing as there isn't much give for movement.

[Roy from Pa]

Put the bottom picture against the bow is my guess.

[klr650Teach]

Put the bottom picture against the bow is my guess.

Smoother surface = better adhesion?

And should I size both the wood and the leather letting them go tacky before marrying the two and final backing?