Author Topic: Sheep horn bow buildalong  (Read 35036 times)

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Offline Joec123able

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Re: Sheep horn bow buildalong
« Reply #45 on: March 10, 2013, 01:03:21 pm »
Looking forward to seein it finished looks good so far I would love to attemp making a hornbow one day
I like osage

Offline burn em up chuck

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Re: Sheep horn bow buildalong
« Reply #46 on: March 10, 2013, 01:17:22 pm »
       thank you for posting this I'm heading in this direction, and this will help immensely when it comes time for planning. looking forward to future post.

                                                                                                   chuck
Honored to say I'm a Member of the
         
                 Twin Oaks Bowhunters club

Offline toomanyknots

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Re: Sheep horn bow buildalong
« Reply #47 on: March 10, 2013, 02:17:27 pm »
Very educational. I'm loving your buildalong!
"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline IndianGuy

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Re: Sheep horn bow buildalong
« Reply #48 on: March 10, 2013, 02:37:55 pm »
 waterbuffalo horn build along would have been a better title since I see no sheep!   :P   

It was very clear from the beginning pictures that you did not have nearly enough surface scratches on the back of the bow for the sinew to adhere to, if you would have also wrapped the sinew while wet with some nylon cordage you could have prevented lifting of the sinews.

Without building up the sinew layers at the handle you will have a big rubber-band instead of a bow, the even distribution of the sinew over the length of you horn core which looks to be an even thickness throughout will not allow for the stiffness in the middle that you need. I might suggest adding a piece of horn to the belly with hide glue then wrapped with sinew after you have all your layers added, this might add the stiffness needed in the middle. You could also take some of the reflex out by clamping the middle of the bow to a board and pulling the tips down with some anchor ropes before the sinew cures to much. To much reflex tends to make the bow want to twist in your hand when stringing and makes the overall bow unstable.

Just some food for thought.

Good luck with your project.

Offline Lee Slikkers

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Re: Sheep horn bow buildalong
« Reply #49 on: March 10, 2013, 04:07:29 pm »
I've had some minor trouble with sinew lifting off the horn, as a result of narrowing the bow a little which exposed the glue line too much. It's now glued down, and the bow has gotten in total 74 grams of sinew. Still I have to add a little to get it to original dimentions, but as the tips are now about to cross, I've decided to open it up a little before I put on the final layer(s). The bow will be a small beast, and I'm very curious to see how it will behave, and how far it will be possible to draw.

What I've learned is that the horn probably should have been scratched some more before putting on the sinew, and I would also straighten out the horn completely before starting to sinew. I should also have narrowed down the horn to about 2mm narrower than the original dimensions before putting on the sinew, so that I would not have to expose the horn/sinew glue line when the thick sinew layer was still contracting. That would have avoided the problems with sinew lifting off.

There will be some more photos of the continuation, it is just taking a little extra time :)

I was curious to see/hear how the scoring on the horn worked vs a deeper groove when it came to lifting sinew...sorry to hear it didn't adhear like you had hoped but sharing that info has certainly helped me and likely a few others.  We've had a break in the weather here in MI and the little extra warmth had me wondering my garage looking at my materials and beginning to plan my horn build.  I will admit I am envious of your boiling tank and will have to keep my eyes open for such a container before I start mine.  Looking forward to seeing the completed bow.
~ Lee

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"The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant: 'What good is it?"
— Aldo Leopold
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