a different type of horn-bow

[stuckinthemud]

There's some that think the Ulrich bow was retrofitted with a different prod, maybe it was built with a yew core prop and re-fitted with an all horn bow when they became fashionable?

[stuckinthemud]

Well, I've been picking at this project when I got chance between times. Covid means I can get an hour a day to myself before I get on with The List. Each block takes a good hour to fit into place before grooving, sizing and gluing.  To allow time for the glue to set I've actually started on a second prod to see if I can work more efficiently.
I am about 1/3 of the way through the glue-up.

[stuckinthemud]

Still unsure what to do about a yew core. The early crossbows all had yew cores, late crossbows definitely did not have wood cores, in fact one guild instructed its members to stop using wood cores as a way of pretending bows were stronger than they really were and customers were complaining.  A yew core would be more efficient, perhaps, as the yew raises the sinew above the neutral plane, making it work harder (I think) but needs extra length as yew can only bend so far while a horn bow can bend through a tighter radius and so be built shorter and thicker.

Now I know more than I did on the topic, it turns out I shouldn't have used buffalo horn.  Anyone know of a decent source for ram-horn in the UK?

[bownarra]

Why not use buffalo horn? It is the best by quite a long way.

[stuckinthemud]

From what I can gather, the original makers used sheep-horn so using water buffalo is a little like using Osage to see what a Mary Rose longbow could do. Be very happy if someone can correct me about this, it will save me a lot of work in the future.

[lonbow]

Some italian sources mention goats horn as a material for crossbow prods.
There are some swiss crossbow prods made out of cowīs horn.

But all these horns were regarded as inferiour compared to ibex horn. Thatīs probably one of the reasons (apart from the medical use of ibex horn) why the alpine ibex was almost extinct in many regions by the 16th century. But today, the population is growing again thanks to reintroduction. I dream of making a late gothic crossbow with ibex horn, but I didnīt do it yet  because because ibex horn is very expensive. You need at least 6 ibex horns or even more for making a composit prod. The material alone for one crossbow prod would cost 1000 Euro or even more. However I got hold of two ibex horns and I cut a strip out of it. The material is indeed much tougher than water buffalo horn. I would even say itīs almost unbreakable.

For more information about late gothic crossbows, have a look at:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=7516

lonbow

[lonbow]

I see you have water buffalo horn. This works too. I know someone who has made crossbow prods with water buffalo horns with draw weights up to 600 kg! Please go on

[stuckinthemud]

I also think the Ibex were hunted almost to extinction for the horn to make crossbows from, but you should need only one or at most two horns to build a composite bow, the horn is sawn into many narrow strips no more than between 5 and 8mm thick and 12mm wide, and even though you cannot use much of the side pieces, the front and back can be used and should supply plenty of material. You can use strips as short as 15cm, perhaps even shorter, I do not think the medieval builders wasted any material, even building bows just out of scraps but double layered to compensate, though this is just my theory.

[loefflerchuck]

You can get mouflon sheep horns for about $200-$300 a set.