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Author Topic: Sinew not adhering well?  (Read 1386 times)

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Offline WhistlingBadger

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Sinew not adhering well?
« on: May 21, 2022, 02:39:23 pm »
Hi, all.  I've got a juniper bow in the works with three layers of bison sinew in place, glued on with knox hide glue.  Been drying for a few weeks, and I'm about ready to start tillering.  It seems to have adhered well overall, as it pulled the bow into an inch or so of reflex as it dried.  However, I tried to do a bit of sanding on it today and the sandpaper is pulling off individual fibers instead of smoothing the surface.

Is that normal?  I can live with the rough surface, if that's they only problem, but I'm wondering if I did something wrong and the adherence is no good.  What do you think?
« Last Edit: May 21, 2022, 02:49:20 pm by WhistlingBadger »
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Thomas
Lander, Wyoming
"The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail.
Travel too fast, and you miss all you are traveling for."
~Louis L'Amour

bownarra

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Re: Sinew not adhering well?
« Reply #1 on: May 21, 2022, 02:53:26 pm »
It will always, to a greater or lesser degree, go a bit 'fluffy' when you sand it. Your glue may have been a little thin but hard to tell now.
I would use 120 grit then to 240. Any fibers that do get pulled up should be cut off to a taper with a scalpel not pulled.
Mix up some thin glue like 5% or so - get it hot. Then rub onto your sanded surface.
That is as smooth as it will go.
Any low spots can be filled to make it perfect if you want to go that route.
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Offline WhistlingBadger

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Re: Sinew not adhering well?
« Reply #2 on: May 21, 2022, 02:55:55 pm »
Thanks, bownarra.  I can live with the texture, and I'm planning to cover it with snake.  Can I just leave it a bit rough, or do I need to get it smooth so the skin will stick?
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Thomas
Lander, Wyoming
"The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail.
Travel too fast, and you miss all you are traveling for."
~Louis L'Amour

bownarra

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Re: Sinew not adhering well?
« Reply #3 on: May 21, 2022, 03:01:26 pm »
If you plan on backing it with a snakeskin then doing as I suggested will give you a good sizing for when you glue the skin down (if using hide glue again).
If you are going to use a modern glue I would just sand the back to 240 grit.
Good luck.
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gutpile

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Re: Sinew not adhering well?
« Reply #4 on: May 23, 2022, 11:05:30 am »
bownara gave you some good advise. I used to use titebond on my snake skins but from now on I will only use hide glue for snakeskins.. reason is.. if you ever have a bow fail after gluing on skins with titebond.. its a done deal.. those skins are toast..you will never get them back.. haha.. had a matching set of copperheads I put on a mulberry recurve that I didn't build as wide as I should have and it chrysalled on me.. lesson learned with mulberry.. had I used hide glue I could of soaked and heated and the glue would of released.. gut
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Offline WhistlingBadger

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Re: Sinew not adhering well?
« Reply #5 on: May 23, 2022, 01:17:49 pm »
OK, thanks, guys.  I sanded it a little smoother, then painted it with hide glue to stick all the little fuzzies back down.  Looks and feels quite a bit better.  Now I just need to find a cooperative bullsnake!
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Thomas
Lander, Wyoming
"The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail.
Travel too fast, and you miss all you are traveling for."
~Louis L'Amour

Offline bradsmith2010

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Re: Sinew not adhering well?
« Reply #6 on: May 23, 2022, 04:41:57 pm »
pics please
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