...and I am trying to keep myself from drawing the darn thing to 32"... it is hard not to! I know I am gonna kill it if I do, but my curiosity is just evil. The stupid thing started making noises when I was finishing up tillering it. I hadn't put the horn nocks on yet, so I thought it might of been when the string was crushing the bamboo, which is was doing at the time. I actually had to pike it when I didn't even want to previously because the string crushed the bamboo right across the back and I thought it was gonna break. And the bamboo was thin too, less than 1/16" at the nocks. So I was thinking, since I couldn't find the source of the dreaded "tick" noise, that it might of been the string crushing the bamboo and causing it to lift near the temp nocks (which is was a bit). So after I get the horn nocks on, and it stops making noises for a good while, I tillering it out to 32" and beyond, and the darn thing ticks some more. So I look and this time I can see two distinct tiny cracks across the bamboo in one spot. They are tiny, but this bow is over 100# @ 32" for sure, and I am not wanting a sharp horn nock to go flying into mine or anybody elses body, so in a couple minutes I am going to
force myself to sinew patch it, but man do I wanna see if it i'l hold so bad.
I know it won't though... I soaked the thing in runny super glue so far, and got a patch ready and all. It is on the bottom limb too, so of course it will die eventually if not patched... I really don't like bamboo for heavy or stressed bows anymore. I know it is great stuff for the most part, but it seems like I never know when it is gonna fail. It seems good wooden backings are much more dependable and predictable in highly stressed or heavy weight designs,... not to mention a lot less work. For example, I have some maple (for backings) I picked up that I have been torturing like some sicko, Ipe warbows with 4" reflex, (yes, another example of me being an idiot, this one was an accident and I put too much weight in the handle during glue up,
.) , ipe reflex deflex's with disgusting amounts of reflex, etc. And it doesn't want to give me one failure, not one splinter, not a thing, not even a good amount of set. It holds a perry reflexed bow into reflex just as good as bamboo does. AND it is lighter... but everybody thinks bamboo is the bees knees...
