Dane,there isn't any backing on her yet.I'm debating whether to just paint or to go with birchbark.So far,with aircond. and all things are fine but it is going to get finished for sure.Iwas amazed at the draw weight.Couldn't shoot it my self and had to let Tilbilly do the shooting.I shot it too much last week and kind of wrecked my shoulder,just didn't realize just how strong the bow really is.Retraining my arm now.Eppo Ekwos. ps A Turkish style bow doesn't need string bridges.Perhaps if the tips don't recurve enough then bridges would be in order.
Take care of yourself. Archery is supposed to be fun, not a way to produce casualties.
Regarding the bow I've got in the works, I saw some nice papyrus (spell?) at an art store a while back, and that might look cool. I watched the 4-hour Korean horn bow video, and that bowyer used birchbark imported from either Japan or China, and it had been soaked in salt water for something like a year. The other video I watched recommends birchbark (Schmitd), but he cautions not to introduce moisture when you put it on.
Oh, regarding the lenght, yup, going to keep it relatively short. I'm using the bone ear stiffeners found at Bar Hill, a Roman military site, as the point of departure for the rest of the bow. The stiffner is only 5.25" or so long, which suprised me when I measured it. I figure ash will be a good choice for the ears, and osage is what my core is made from, all planed and ready to go.
Dane
