Sinew

[Muskyman]

Not sure this is the right place for this but, it is mainly for putting on a bow, so here goes.
I recently got some back strap sinew. I was looking for how to videos on processing it and the only thing I found was one video and it wasn’t really all that great. Basically said take it and work it round and round like pedaling a bicycle then pull it apart. Okay easy enough but, I recall Super Dave talking about combining it and I was trying to recall how he did that or what he used etc. I was planning on getting it ready to use then putting it away until I got ready to use it.
Just looking for some ideas/thoughts on the how to before I started messing with it.
Thanks

[Pat B]

Once you pull the sinews apart if you use a stiff toothed comb it helps to smooth out the bundles so the fibers lay parallel. It's not a necessary step but makes a neater looking backing. I think it makes the sinew more efficient when the fibers are parallel and laying flat.

[JW_Halverson]

You can take a piece of hardwood scrap, about an inch wide and 3/4 inch thick. Get some 2" finishing nails and pick a drill bit about the same, or slightly smaller, diameter. Drill holes so there is an eighth inch gap apart in a line across the end. Then drill another line of holes offset to the first so that the holes line up with the gaps of the first line. Do a third line, offset to the second, but in line with the first. Then fill all the holes with the finish nails.

This comb/brush is great for breaking back sinews. Push the sinew down into the nails and pull through. Repeat over and over until you break it down into fine fibers. Be sure to save all the scrap that gets combed out and use it in your next batch of hide glue.

[superdav95]

Hey mike I do much like JW described.  I bout a dog brush and clamped it into my vice and pulled my sinew strands through.  I used to have a video posted here somewhere but it must have deleted I guess.  I should do up another and post a link soon.  I’m mean time here are some pics of different types of sinew.  Also some different tools I use for getting me to the point where I can lay it down.  I use a fairly thin glue as well compared to some.  I find the sinew glue I make gels up quite fast and is very strong grade compared to some I’ve purchased before.  I add some sturgeon bladder glue to my mix if I got a few bows on the go or just need little more working time.  Some guys like a thick mix but I just find a more liquid hot glue mixed well with sinew.   So I get my measured bundles all separately piled and separated into similar lengths.  I’ll soak it well and wash it well with dawn soap.  I’ll comb it good with a regular plastic comb and get the strands all flowing same way.  Sometimes they get tangled underneath and bunched up.  If you don’t do this it will create voids in your sinew as it drys.  Diligence here make for good results.  Sizing your surface is possibly the most important aspect I find is overlooked.  I use a very watery solution of hide/sinew glue for this.  It will be more like water then glue.  I apply this over a couple days and use a little radiant heat from the stove top to heat up surface to warm.  This opens up the pours of your wood to more readily soak in that thin hide glue solution.  You should repeat these sizing coats till your surface is shiny when dry.  This is how you know it’s fully saturated with glue.   I heat the surface only the first few coats of solution letting us dry in between.  So important that this step is done thoroughly in my opinion.  Just before laying down my first layer I’ll use a small brush to apply a layer of glue.  I then take my combed out and prepped bundles then dunk them into my glue pot with hot glue and squeeze out the excess glue and then lay on the bow in one long strip.  Some guys do several little bundles along the limb.  If you look up Stylian Stefanof on YouTube he has a good video of a similar method I use for applying sinew that I think is good.  His Native American horn bow I believe.    It’s too bad.  I just did another set of limbs here the other day but my wife wasn’t around to video for me.  I just did before and after pics.   I found an old video but it doesn’t show me laying it down either so no good to you.  Anyway stylians videos are very good.   He doesn’t show everything but you get the idea.  Here’s some pics.  Last one is the glue pot I use.  It’s actually a wax pot I repurposed for hide glue.