My old locust bow...RIP (pg 4)

[Roy from Pa]

Well done, Pat.

[Mad Max]

 

[Pat B]

Got a little more done on the bow yesterday, got her to brace height then pulled to 26" even put 25 arrows through her. She shoots well but seems to stack right at my full draw. I guess I should have kicked the tips up a bit to prevent that but too late now.
Here are a full braced and 26" draw. The fades still look unbending in the pic but to my naked eye it doesn't. I have worked on both fades to get them reduced so they will bend a bit. Top limb is on the left..
.




...and I added an extension to the shelf with a piece of shoe leather. I'll shape it better once the glue dries.





...to be continued...

[Roy from Pa]

 

Looks nice, Pat

[Mad Max]

 

[Pat B]

Well, it's been a month since I last posted this bow rebuild. I've been waiting for a covering for the sinew backing. I got 2 snake skins that are very nice skins but they are a bit different from each other so I decided to go with thin rawhide. I received rawhide from 3 different people on PA. The rawhide I got from Outback Bob suited this bow the best so today I applied it.
 First I cut the strip Bob sent me into 2, 2" wide strips and cut them to length then washed in warm water with Dawn dish soap, rinsed them well and let them soak until I was ready to apply them.


I put the bow back on the form holding the handle down with a strip of sinew and raised the tips on 2x4 blocks to prepare for applying the rawhide...


I then dried the excess water off the rawhide, laid them out flat and sized with hide glue and sized the sinew backing on the bow with glue too...


...and applied the rawhide. I worked out any air bubbles and wrapped rubber bands around the bow at the flared to insure good adhesion there...


...and now I ask for your patience again. I have the bow on the form in my basement where I keep a dehumidifier running all the time during the summer so that should help with the drying. I think I'll wait at least a week before I release it.
...more to come...

[Mad Max]

Nice Pat
Looking forward to it finished

Pat do you use Dawn and boiling water  for ALL staves?

[Flem]

Thats Awesome! You got skills
That Rawhide looks like a nice canvas for some of your art work

[Roy from Pa]

Pretty nice job ole timer..

 

[Pat B]

Thanks guys. Flem, that was my intention. Now to figure out what.
Roy, just wait til Wednesday then I'll really be old...71!      

[Roy from Pa]

Hell wait till ya hit 73.. LOL

[Pat B]

I can wait.   

[Mad Max]

Pat do you use Dawn and boiling water for ALL staves using sinew ?

[Pat B]

Mark, I degrease any stave I put a rawhide, sinew or snake skins with Dawn and rinse with boiling water. On the sinew backing on this bow I use acetone on the sinew to degrease as not to hydrate the sinew with so much moisture. I know the acetone would evaporate quickly without adversely affecting the sinew/hide glue.
 It doesn't take much grease to foul these backings, even a finger print can cause adverse affects so I find degreasing important.
 On board staves I plan to back with hickory or boo I just sand both glue surface completely and brush the dust off with a stiff hand brush.

[Mad Max]

 

[Pat B]

After a few days in the dehumidified basement the rawhide and the sinew it covered are very dry so I opted to get on with it. I remover the bow from the form and with the fine side of a farriers rasp I rasped the excess rawhide from the sides...


...then used a very sharp razor to trim the rawhide along the edges and on the sides of the fades...


...and sand papered the edges of the rawhide smooth...


...and here she is just waiting for some decorations...


...more to come...

[Roy from Pa]

Very nice, Pat..

Gonna look sharp with pictures and stuff on her.

[Pat B]

Yep, I think so, Roy.

[Pat B]

...and now for the handle wrap. First I seal the handle area with a couple of coats of Tru-Oil. Once they are dry(over night) I start the wrap. I like to use hemp cord because it giver a positive grip and it looks traditional. This time O opted to use 2 color hemp cord, dark brown and tan. I did this first on the boo backed bow I made last year and liked the look. I start out at one end and wrap the first few wraps over the tag end keeping the strands separate...


...and work up the handle keeping both strands tight. When I get close to the other end I lay a loop of thread down and wrap over it...


...at the end of the wrap I tuck the tag ends into the loop...


...and pull it through holding the handle wrap tight...
..

...and cut off the tags between the handle wrap strands...

[Pat B]

Now to seal the handle wrap. I use Massey finish, 2 ton epoxy diluted with acetone. I don't have a recipe but mix to a watery consistency. For an applicator I use a rolled up paper towel.

 
...I saturate it then daub it along the handle wrap making sure the wrap is completely saturated.

 One thing I left out above...this hemp cord has "hairs" that stick out and especially after the wrap so once the wrap is done I use a cigarette lighter to burn off the hairs then I saturate the handle wrap with the Massey finish...


 I've used the hemp cord wrap for handles for a few years now. It gives a positive grip, with the Massey finish it is totally weather resistant and it makes an attractive handle wrap.