Quick newcomer intro with a little help needed (pics)

[gmc]

Quick Intro:
Hello Everyone. Been lurking around a bit and really love what's going on here. It’s good to see folks so responsive and friendly with this wonderful art. I am still relatively new to bow making been at it for about a year now.  I started with board bows last winter, building a few with some success and recently started with tree staves that I cut down during the spring, primarily Hickory. I am currently on bow number four since June trying to improve a little each time. That's my story and I look forward to learning a lot here. Btw, I have seen some pretty impressive work posted here.

Now I will jump straight into a question here if you guys don't mind. I am putting the finishing touches on a 65lb. 28@ 64'' ntn Hickory that I think may have chrysals. I know that Hickory is not so prone to the issue but darn I almost fainted after seeing this. I have only built one bow that developed stress fractures and that was my first bow killing it on the tiller tree.

I had to really work the sunlight to get a descent picture, very hard to capture. The shellac tends to show about everything and I hoping these might be just scrape marks but that’s probably wishful thinking. I did heat some reflex in to the other limb to balance it a bit (big ugly jump off the fade area on one limb as it dried) with no heat treat at the end. Tell me what you think, but break it to me gently. Here is some pictures of the bow. Thanks in advance, Greg.

[gmc]

[gmc]

[gmc]

I tried to show the finished profile with the fence. It wasn't abused much during tiller other than the heat applied to balance the one limb a bit. Boy that fence could use some finish......

[FlintWalker]

Welcome GMC, I live in Monroe Co. glad to see a local fellow on here.

The bow looks great. In the second picture I see a little line on the right side of the pic that might  be a chrysal. Kinda hard to tell.  Most of the time they will be diagonal to the grain of the wood.  Does the finish pucker up in that area when the bow is braced?
 Either way, a small chrysal is not the death of a bow. As long as what caused it is adressed and it doesn't get any worse...just shoot it.

[mullet]

  Welcome!  I would think a hickory bow that short and that weight would take more set than Chrysal. I don't think that is chrysaling as much as the grain lifting from heat treating. Chrysaling usually is a crack or breakdown running across the limb, side to side.

[gmc]

Alright! Somebody besides me in Ky. with an interest in primitive bows. It was a lonely place for awhile. 

I shot this bow in over the weekend making a few tweaks to the tiller, ran about 50 arras thru it. I didn't notice anything at the time but I didn't have the finish on it.

 I'll take your advice and string it up and check the surface area around the marks. I will shoot it a few more sessions before I put anymore work into it. I agree, my first bow developed a bad case of chrysals that spider webbed the entire limb, they ran diagonal to the grain, too. But I still a lot of use out of it, just not the most desireable situation with the amount of time spent on this one.

If your ever this way, I'd love to see your work or share ideas. Bows parked in every corner here.

Thanks for the respone! Greg

[gmc]

Mullet:
Your making me fill better already. I did take some thinner to clean the wood after sanding and forgot remove any lifted grain. I had to steel wool the first coat of shellac to smooth it down. I always run fine sandpaper back over the wood after cleaning, just flat out forgot to do that this time.

Thanks for the response.