Sinew backed bow...need a little advise please.

[akila]

Hello guys this is my first sinew backed bow and i want to ask you something.How much should i let the bow to cure before i start to work on him again..? And i want to ask you iff this is how it shoul look after 3 weecks.Today its been 3 weecks since i put the sinew on him and i let it cure...but i want to know how much it should stay?Im a little confuse here becose i tahught that  the sinew should look a little transparent and that  i could see the wood thru him...but maybe i think wrong...so  this is why i need your opinion on this...iff its normal to look this way after 3 weecks.

[Hillbilly]

I've only made a couple of sinew-backed bows, but I tillered them anywhere from a couple weeks to a month after sinewing, depends more on how dry it actually is than how long you wait. Yours looks pretty normal for a light layer of sinew after a few weeks. I've got one with a heavy coat of sinew that you can't see any wood through after 3 years or so-the sinew usually turns whiter instead of transparent as it dries.

[akila]

I've only made a couple of sinew-backed bows, but I tillered them anywhere from a couple weeks to a month after sinewing, depends more on how dry it actually is than how long you wait. Yours looks pretty normal for a light layer of sinew after a few weeks. I've got one with a heavy coat of sinew that you can't see any wood through after 3 years or so-the sinew usually turns whiter instead of transparent as it dries.

This bow have 2 layers of sinew...after i glue the first sinew i let the bow cure for 4 days and thenn i glue the second layer..and its been 3 weecks since thenn.I cant tell iff i shoul let him cure or not becose its my first one and i dont have experience with this stuff....whenn i scrach him with my  fingernails its verry hard...but whenn i put my hand on him it feels a little sticky...verry little...but maybe its normal to be like that.This 3 weecks the bow wass left in a storage room ( i dont know iff this is the right word for this room.....its a room where i put my stuff that i dont need) where the temperature is 23 degrees celsius.Now i have put the bow in my bedroom where the temperature is aboute 27 degrees.Im thinking that iff its a little more worm it will cure better .Im a little afraid becose i dont want to damage the bow and this is why i need your advise...thks for your replays..

[Hillbilly]

If it still feels sticky, I wouldn't bend it yet. An air-conditioned room is a good place for sinew to cure, as is outside in the breeze. Letting a fan blow on it would probably be good, too.

[Marc St Louis]

I like about a month, assuming the RH is fairly low.

[D. Tiller]

Yep! Give it a little more time to dry. Whats the weather like were you are? If damp, place the bow in a cool dry place mentioned above and allow to dry for a week more before checking.  Then when totaly dry begin tillering again. So far it looks really good!

David T

[Chadwick]

The sinewing job is looking fine.  It's those sheets that are out of control!

[mullet]

  It looks good to me ,but that's hard to tell from the pictures.I store mine in a room with air conditioning.But if I can sand it without lifting threads I consider it done.

[akila]

The sinewing job is looking fine.  It's those sheets that are out of control!

i dont realy understand whatt do you mean by this...sorry..my english its not so gr8.. .Can you plz. tell me whatt do you mean by "those sheets are out of control"??  .
Here in romania wi have all 4 seasons..spring..summer.fall.and winter.This periose of time its fall....i think i spell this word wrong....In the day time its 22 degrees celsius and in the night its 12 degrees celsius.So its not verry hot but not verry could either.In the winter its realy cold here becose wi are verry close to Rusia and its cold..sometimes its  minus 25 degrees celsius.Thks again for your replays..im knew in bow building and this is realy helping me.

[tpoof]

Your sinew job looks just fine!
Thats the way its supposed tp look.. it will feel somewhat sticky when you put your hand on it as your hand has heat and moisture and it will want to make the sinew soft..( especially if you used hideglue/knox gelatin) for the glue thats the reason to cover it with snakeskin... to keep the moisture out!

You will need to cover it with something,, skin of finish to protect the back from moisture
Looks good though,,, good job! 

[a finnish native]

let it cure for a week and try again. I live far up north and winters are very rough here also. up to -40 Celsius. that Sheet thing was a joke. he meant your bed sheets. they are the cloths on your blanket, pillow and mattress. I don't know if you can speak Russian but in Russian it is простыня. remember that tillering a sinew backed bow is very time consuming and you have to tiller it with extreme concentration. The tiller may look fine, but maybe after 100 or 200 shots there will be a hinge. so take it slow.

[jcougar]

Looks right to me!

[akila]

hi guys and thks verry much for your help.Its not an option for me the snake skin becose i cant find something like that here...can you give me an ideea whatt i could put on him..???I wass thinking to  sand the sinew with fine paper and thenn to give him a coat of lack (nitrolack or something like that)...you think its a good ideea??..or maybe to glue some leather on him?? i dont know..i just asking.Something that i wanted to tell you...the last 2 days i have put the bow outside during the day in a place  where the wind is blowing all the time and it already can seee some change in the color of the sinew..its  started to be a little more wite....so its on the right track i beleve.I beleve that in a weeck or so i can start tillering on him..and probably i would need your help again .Thks again and whatt can i say...you people are just grate..this forum its gr8..thks..byee