String wax

[DC]

I made a FF string yesterday. First one in a while and I forgot to wax it. When I low braced the bow the string slowly got longer and longer. Does wax keep the loops from slipping? If so, how? Isn't wax slippery? And the string it pre-waxed. Am I missing something?

[Pat B]

Wax is to lubricate the string and to help keep it together while building the string.
 Are you using a bowyers knot or a twisted loop?

[mikekeswick]

No it is the twisting stops anything from 'slipping'. The only way anything could move is if you haven't twisted it enough.
As you say all string materials are pre-waxed and modern materials don't need any wax anyway. Really the wax is there is stop the string taking up and holding onto water.

[DC]

Twisted loop and I overbuild them. I start my loops with 10 1/2" tails and use 2" for the loop. That leaves 9" for twisting where everyone else uses maybe 4 or five. This string was 8 strands instead of my usual 10. I used to have this problem and around the time I started using more wax the problem went away. I hate to think my loops are being held together by wax and resin. It was first brace and low so there was a lot of strain on it. I made it 64" and it pulled out to 66 in 30 seconds. I thought I had this solved. My last 5 strings have been fine.

[DC]

Here's a picture. I should have included a tape measure but it's 7" from the tip of the loop to where it gets skinny. There's about 2" of twisted string after that.

[PatM]

Overdoing the twisting and blending sections is probably introducing more  errors in balanced tension that is being equalized when the string is stressed.

[DC]

You mean it's slipping as the twists pull tight? Does that mean it will get to a certain point and all the excess will be pulled out and it will stop slipping?

[PatM]

It will probably stop slipping but then you'll have too many twists. Better to just make a string with balanced tension and an optimum number of twists.

[Philipp A]

is the counter twisted segment after the loop slowly unwinding when braced? Did you by accident twist in the wrong direction on one end?

[DC]

It will probably stop slipping but then you'll have too many twists. Better to just make a string with balanced tension and an optimum number of twists.

OK. What is balanced tension and how many is optimum?

[DC]

is the counter twisted segment after the loop slowly unwinding when braced? Did you by accident twist in the wrong direction on one end?

Doesn't appear to be. I twist the same direction on both ends. I don't think my hands/brain could twist one one way and one the other. I hate this because now we could get all confused about twisting one way on one end and is it the same on the other. It's almost impossible to explain this stuff in print.

[willie]

and how many is optimum?

as few as possible, but so that the string still keeps together when taken off the bow

[DC]

and how many is optimum?

as few as possible, but so that the string still keeps together when taken off the bow

Are you saying there is more chance of a string coming apart when it's off the bow? I gotta be misunderstanding. I'm not trying to be stupid but a lot of this just isn't coming across. I've been surfing Flemish twist sites all morning and the start point varies(so far) from 6" to 9". If you start at 6" and use up 1 1/2-2" in the loop that only leaves 4-4 1/2" tails to twist into the string. Are you guys saying that a string like that will slip less than a string with 8" tails?

[willie]

not coming apart, just "assholing-up" as we say on deck, hard to handle and store

referring  to the twists in the body of the string, not the splices. too many twists in the body,  make for a lot of bounce

[DC]

not coming apart, just "assholing-up" as we say on deck, hard to handle and store

referring  to the twists in the body of the string, not the splices. too many twists in the body,  make for a lot of bounce

Makes sense now