Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: half eye on August 24, 2010, 11:56:15 pm
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Here is a bow I'm nearly done with. Made it for Ken over to Wolfsongforge. It is walnut backed elm. Has dragon head sting knocks and carved limbs. The lower limb is a serpent intertwined around a war arrow. and the upper limb is a set of chasing wolves. Both limbs have placques bearing inscriptions in elder futhark....the inscription starts on the lower limb and reads up through the upper limb. The lower reads Ken/ Kornett's son's/ serpents kiss (named by the maker) and continues on the upper limb Kettlingur Klora.
The picks will be in two posts from raw wood to present condition....the bow is completely tillered out and shot in but came in too light in draw so I'm in the process of adding weight and will post the regular draw pics when it gets up to the 60-65# it should have been in the first place. If it dont get that strong then it's going to firewood pile and we'll start over.
Hope ya like the pics....oh ya the bow is for huntig, not show, just to be clear about the intended purpose. so I'm throwing in a couple of pics of Ken in his "camo Cloak" for ground hunting.
rich
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More pics
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Wow. Very cool.
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Last three pics
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man the heck with skins i gotta get me some carvin knives !!!! how do you think stick figures would look on my bow limbs ??
lol hell of a nice bow Rich , Ken should be tickled with that one.
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Thanks abd, Ken...Ken yer bows sure dont need no carvin, thats for sure.
rich
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Wow Rich, every time I see one of these bows it really inspires me to do better, I thank you for that. Great bow, I am sure Ken will love it. Great job on a wonderful bow.
Tell
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Ahh my fingers are itchen to shoot er! as i said before that sa work of absolute beauty!
and in that first pic of the weeds i am not laying prone or anything just barely hunkered over.that real tree advantage clak is one of the best ideas i have ever had. got pockets on hte inside, if i pull the hood over my face there is a real tree guaze screen so i can see out. never sppoked anything while wearing it. plus it is water proofed, so i just get a few sticks and make a tent if it rains.
again.DANG Rich, it is a SWEET bow!
God Bless
Kenneth
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Ver nice rich,Ver nice,Ken will sure enjoy that one.Maybe i should hurry and get mine to him so he can shoot it a time or two before he gets that one,Wont be able to put it down ;D ;)
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WOW! Its incredible what you do with wood. Thanks for sharing.
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always enjoy your bows Rich. Gotta say im not the biggest fan of Molleys but this one is amazing!
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Beautiful work!
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Another beatifully done weapon Rich. I really enjoy your work and always look forward to seeing your next one.
Jeff
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Very cool indeed!
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WOW pretty and wicked all in one,thats a beauty-Hammertime
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Ho-lee crap that's one awesome bow!
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Very nice artwork on that bow. Very impressive.
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Thank you for the nice comments. Like I said though it may not make it up to the weight we wanted so I might just have to build a second one....ought to know today sometime.
Maybe something that might help ya out some....if you are making 2 bows at the same time (different woods) dont cut them both at the same. I made a walnut backed maple at the same time (for Gothmog) and that bows is a hernia machine (pushin 70# at 28/29) so when I rough cut the this bow out of elm and the same thickness it came in too light.....just an old guy brain fart.
rich
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inspiring, Rich!!!
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Seriously beautiful work there man! Be a shame to ditch even if it stays light :(
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nice one! and if it is too light don't burn it ;)
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Another "turd bow", eh Rich? ::) ;D I hope you will not be too upset when you win LBOM with the help of my own humble vote. Outstanding work!!!
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Hey Scott,
Actually the sting groves in these heads works very well....they hold positively but it is also easy to dismount as well. The dragon heads were based on some actual examples (mast racks) from the viking museum.Here's a pick of what they were based on.
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Another nice mollegabet, beautiful work Rich. I really like those Viking style carvings,cool!! how you gonna add weight??
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Beautiful art work. I have to admit that when I first saw your carved bows I was certain the backs would fail. But they haven't. Clearly a testament to your fine skills as a bowyer.
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I don't know if I have met anyone as skilled as you with carving. You just seem to whip em out
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Rich
MAN-O-MAN!
I was tryin dragon head string nocks on some siyahs for an asian type bow.
Had some twist in the upper limb...tried to scrape it out...It snapped...Go figure.
They did'nt look near as good as yours, but you inspire me!!!!
If you are let down by ant light #age in the future I'll be happy to pm you my address. LOL!
You are an artist for all of us to learn from
God Bless
Ron
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Thanks again fellas,
Scott@ That black color is basically 50/50 rit dye (dk brn & black) then sand the high spots and then rub in some lt brown regular stain.
Dragonman@ I've cut some thin hard maple and glued it to the belly of the working limbs with diamond shaped fades up onto the grip and lever.
Gordon@ Aint my bowyer skills.... it's the vertical grain and slow growth hardwood.
Big Country@ Shallow reliefe carving is very easy to do....any of you fellas could do one or two scrap practice pieces and have it down pat.
Okie@ The dragon heads on this bow are white ash, quartersawed, and the grain layed flat to the limbs. Holds up well even to "push-pull" stringing. I think it's the 3rd pic has a drawing, well a sketch really, if can download that you can print it out, then go to a zerox machine that enlarges/reduces and just keep running it through till ya got the right size for your siyah wood, piece of cake.
rich
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My friend, that's some-kind-o "sick nasty cool" :D You are certainly a craftsman.
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Cool Bow Rich! I really like seeing your carved ones. :)
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Very nice Rich. I have to say I really like the finish / dye job on this bow. A lot.
