'Bull' sinew for backing bows ?

[Bert]

Heya fella's,
I apologise if this is a returning question;

Today I found these 'Buffel' sinew in the pet-section of our local garden center, paid 10€ (12.5$) for it.
(wich is probably alot compaired to the work the manufacturer put into it)
The package contains 5 pcs of 80cm (31.5 inch) long sinew, wich says are 'stier', or bull sinew.
I reckon its hard to trace the real origin of this product.


When opening the package a (somewhat pungent) vile smell met me halfway   , as i'm used to with these kind of dog treats.
The sinew is dry, altough somewhat greasy, and darker in color then deer sinew i'm used to. I'm certain these have been threated to appeal more to the dogs (taste/grease suppl?)

My question is, do you think these could be processed to serve as a bow-backing ?




Thanks for reading !
Bert

[Pat B]

Bert, they will work but it looks like there is a lot of fat that has to be removed. Once that is done begin pounding it to break loose the individual fibers. You may encounter more greasyiness once you start seperation the strands. Keep degreasing as needed. I've never used steer sinew but have heard it is greasy. I use Dawn dish soap for degreasing sinew, snake skins and rawhide. Any good detergent should work.

[Stiks-N-Strings]

James Parker told me to use acetone to degrease sinew. I figure he knows a little about it. I do also think he uses some dawn like Pat.

 Let us know how it turns out

[mikekeswick]

Do you know which part of the bull this came from.....
i do but i'll wait for somebody else to tell you!
It will work for a backing though. Anything alkaline will work to degrease it.

[blackhawk]

hahahahahaha....bully sticks...or should i say dicks   ....


i saw this earlier n didnt wanna say anything,but i just cant help myself

[mikekeswick]

hahahahahaha....bully sticks...or should i say dicks   ....


i saw this earlier n didnt wanna say anything,but i just cant help myself

Yup you got it!

[Bert]

Hahaha you guys, get yer mind outta the gutter ! 

I've weight them straight out of the pack beeing 1.1kg (2.4 pounds), with the fat on them.


I filled a bucket of warm water and added a fair deal of dish soap to it.
Now i've got'm soaking in that, fat and grease are starting to come off by hand.


I hope i'm not destroying the sinew by soaking them before even starting to pound it ?

Once been told that sinew can be soaked and dried and soaked over and over again without hurting it ..

[blackhawk]

Make sure to rub vigorously   

[DarkSoul]

We've seen this entertaining story on the forums more often. Been there myself as well...this "bull sinew" is very likely not sinew, but penis...! I'm still scratching my head why the manufacturer calls it sinew, when it comes from a different part of the animal. No tendon of >60 cm exists in a bull/cow/deer! Although smaller pieces of true sinew are sometimes for sale as well, these larger pieces are definitely bulls dick. Don´t ask me how, but you can actually shred this penis into fine fibers, much like real sinew.

Yes...the smell is horrendous. And doesn't get any better as you dig deeper into the 'organ'.

Good luck. Let us know if this penis backed osage works out...

[Qwill]

I really don't think they were kidding about these being bovine penises. They sell them a lot as dog chews, and they do sort of look like sinew, but I've butchered a lot of beef, and cattle leg sinew are typically not that long, sorry to say. Before I worked those anymore, I'd reevaluate my strategy. I don't think they're going to shred apart like sinew. And I wouldn't let them squirt me in the face anymore. Just be thankful you didn't try to chew them apart like you read in books....

[Bert]

HAhaha Thats just horrible  ! These are gett'm trown out right away! 
Man i cant believe i didnt read the earlier replies better ! 
Oh well, all a good laugh !

[blackhawk]

Jorik..its easy why they sell it as "sinew",because if they labeled it for what it really is no one would want to buy them    ...even if it is for your dog,do you really want a dog chewing up a penis on your nice clean floors 

[MWirwicki]

I would and have used cow sinew.  Whether it was from a bull or a female, I don't know.  Nevertheless, even if it were leg sinew, I wouldn't use it.  Just, look at it!  It looks like rotten intestines with the food still in them.  I guess maybe I'm a bit picky, but I wouldn't waste my time on it.   My two cents....

[country]

shredded bull "members" works great for backing ... but you can only shoot it during rut..... bow won't work worth a hoot otherwise...  gotta be careful with the doe in heat also...  knew a guy who spill some on his boot and ended up shooting himself in the foot with that bow...