Do you have an old bow that you want to shoot, or do you want to make a bow that will last for the generations?
I don't really like the idea of people shooting collectable old bows, because I have come across plenty of beautiful examples, that have been abused, to the point of being broken. Its usually some ignorant gorilla with an 80" reach trying to draw a short draw bow (or even a standard draw bow). The bow breaks the first attempt.
Even for those that know what they are doing, its always a risk wrecking a lovely historical object that has served its working life already. Yes it can be done, with careful incremental retraining.
I have several antique bows that show no sign of excessive set or chrysals, but have had their wooden tips broken, through misuse. Another bow an Aldred yew, that has been expertly reglued after it was shattered, likely by the aforementioned gorilla(he really gets around). Some of these old bows like the Aldred are a far cut above the rest in terms of craftsmanship, and details that commonly get overlooked by most of todays craftsmen. They are also artifacts that contradict much of the information commonly thought to be true. Its a crying shame, and also a loss of investment $, and history, to see one of these bows unnecessarily broken.
Yes there are bows without much historical value, where plenty of them are still in the antique market(ebay especially)t. It isn't bad if someone has the knowledge to assess the feasibilty of retraining or repair to get an old bow like this shooting again. Firstly the bow should exhibit good, even tiller from its stringfollow or an even reflex. No chrysals, no lifts on the back, or bruises that would obviously cause the bow to fail. Also good knocks, and a good string at a realistic brace height. Hardwood bows of osage, or hickory usually have a better chance of surviving, rather than yew.
Regarding the Mary Rose bows. Yes they did attempt to use some of the originals. Some shot, at least for a while, and some broke first try.
The sapwood was deemed to have lost a lot of its natural tension strength though centuries of being submerged in salt water, so it was considered safer to have new replica bows made according to the dimensions of the originals. It was good that they tried, but were smart enough to know when to stop wrecking such a wonderful find.
Those hollow metal bows like the Seefab, and Ackles Apollo etc are an accident waiting to happen because you can't see if the interior is rusted.
Some are still shootable, I have shot several due to curiousity, despite being warned by those more knowledgeable and more experienced than me at the time. An old timer said to always wear a peaked cap when shooting. They did this back in the day even when the bows were new because they sometimes broke without warning, and knocked you on head. My old steel bows didn't break, but I quickly found out that they didn't have as much cast as a good selfbow, and delivered a lot of handshock, and have been retired to the closet for many years.
