Author Topic: small crack in my bow  (Read 4646 times)

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Offline blackpanem

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small crack in my bow
« on: February 15, 2012, 07:51:19 pm »
today i strung up my new hickory bow i just made, it is unfisnished, but i strung it and heard a small crack and quickly unstrung it. its not that bad but im afraid to restring it untill i fix it. any suggestions on how to fix it?

Offline RBLusthaus

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Re: small crack in my bow
« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2012, 07:59:45 pm »
can you see where the cracking sound came from or is it still a mystery?

Russ

Offline Slackbunny

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Re: small crack in my bow
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2012, 08:01:36 pm »
something i recently did was wrap the crack tightly in serving string and then soak the serving string with superglue. I havn't tested it yet, so I don't know if it actually worked or not, only time will tell.

But a lot of people will suggest that you wrap it in either rawhide or sinew. I have never tried those things, so I can't comment.

Offline blackpanem

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Re: small crack in my bow
« Reply #3 on: February 15, 2012, 08:01:49 pm »
i can see the crack, its horizontal on the front of the bow. i kept the back on because i heard it would help prevent cracks on the front. what can i do?

Offline blackpanem

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Re: small crack in my bow
« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2012, 08:02:56 pm »
and i have no rawhide or sinew so i cant really do that

Offline Bevan R.

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Re: small crack in my bow
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2012, 08:03:40 pm »
can you post a photo of it?
Bowmakers are a little bent, but knappers are just plain flaky.

Offline blackpanem

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Re: small crack in my bow
« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2012, 08:08:11 pm »
i can but i just tried and its not really noticable unless i flex it which i dont reall want to do

Offline sharpend60

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Re: small crack in my bow
« Reply #7 on: February 15, 2012, 08:09:31 pm »
What do ya mean, " I kept the back on"?

If you left bark or cambium it could be that.

 

Offline blackpanem

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Re: small crack in my bow
« Reply #8 on: February 15, 2012, 08:11:20 pm »
ya sorry that was just a typo. i left the back on

Offline Youngboyer2(billyf)

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Re: small crack in my bow
« Reply #9 on: February 15, 2012, 08:18:01 pm »
If it cracked while stringing it may be because of your stringing style. I once blew up a fiberglass recurve because I had been twisting it a little bit when doing the step through stringing style, the bow was also over 40 years old but that's beside the point >:D
"You speak Treason!" "Fluently"-Robin of Locksley
When people ask "why didn't you do that the first time" you can be sure that they  have never made a bow before.

Offline blackpanem

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Re: small crack in my bow
« Reply #10 on: February 15, 2012, 08:18:10 pm »
i cant beleve i keep spelling BARK wrong. i left the BARK on. sorry

Offline sharpend60

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Re: small crack in my bow
« Reply #11 on: February 15, 2012, 08:23:09 pm »
I bet ya cracked the bark.

I'm not sure about hickory but with other 'thin skinned' woods. You have to sand the bark so that it is thin and more flexible.

However, once I left the bark on a vine Maple static recurve at 20" I cracked the bark, it took a piece of the back with it. End of story.

blackhawk

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Re: small crack in my bow
« Reply #12 on: February 15, 2012, 08:26:05 pm »
scrape the bark off man...you can leave thin traces of cambium if you wish...but make it thin and well sanded down before proceeding to bend it again

and for future ref. its not a bow until it flings an arra

Offline blackpanem

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Re: small crack in my bow
« Reply #13 on: February 15, 2012, 08:26:37 pm »
so in other words im not going to be able to fix this am i?

Offline blackpanem

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Re: small crack in my bow
« Reply #14 on: February 15, 2012, 08:28:12 pm »
and blackhawk i havent gotten to shoot and actual arrow with it yet but i have shot some dowel rods across my basement if that counts ;D