What is this?

[Hartung]

Hi,

I received this thing today. It is said to be red deer neck sinew. But it does not behave as the sinew (leg sinew) I’m used to. It’s fresh and very stretchy. I can’t pull it apart or tear it into two. It is however possible to split it lengthwise and I can see that it is composed of some fibrous material. So, does anybody know what exactly it is and is it of any use?

Thanks!

Scale is in cm.

[Minuteman]

Looks like tendon(sinew) to me....

[Marc St Louis]

Those are no good for backing a bow. It is a tendon but not of the same composition as leg or back tendons

[M-P]

Hi,  They are probably the ligamentum nuchae from the back of the deer's neck.  These tendons act more like rubber bands than ropes.  They stretch as the animal's head is lowered to the ground and then help pull the head back up again.  I've read speculation that this neck tendon was the preferred material for Roman torsion engines.  Payne-Galway states in his Book of the Crossbow that the ligamentum nuchae was used to back the composite prods (bows) used in older crossbows, so I've always wondered why nobody ( including me ) used it to back bows.  If the stuff is so difficult to break into threads, I quess I have my answer.    Ron

[Hartung]

Ron,
You are right. It’s the Ligamentum Nuchae (http://www.ft.com.uy/es_indexbuilder.php?target=es_products-offals)
and that is not a tendon but a ligament/band. Yesterday evening I dried thin strands of that stuff. This morning I tried them: when bending the strands, they broke.

I found however a site (http://www.arbaletriers-vise.be/arba_composite.php) that states that the back of crossbows was backed with that ligament which would have a tension resistance four times that of wood (20kg/mm²) – if it was “convenablement préparé” that is “correctly prepared”.

Would be interesting to know if the author just copied from the book you mention and what is meant by correctly prepared.

[M-P]

Hi,  As Hartung pointed out technically the ligamentun nuchae is a ligament, hence the name, but ligaments and tendons are both made of collagen of nearly the same composition.  If it attaches a muscle to a bone it's called a ligament.  If it connects two bones it's called a ligament.  The ligamentum nuchae is special in having a truly elastic function to help carry the head, yet allow the animal to graze or drink.  This implies a special structure, or alignment of the collagen fibers, but I don't remember my anatomy professors ever mentioning what that was. 
If anyone figures out how to use the stuff, I'd like to know.   Ron

[Hartung]

Ron,

I wrote a message to the Belgium Website asking for further information. I’ll report the answer.