Drying cow sinew for bow backing

[thomcout_96]

Hi,
I bought cow sinew from my butcher a while ago and it's been drying for a time now. However, it's just beginning to get warm sometime here so my sinew was hanging for a while in the basement. I tried to process it, but it is really hard and it would smash like ice when I tried to pound it with a round rock. Any advice what could have happened? The tendons are huge and were from the back of the beef I've been told.
Thanks in advance for you advice guys

[Pat B]

I used beef leg sinew on my last two sinew backed bows and I like it better than other sinews I've used. I've not used beef back sinew.

[DC]

I think what you have is neck tendon. It was about 3" wide and 1/2" thick, took a week or more to dry and smashed like peanut brittle when you hit it. Sound right? Apparently neck tendons don't work. Leg is great. Backstrap is also good but beware. What I had the butcher called backstrap and it turned out to be neck.

[thomcout_96]

Yes this is what's happening. And do you think many 5" tendons could work to back a bow if I had enough?

[DC]

I've only gotten as far as drying and shredding them. Someone else will have to help with the 5" pieces. Sounds a little short. I did a small patch on a bow with short pieces. Don't know if I'd want to do a whole bow that way. If you talk to the butcher nice maybe he can get longer pieces.

[JW_Halverson]

Smash up that brittle neck tendon, add it to some distilled water, and bake in the oven at the lowest temp you can set.  Overnight will work fine.  Just enough water to cover all the sinew bits.

You will have yourself a nice batch of hide glue once you strain out whatever bits are left.  Use right away or freeze it indefinitely.