Well, it's been a month since I last posted this bow rebuild. I've been waiting for a covering for the sinew backing. I got 2 snake skins that are very nice skins but they are a bit different from each other so I decided to go with thin rawhide. I received rawhide from 3 different people here on PA. The rawhide I got from Outback Bob suited this bow the best so today I applied it.
First I cut the strip Bob sent me into 2, 2" wide strips and cut them to length then washed in warm water with Dawn dish soap, rinsed them well and let them soak until I was ready to apply them.
I put the bow back on the form holding the handle down with a strip of sinew and raised the tips on 2x4 blocks to prepare for applying the rawhide...
I then dried the excess water off the rawhide, laid them out flat and sized with hide glue and sized the sinew backing on the bow with glue too...
...and applied the rawhide. I worked out any air bubbles and wrapped rubber bands around the bow at the flared to insure good adhesion there...
...and now I ask for your patience again. I have the bow on the form in my basement where I keep a dehumidifier running all the time during the summer so that should help with the drying. I think I'll wait at least a week before I release it.
...more to come...