Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Zion on November 10, 2012, 08:35:26 pm
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So i'm sure you guys are tired of seeing my half-finished bows, but then again i hate waiting for Tung-oil to dry lol.
I got this little Hawthorn sapling about 2 weeks ago, and after a series of wood removal/ heat treating, i got it dry enough to tiller out completely. This is only my second hawthorn bow, and my third try, so now i have a feel for the wood. I really like it, probably even more than Serviceberry.
The back is lightly burnished or boned or whatever. Other than a light sanding that's where it stands, but i need to remove some more wood off the tips, too. However it shoots really nice. It took much less set than some of my recent bows, i'm starting to think heat treating is worthwhile! The back looks like that because after you remove the bark on Hawthorn and many other woods like it, the wood turns a cool orange color after a while, and if you sand it ya get that look.
Since it's not completely done, i'm wondering if i should stain it. I'm willing to try something new, so if you guys have any ideas i will probably try some. (Although i would steer away from really colorful ones.) I was thinking of a grey die made of ashes, do you think that would work?
Anyway, the bow is probably about 54" ntn, and 65/70#@25". It shoots really smooth and flat.
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your tiller is always spot on and you get quite high draw weights from these short saplings.
impressive
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i agree! excellent bow! weather or not its finished is not a big deal. you have made enough bows by now that even if you didnt finish them you would have a nice bow at all times.(you must have around 10 or more by now)
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Thanks Muffin and Dictionary!
Yeah Muffin as long as i don't go on a breaking spree i should have some to shoot ;D
But the constant goal is to make one shoot better than the last of course, so it's pretty much unending >:D
Dictionary, idk why but for some reason i have more luck with small diam. and higher crowns than with flatter bows. I know it's weird but it's true :o
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Man you are sure kicking out some good bows. Well done!
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That's another nice one!!
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Well done sweet bow.
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Thanks Keenan, Lesken,and Rob. It's definitely fun to shoot
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You could do either a coffee stain, or maybe a blueberry(although they may be hard to get.) ashes could work also.
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awesome :-*
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Yeah Muffin all of those sound cool but i drink all the coffee before i can do anything else with it ;D
I'm thinking about doing an ash stain on maybe just the tips and handle, or just the tips, or just the handle.
Thanks Jodocus!
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Nice bow again Zion, really like the primitive looking style of your bows. I've used finely ground charcoal on a few bows with varied results depending on the species of wood. On a black walnut sapwood back bow it came out sort of blue/gray in color. I have wiped
it on other woods like hickory and elm and had it just fill the pores of the back for a pretty rustic look. Lots of options with finishes,
one of my favorite parts of bow making. Post yours up again after you get it finished, I'd like to see how she turns out.
Greg
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I don't think wood ash is a good thing to use for stain. It is highly alkaline and might do undesirable things to the wood.
Also, I'm the spoiler here. Your tiller is good enough, but not "spot on." The top limb isn't bending as much as the bottom one in the middle third. Trace one limb on a sheet of cardboard or plywood and then lay the other limb on the tracing. That will make the difference obvious.
Always wanted to try hawthorn. That looks like a fast bow. Nice work.
Jim Davis
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We don't see to many hawthorne bows. Very nice, good poundage too.
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Ash arrow i know what ur saying. I took these pics after i had started shooting it in, and when i saw the pics i was like what the heck happened. So i took a few scrapes at the appropriate places; now i need to do it a bit more. I was planning on refreshing the tiller when i narrow the tips etc, and thanks for noticing, cuz if i hadn't noticed before u said that it could have stayed like that for a while! And what exactly do u mean about the alkaline in wood ash doing bad things to wood?
Greg, i'll do that! Would the stain stay in better if i burnished (boned) it in?
Thanks Hrothgar! I loooove this wood. Has many great properties and i hope to get more soon!
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If you can get walnut pods, the green stuff qround the actual nut, that makes for a sweet warm brown. You can use fresh, green pods or old pods that are rotting and have turned black. Just put in in water for a day or two. Keep the wood wet with the stuff for a while, you can drown it or use toilet paper that you put on and soak, for example. I've only tried smaller pieces of wood for testing yet, hazel and black locust took it very well.
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Jodocus, i don't think i'll get walnuts very soon but i'll consider that if i have some for future bows.
As i sit here i was also thinking of Serviceberries. I think if they were ground up they would make an awesome stain! It would probably turn up mostly reddish with some blue. This spring i'm gonna try that.
So many options for natural finishes!
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And what exactly do u mean about the alkaline in wood ash doing bad things to wood?
Greg, i'll do that! Would the stain stay in better if i burnished (boned) it in?
