Leather handle wrap

[Mississippi bow hunter]

Any advice,pictures or instructions on wrapping longbow handle with leather.

[slowbowjoe]

There are some good threads here, either in PowWow or the How To's, should find lots of help with a little searchin'.

[Canadian Idle]

I wish BIG JIM would do one of his excellent VIDEO'S on "how to correctly install a leather grip on a handle" eh!    
Lloyd

[hart2hart]

From another LWer input..
Make a pattern by wrapping handle in Saran Wrap to protfct riser.
Rewrap in masking tape but follow contours with tape trying to eliminate wrinkles.(short pieces and/or long)
CAREFULLY (scissors or knife)cut up the front of handle and there's your pattern.
Trace pattern on leather a cut out.Punch holes along lace side.
Wax handle very well!
Wet leather in warm water and squeegee out in several sheets of newspaper.
Optional..glue a thin strip down front of handle to hide the wood/overlays in case you're a little short or when leather shrinks too much.
Many ways to lace your grip.X pattern,I like baseball and one I call "suitcase"..others I'm sure.
I have used also on thinner leather and simple handles,cut leather a little large ,wet and squeegee,stretch tightly around handle and use cheap plier like clamps to pull together in front.
Let dry,mark your center line,remove and trim, punch and stitch.Handle design dictates my approach.It's fun but some handles just don't like
wrapping!
Good Luck.
Mike

[Mississippi bow hunter]

Thanks I should have made my post more clear. What I was talking about was wraping the handle with leather strip. Not a laced leather grip.

[slowbowjoe]

That info is gonna be harder to find, but there's some out there.
I know Byron Ferguson touches on it in "Become the Arrow".
Also read something here on PowWow about that wrapping method, think it had something to do with using tennis racket grip wrap material. Sorry, I don't have any more on this one!

[Mississippi bow hunter]

The way Byron wraps his bows is what I was talking about. They have a good feel. I have a Ferguson Safari but it don't have the leather spiral wrap. Mrs. Ferguson sent me some leather to put on my grip I was just needing some instructions.

[Drewster]

Here's one I did for my latest self bow this week.


   


I used a 5/8" wide upholstery weight leather cut into a strip about 30" long.  I start at the bottom and cut the end on a taper so there is minimal overlap for the first wrap.  Pull the leather tight with each wrap and push the strip tightly against the previous wrap so there are no gaps.  To finish off the top for this handle, I cut a slit in the leather where I want the wrap to end and then taper the remaining end of the strip to 1/4" wide.  The tapered end can be run through the slit under the last wrap and then pulled tight.  This type wrap can be done with no glue if you think you may want to remove or replace it easily.  You can also glue the wrap in place with contact cement.


   


The pic below shows a wrap on a Black Hawk Scorpion that has a 3/16" strip of tape that secures the top and bottom of the wrap.  This bow is a 1961 model that I restored.


   


Hope this helps.  Cheers!

[Mississippi bow hunter]

Yes that I what I was talking about. Thanks. I will have to practice a few times before I even think about glue.

[Drewster]

Yep, you can practice a few times then take the wrap off and glue it.  Some leather wraps are overlapped, but I think the flat wrap feels better.  Glad this was helpful.

[scrub-buster]

There is a how-to post on PrimitiveArcher that shows step by step how to make a contoured leather wrapped handle.

[hart2hart]

Drewster,
Nice work!!
Looks great.
Mike

[killinstuff]

I use tennis racket leather grip, same as Jack Harrison used. Costs about $9 on-line and works great.  Very easy to install and has a sticky back.  Two things, some have a tennis name stamped on the leather mid way through the roll so you want to be sure to buy stuff without a name on it and 2,  when you cut it at the finished point you need to trim it on an angled like a knife edge so that it's paper thin on the edge. Looks a lot better laying flat.

[Mississippi bow hunter]

Any more?

[Brianlocal3]

Ttt

[Gdpolk]

I made a pattern like hart2hart said and it turned out looking very professional.  I kept the seam area long so I could stretch it and cut a straight and tight seam on the bow.  Applied the wrap with barge cement.  Then peeled back the edges to stitch it up. The beads are jasper and from my wife.