Ever have a poundage gainer

[Eric Krewson]

A few years ago, I made a bow for a friend to the exact specs he wanted 52#@27", he called me a month or so later and told me his bow had gotten stronger and felt like it was least 60# at his draw length now. I thought "no way", he brought it over to my house and I checked the poundage, it was 60# at 27 now. The bow was made from a 20year old well-seasoned osage stave.

In all the bows I have made his bow is the only one that gained poundage until today, this time it was my personal bow that I have been shooting since 2015. With some health issues I couldn't shoot it and made a bow in the low 40s that I could shoot easily.

I started integrating "Old Faithful" back into my shooting routine today and it felt like the poundage had gone up to me. When I made it was 52#@25", I have put tens of thousands of arrows through it since, for the last 3 years it has been hanging on the wall in my shop un-shot.

After I finished my shooting session off my deck at 3D deer targets, I took it out to my shop to measure the poundage, the bow was 55#@25" now, it has definitely gone up.

I have been coming back physically and doing weight lifting at the gym just to build my bow shooting muscles. To shoot this bow I have a way to go, dropping the poundage of this bow is not something I want do, it is the best bow I ever made.   

[Badger]

  I have had several gain small amounts of weight and a few gained quite a bit. An elm bow I had went from 57# to 70# over a few years and then stabilize. I had an osage bow I used at the flights for maybe 10 years and on every trip out I had to remove a couple of pounds.

[George Tsoukalas]

No, I never had  a well seasoned bow gain weight. Jawge

[PaSteve]

Yes. One particular pyramid osage bow gained 13 lbs. It was made in 1998 from a stave that had been seasoned for 7 years. I hunted with the bow in 98 and it was 59#@25.5". I retired the bow after killing a nice 8pt buck. About 4 years ago I decided I wanted to start shooting the bow again. I couldn't get close to full draw and thought I'd gotten much weaker in the last 20 years. It really bothered me to think I had gotten that much weaker. Then it dawned on me to check the weight. Boy, was I surprised when it pulled 72#@25". Anyway, that bow now sits on my bow rack.

[simk]

intersting.
how would you explain it, if not by changes in humidity and/or temperature?
 

[Del the cat]

Not really seen it myself... but I guess most of us realize stuff changes with age (mostly down hill ) .
I got out of the habit of my 20 push ups every morning... tried to start up again, struggled to make 10 ! Back to 15 now.
I s'pose that's all part of the beauty and wonder of wood as a material.
Del

[medicinewheel]

Strung an allmost 20 yeras old Osage bow some time back, and had a feeling it gained some poundage. Hadn't been strung for years.
Will check on that as soon as I can.

[BowEd]

Old self bows are about as individual as people.

[bassman211]

I have had that happen. I thought it may have been the sinew backing still drying until it happened to some self bows. After they season tillering them the 2nd time around to get them back to original pooundage seems to make them more stable.

[Aksel]

yes. I dried som yew saplings as Tim Baker recommended. With digital scales. Stave weight was stable for 2 weeks. Finished the bow at #43. After the summer I thought it was getting heavier or myself weaker. Now it was #48. Must surely have been moisture content. Made the bow in late spring so Relative moisture content was higher. Will check the weight again in spring to see if it drops in weight again. Bow treated with Tung oil.

[Eric Krewson]

Good to know I am not alone, both of the bows that gained poundage were made from that wonderful dense, heavy, rock hard osage we come across every now and then.

I have bene mulling over a poundage drop on my #1 bow, I don't like having a great bow being rendered useless so I guess the excess poundage has to come off.

[NonBacked]

Interesting thread. The idea of loosing moisture content is probably the best conclusion.

Of all the bows that gained weight, were any of them heat treated?

[bassman211]

All of mine   were, and checked with a moisture meter at 9 to 11% before tillering, and hickory near 6 %. Stored in the house at 71 degree temp year round.

[George Tsoukalas]

I am with you bassman. Bought my moisture meter many years ago. Use it always.

In NH, our winters are very dry and our summers are very humid. Seems like the opposite problem here than experienced above by some though I keep my active bow in AC which removes moisture.

Jawge

[bradsmith2010]

maybe it cant be explained,, wouldnt that be cool,,,