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You ought a be in the movie business , They could use your bows in lord of the rings rich. Nice job.. Denny
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Well done, as always, Rich! Can't wait to see it drawn!
Frode
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Wonderful work.
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Thank You Rich
I'll take any drawings you have.
I've already saved all of your pics to my files.
I do this because, when I blow up another bow :-[ :-[ :'(
I have inspiration to go on ;)
Honestly....THANKS for ALL of the ideas that you have given me.........
NOW IF I CAN JUST GET ONE TO WORK WELL......I WILL BE A HAPPY MAN!!!!!!!!!
Thanks again
God Bless
Ron
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Another impressive weapon Rich. I'm amazed every time I see one of your beauties. And the speed at which you turn them out!!! A master bowyer if there ever was one...
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beutifull work i to cant wait to see the full draw shot.
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It might be a bit premature Rich, But I finally made a mollegabet,per your instructions. I will finish today and post pics later. Still working on the tips , I don't know if I should add tip overylay as you have some fancy ones.Well If it don't break during tilling I will post later. Again a nice job on your latest. Do you participate in SCA functions ? I ask because of the russian viking overlays. Denny
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Denny,
No, I dont do SCA.....just too old to pick up another habit. I make and shoot Mollegabets because the design is solid and the bows shoot smooth, hard, (good cast) and have good speed. More importantly to me they are dead quiet even at the heavier weights (60-80#).
The pin knocks common to a lot of early European and Nordic bows are very strong. If ya think about it you would be trying to snap off a piece of hardwood that's only about 1/2 inch long.....that amount of force required would be more than a man could pull.
As for the carvings, most of them are in fact based upon the Russ models.....but also I have done several from the Icelandic models as well. I believe that the squints break them (Vikings) into groups based upon which way they migrated/ explored/ fought. So ya have Eastern expanding, and western expanding. I have friends of Nordic stock who are from both groups....so whatever I'm carving beit a bow, seax scabbard, weapon handles or whatever I try to make them designs that are true to their particular ancestors.
As a side note, N2huntin....Jeff taught some of his friends to build mollegabets and one of them is a retired mechanical engineer who promtly took measurements, plugged 'em into some programs and came up with a "bow efficientcy model" for various bow designs. Turns out the mollegabet is so highly efficient that is all he makes now. I got that second hand from Jeff so can't give the man's name....but generally most people who actually shoot them, like them.....a lot. I recently made a 70# for Gothmog, and I guess he's tickled pink with it.....I believe he said that it outshot his newer model compound bow.
rich
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Thanks for the info Rich. I have a sec of russian viking descent that live down the road from me and they are part of the SCA. My son and I have dressed the attire and participated with our longbows,we made. I looked cute in my long coat ,More like a monk.lol Anyway enough of that I can't wait to finish. Let you know. By the way I have built the Homey and loved it. They do remind you of the mechanical bows of today with much finer grace. Denny
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Rich, I am so in awe of your work and skills that I am compelled to post a comment after lurking about on this site and absorbing for almost a year. 8)
You are one my favorite bowyers of all time! You must think seriously about publishing a book with all the great bows you have made over the years. (At the very least you should have something in the next Bowyers Bible edition!) Every Bowyer in the country would have it on their coffee table. I come on this forum every day just to look at and be inspired by your bows.
By the way, why does your name still have "guest" after it. As far as I'm concerned, you own this forum!! ;) No offence intended to all the other masters on this forum that I admire and attempt to emulate! Someday I will get up the nerve to submit some of my bows for everyones constructive scrutiny! ;D
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randman,
Thank you for the compliments, but ya just might be a tad overstating :D First off, I sure aint no expert on anything, and I have written a book (non-archery) and a few articles (archery) but that dont make me an expert either. Mostly I make bows that I like, some folks like them and others hate 'em.....that's about how everything in life goes. Make what YOU like.
If your making bows.....you ought to post them. You made them, and I'm sure they are very good bows. They might not be to everyones taste but hey, thats what makes bow building interesting and above all, fun. Carved bows are easy to make (a little time consuming is all) and I'd be happy to tell/show ya how to do it.
I've completely rebuilt Wolfsongforge's bow "Orm Koss", because this one was made too light in draw. I dont make any carved bows that are copies of anyother. @ one is unique, so the old one got cut in two and the new one 65# @ 28 will be ready for pics in a couple of days, then off to Ken, for huntin season. The wolf carving is more complicated on the new one (gripping beast) and the dragon heads are made with a different carving style. Will post it when I get the beast done.
rich
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Way cool half eye, your work is inspirational as always.
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Another beauty.Great job all- around. God Bless
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Rich, I am so in awe of your work and skills that I am compelled to post a comment after lurking about on this site and absorbing for almost a year. 8)
You are one my favorite bowyers of all time! You must think seriously about publishing a book with all the great bows you have made over the years. (At the very least you should have something in the next Bowyers Bible edition!) Every Bowyer in the country would have it on their coffee table. I come on this forum every day just to look at and be inspired by your bows.
By the way, why does your name still have "guest" after it. As far as I'm concerned, you own this forum!! ;) No offence intended to all the other masters on this forum that I admire and attempt to emulate! Someday I will get up the nerve to submit some of my bows for everyones constructive scrutiny! ;D
Rich
DITTO! DITTO! DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!-Ron
A pictorial book with dimentions and a little history...You would make a mint. I'de be first in line to buy!
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Awesome carving, man! You're quite an artist.
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Great work again I love the carving.
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man that is amazing. i love it. excellent work! ;D
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Freakin awesome, this should be in a Viking film!
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Beautiful bow,a work of art. :)
Pappy