String twist test

[aznboi3644]

I don’t know Jack about Flemish twist strings.  CN someone explain how the direction of twist affects the bow depending on if the person shooting is left or right handed?

And how would a two strings built the same except for the direction of twist react so differently

[artcher1]

Honestly, this is my first CCW Flemish string. I've made hundreds and hundreds of the CW twist. Believe me, it was a struggle trying to do this in reverse. I know I caught myself a number of times twisting the wrong way and having to back up. So I agree, it would be best to have others try this for themselves and post their results.

aznboi3644, I think you'll see a little less initial string stretch if you construct a string with the same twist as the material you're using. Once a string settles in, I really can't say if there's a benefit one way or the other. I've never shot a bow with any other twist but the CW twist......Art 

[DC]

My guess is that this would make a tiny difference in speed. The 2" shorter will make the string lighter therefore faster but probably not even measurable. The increased stretchyness may have more effect. I'm remembering a while back Alan Case posted a computer simulation of something(my mind is gone). When he put in a no stretch string(imaginary) he got really good results but as soon as he put in a string with a little stretch (real world) the results went way down. I'll look for it. In your day to day shooting I don't think you would notice any difference between the two strings.

[Marc St Louis]

I brought this topic up in another thread so I figured I'd expand on it a little bit. I've noticed about 80-90% of all Flemish strings are constructed counter clock-wise. I build mine in reverse or clock-wise because the string material is twisted like that. It was suggested that I do some testing to see if there is indeed a difference between CCW or CW twisted string. Here's my results making two 64" B-55 Flemish twist strings, one clock-wise and the other counter clock-wise.

CW: 40 twist/first bracing 6 1/2". Bow depressed over my thighs to stretch out the string. Brace height now 5 3/4". One hour strung 5 5/8"

CCW: 40 twist/first bracing 4 1/8"- 30 more twist 4 1/2"-and then 40 more twist, brace is now 5 5/8". 20 more twist takes the brace height to 6 3/16". Bow depressed over the thighs to stretch out the string. Brace height is now back down to 5 3/8". One hour strung 5 1/4".

Conclusion: If my math is correct, it takes an additional 90 or more twist in a CCW string compared to a CW string of the same length. Performance wise between the different twist, can't test that myself, I can no longer draw a bow...…….Art

I don't know about dacron, never really noticed, but from what I have seen, from the different types I have on hand, low stretch material has no twist in it to start with or if it does it is so slight as to be unnoticeable.

[bradsmith2010]

I have noticed the string with fewer twist seems to give conistant chrono results quicker..
Or does not seem to take as long to settle in,.

[artcher1]

I think I'll redo the test. After a restless night thinking about this, it doesn't seem logically that there's that much difference between the CW and CCW twist. But logic does dictate that if you twist in the direction that the material is twisted to begin with that it becomes shorter.
And therefor will unravel and lengthen if twisted in the opposite direction.

Marc, I don't have a lot of samples to study, but the B-50 B55 FF D-97 and 450 plus I have all show a clockwise twist.  Barely noticeable in the smaller diameter low stretch material, more so in the larger diameter Dacron material......Art

[Pappy]

I do a CW twist, just because that is how I taught myself, just didn't know any better, I found out later that most do a CCW twist but like you said had to change. I have found fewer twist is much better, maybe 3 per inch. If you have to twist it up a lot to adjust the length it turns into a coil spring. Other than that can't tell much difference in the way it is twisted.
 Pappy

[Yellowstave]

I have a new roll of FF and I pulled the strand into because it very hard to tell, but it does have a CW twist to it.

[Pat B]

Interesting conversation, Art.
I use B-50, B-55 and make 2 bundle strings. I twist the bundles clockwise and the string counter clockwise. Just the way I've always done it.

[artcher1]

Pat, I've always shot with a large group of guys as you know, and one or two of them would sometimes have a new string and needed a string nock. Before I placed a nock on their string, I always, out of habit, depressed the bow over my lap to stretch their string out. Well, the bottom would drop out of their brace height. That was never the case with my strings. In those days we all used the Dacron strings. Only difference in our strings was the manner of twist.

Even here on the boards, when you start talking about Dacron strings, some guys are very satisfied with this type of material, and others hate the stretchiness of the material.  Perhaps the manner of twist has some bearing on that....Art

[DC]

Interesting conversation, Art.
I use B-50, B-55 and make 2 bundle strings. I twist the bundles clockwise and the string counter clockwise. Just the way I've always done it.

Me too, I'm kind of a closet lefty so I never know for sure if I'm doing things right or left handed. Are you a righty Pat?

[Pat B]

Yes, I'm right handed.
 When I'm twisting a string I take the end on a bundle, lay it across my knee and roll it out with the palm of my hand. This gives me a clockwise twist. When twisting the bundles I go the other way(counter clockwise) so I have a reverse twist.
I also onlr twist in the top loop and tie a bowyers knot for the bottom. I don't know if this matters or not.