Mere conjecture on my part. Only thing I do know about wood ash is it makes wood rot faster in contact with the ground. You're not going to leave your bow lying around on the damp ground for weeks at a time, so probably it makes no difference. I would suggest trying the ash/water solution on a scrap of wood first. Doesn't seem like it would do much color changing.
Jim
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Asharrow, i decided to use crushed up charcoal (from a burnt piece of hawthorn) mixed with Tung Oil to make a stain. It seems to have stuck, but i dunno if it is going to when i put the coats of oil on it. Maybe most of it'll be washed out, we'll see.
Some pics, sorry about the horrible quality, my camera doesn't do good with night lighting.
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Looks good to me! i think using all natural materials is the best way to go ;D
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The crushed charcoal looks nice. I like the bow.
I agree with Jim about being cautious using wood ash. From woodworking.org "Be aware that lye solutions are caustic, and if they remain on wood for fairly long periods of time it will result in damage to the wood surface." Which, of course we don't want on the back of a a bow.
However, if you wanna use lye its ok, just wipe it with vinegar after a day or so, which will neutralize the strong base of Lye. Than rinse it off, dry, and seal.
Gabe
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Thanks for the heads up Ross. I put some Tung Oil on it this morning and it wiped most of it off anyway. Now it's a dull grey. If it doesn't look good with the oil, do u think i could get away with toasting the tips over a fire until they're dark, (but not charred) ? I did it on one bow before, my 2nd.
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Hey Zion, That's a great bow! You really do good work, and I love your enthusiasm for making bows! Just keep turning them out! As for stain, Believe it or not, I am making a vine maple, snake backed bow right now that I stained the fades and ends with black shoe polish I purchased at the "Dollar Tree". The middle of the belly I stained with brown shoe polish, also from the "Dollar tree". It's not natural I know, but it's cheap, and really looks good! Something to keep in mind. Dale
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That's cool dale, i look forward to seeing it. Since the belly is so smooth on this bow, the stain just kinda wiped off once i applied some Tung Oil. So i heat-treated the belly, to a little outside the fades, and since it took a bit more set than i wanted it's clamped into some reflex. Hopefully the stronger belly will reduce set.
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hey guys, i finished the bow up recently after shooting her in and narrowing the tips etc. I still will probably add a leather handle wrap, we'll see. There's only one light coat of Tung oil on her but ya get the idea.
The charcoal worked pretty good. If i had wanted it to be darker i would've just added more, but i think it turned out ok. Also, i didn't use any stains for the bow other than that, but i did heat-treat the limbs several times, hence the darker color.
somwhere close to 54" ntn.
70#@25"
Stave came from 1" branch
I'll let the pics do all the other explaining lol ;D
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Some more:
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Turned out really nice. I love the primitive look.
Jon
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Thanks Jon, i guess it's one of my goals to make bows simple. I'm not really one for cosmetics lol.
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nice! i really think that i had better try one of those sapling bows! i have a pear stave that's been drying for about 3 months. ill split it and try it out! But its nice anyway.
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Muffin definitely give it a go. A small warning tho, if your 'sapling' is less than 3" i wouldn't try splitting it unless you know it has really straight grain. If it twists on you at that size a bow could be hard to squeeze out of it, not so much if it's >4". Sapling bows really teach you alot, and 3 months sounds like a good deal. If it takes set early on then just heat-treat it and clamp some reflex into it.
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Where are you from Zion?
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sounds good!
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Dictionary, I'm from North Central Washington
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I really like that. Definately an improvement in tiller from the previous pics.
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Nice bow Zion,
I have several Hawthorn on the property. None of it is over 3”. I will get some cut and start the drying process.
Your bows are an inspiration.
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I agree! never actually finished a stave bow :'( but i have to keep trying. thats how you get good ;D
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Thanks Steve, Maxspin, Muffin. Yeah i'm glad i changed the tiller up from before!!!!
Maxspin, thanks alot. Hawthorn is great stuff! i will warn you, though, that it can be difficult to dry. Sometimes it splits down the length of the crown, and it will ALWAYS twist while it's sitting in the corner drying. This happens moreso with bigger pieces (>2".) At 3" i would debark it, rough the bow out, and tie it down to a board and put some reflex to it. Definitely try it tho, i wanna see more hawthorn bows on here!
Muffin, don't worry, it takes some practice. And i would think it ain't much different than a board bow as far as tillering goes. (But i've never used a board lol). Once you've made one, you have the mystery solved.
Thanks for all your comments everyone and i'm sorry this is such a long comment, i hate reading stuff this long,.....
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That bow finished up nice. Has that trademark primitive/rustic Zion bow look that I like. :) Your kickin out some good ones.
Greg
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Zoin that turned out pretty nice you really did a nice job on it well done.
Rob
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Thanks Greg, Rob. Lol i'm glad it appears that i have a signature style! :laugh: