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Author Topic: My bamboo is all beat up... Is this still ok?  (Read 2130 times)

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Offline toomanyknots

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My bamboo is all beat up... Is this still ok?
« on: May 24, 2013, 05:09:51 pm »
Well I ordered some bamboo, and it came today. It is a little beat up, I am thinking it is just the rind, but I really haven't worked bamboo ever, so I don't know what to expect. A lot of it has scrapes here and there, I am going to have to remove the rind of almost all the bows I make with em, probably every one. So is it ok to sand all the rind off? It seems hard to tell it the back fibers were violated, as they all go straight and there doesn't seem to be "rings" like wood? I am all kinds of flustered yall, lol.  ;D

EDIT: Opps, forgot pictures:







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"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 RBLusthaus

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Re: My bamboo is all beat up... Is this still ok?
« Reply #1 on: May 24, 2013, 05:30:56 pm »
use a card scraper and see if you can get a good clean surface under the rind.   Kinda like a single growth ring - - but I think boo has no rings.  It looks OK to me and I always remove the rind on my boo anyway, so no biggie (for me).   I usually do my glue up with the rind still on as the glue does not stick to it, then remove it during finishing - - but in your case, I would remove right after glue up so you dont waste to much time if the boo does not hold during floor tiller. 

Russ
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Offline Dances with squirrels

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Re: My bamboo is all beat up... Is this still ok?
« Reply #2 on: May 24, 2013, 06:07:03 pm »
Is the rind missing in those areas? If so, why is it discolored? I'm thinking maybe the rind was rubbed off while the bamboo was still alive, or very green, and then it oxidized in those areas. That alone would convince me to use a different piece. It may also be bruised under there. My view is... making a bow is an investment of my time and energy, so I try to make decisions that optimize my chances of success. Even an apparently perfect-looking piece of bamboo can raise a splinter, let alone pieces that are obviously damaged or 'seconds'. Did you get it from a supplier who is familiar with the needs of bowyers?
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Straight wood may make a better bow, but crooked wood makes a better bowyer

Offline DarkSoul

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Re: My bamboo is all beat up... Is this still ok?
« Reply #3 on: May 24, 2013, 06:33:01 pm »
It appears to be just the rind and not the actual fibers that are damaged. Other then those scratches, the bamboo looks really good.
As Russ suggested, take a sharp card scraper and remove the rind, starting with those nicked areas. Don't apply a lot of pressure on the scraper: you'll easily feel it catches the rind but skates over the fibers underneath. Feel it - don't trust your eyes. The rind is easy to remove, without damaging the fibers underneath. You'll then be able to see if those damaged areas go deeper than the rind. The fibers should create continuous lines on the back, once all the rind has been removed.
Most of my bamboo has similar (although smaller) scratches and is still fine.
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"Sonuit contento nervus ab arcu."
Ovid, Metamorphoses VI-286

Offline toomanyknots

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Re: My bamboo is all beat up... Is this still ok?
« Reply #4 on: May 24, 2013, 08:24:19 pm »
Thanks guys. I am whipping up a bbi right now, soon as I got er glued up I will whip out the scraper, thanks!
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"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 ionicmuffin

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Re: My bamboo is all beat up... Is this still ok?
« Reply #5 on: May 24, 2013, 08:56:25 pm »
man do i wish i could move as fast on this kind of thing, my friends bday is in a week and a few days, i wont get the bamboo to thickness and the ipe to 1/2 inch until monday. even if i glue up that leaves me with less than a week to tiller and finish the bow, probably not a good idea to rush like that. but then again you've always been able to pump em out pretty fast. Good luck!
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Amo innectis arcus- I love crafting bows (latin)

Offline PatM

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Re: My bamboo is all beat up... Is this still ok?
« Reply #6 on: May 24, 2013, 11:22:03 pm »
That is from the bamboo being dragged across a sharp edge while it is still green.
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