Now its starting to look like a bow! Note the natural deflex shape, ohh so pretty. Tom assures me that by the time the sinew is added it will attempt to pull it back into reflex, but that comes later. Be careful, don't flex that center section just yet, we still need to add a horn plate on the belly side only in order to reinforce it, then we will wrap the entire handle area with sinew. In order to make your belly handle piece, you need a flat piece of scrap horn. Tom uses curved scrap from the side of the horn we cut at the beginning, heats it by holding it it 2-3" over the electric stove while constantly flipping it, and then clamps it between two 2x6's in a vice until its flattened completely out. I did not witness this part, he already had a few done this way. Cut your handle piece roughly to the dimensions of the bow (approx 1.5"x 4.25") to be safe.
Then the work begins. You have to work down the now glued-up handle section of your horn bow in a concave manner naturally following the contour of the belly. This one is hard for me to explain, so hopefully my pics can. Then you make the horn plate convex to mate up to it. Hold it up to a window or something light behind it to check the gap, remember only a little light or space can remain(like a millimeter or less). Then thin down the ends of the plate so that it will flex a bit when you clamp them down with your small clamps, allowing them to mate up nicely to the belly surface of the bow.
Note-the second pic still needs signifigantly more material removed. The 3rd and 4th pics are a different bow.
