Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: JW_Halverson on August 22, 2014, 04:27:53 pm
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I have finished the bow with polyurathane and normally I would cut out the leather, wet it, stretch it, and sew it on. I would then use a little toothpick to lift up the edges and squirt a little dab of superglue here and there to make it stay good and tight, along with counting on the shrinking of the leather to do the job.
However, I am doing something a little different where the arrow pass leather padding is integral to the leather of the grip and I do not want the leather to get crusty hard, like what happens with superglue.
What do you recommend??? I was thinking barge cement since that was often used with leatherwork. The arrow pass is my main concern since it is out there with nothing to stitch it to. Your thoughts?
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I quit gluing them JW. I stitch them up tight and haven't had a problem with them moving. When I glued them in place I did the same as you with the superglue.
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With the wetting and stretching, I don't see this grip moving either, but that tab of leather extending up the grip from the grip area is unsupported and needs to be glued down.
This is a very different style of leather wrap brought on by a very different style of grip than I am used to doing. Frustrating, but it's opening my head up for new ideas and that has to be good, right?
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Torges recommends contact cement (which Barge cement is) for handle wrapping that is form fitting and non hardening.
Once you stick down the initial edge you can really haul on the rest to pull it all down snug.
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I agree with Pat M, contact cement. Barge is one brand and Weldwood makes it also.
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I think a little titebond works well. Stays wet long enough to move around and stitch unlike contact cement. Like I said just a little. Don't want it coming out lacing holes. Most time I stitch and dab super glue like others said
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I've used normal white wood glue to secure leather handles onto a bow. It doesn't dry as hard as superglue. I'm sure contact cement will work beautifully as well, but I have wood glue at hand for sealing the ends of staves, and I would have to go out and buy contact cement. So I use what I have at hand :)
I sometimes mix the glue with a little drop of water and put it into a syringe. I use a fat and long hypodermic needle to literally inject the glue underneath a leather handle that is already installed.
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I've done a bunch with titebond with good results. My favorite is barge cement though. I think it just works better. Especially at the arrow pass and forming the contours of my pistol grips.
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I use a dab of Loc Tite super glue on all the hot spots. Once in a blue moon one will come free a bit, I just tack it back down. I tried a few other ways as mentioned and just made a big flippin' mess, all on my own. Hate gripping........
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I also wet them, stretch them, and stitch them...you can use a glue stick or cheap rubber cement too...even on the wet leather.
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Barge if I have to glue leather. Never had any issues lacing up just a grip.
Tracy
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High strength double stick tape.
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High strength double stick tape.
That's one I had never considered. That might be the ticket for that loose floppy arrow pass leather above the handle.
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I always use Barge cement for grips and rest.
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I've always used Barge Cement, but like the double sided tape idea. Just wondering how it would stand up the vigors of the pass? Bob
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Barge cement for me and I don't stitch them. Here is a how to:
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000052
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Barge cement is probably best for this as several guys have recommended. I have used barge, but if you can't source it locally I have found Shoe Goo/Goop to be an excellent alternative.
The advantage of contact cement like barge and shoe goo is that it sticks to the finish but never bonds with it. With patience and a little elbow grease you can remove all the glue and have a pristine surface if you change your mind.
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I put the barge on over 4 or 5 coats of tru-oil on the handle, tape off the handle leather after it is on the bow and spray the bow with a couple of coats satin spar. I have found that barge is not compatible with spar and will dissolve it in patches where nothing sticks when you try to apply the leather.
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I have used the helmsman spar urethane and barge cement with leather grips.....have not noticed it having problems......
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It's all academic now!
Shot a dozen arrows thru the bow and on the thirteenth arrow it became an "inconvenient takedown". I guess I am cursed with oak bows. Seven or eight attempts and one very overly long and lightweight bow survived.
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Sorry to hear about the bow JW.
I use fletching glue, always have some about.
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To bad JW,guess it don't matter now but i use TB3. Cut the grip to fit a little short then wet and stretch the leather to make it fit ,put a light coat of TB3 on the handle and stitch it up,as the leather dries it makes a very tight fit and the tb3 keeps it from moving if the leather gets wet again for rain or sweat. :) :)
Pappy
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Well that does suck........give her a go again......
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i use a silicone like cement.
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Barge cement is probably best for this as several guys have recommended. I have used barge, but if you can't source it locally I have found Shoe Goo/Goop to be an excellent alternative.
The advantage of contact cement like barge and shoe goo is that it sticks to the finish but never bonds with it. With patience and a little elbow grease you can remove all the glue and have a pristine surface if you change your mind.
I also have found Shoo Goo, or Household goop to work very well, and ditto with the fact that it doesn't harm the finish. Also, Leather cement does the same thing, and I have used that to secure leather arrow pass padding and it holds quite well. I could never get contact cement to work very well for me.
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I am new to this and have done about 6 to 8 leather handles with different leathers and have never glued them. Not one has moved after being stitched.
Get 2 curved needles and artificial sinew and a good measuring tape.
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I guess I was not terribly clear when I was asking for information on gluing down the leather. I have not had a problem with a grip moving after being sewn on since my first bow 12 years ago, not one of the subsequent 100-something bows.
For this bow, I wanted a one piece grip with a tab that extends up along the fadeout on the side of the bow such that it would provide a softened arrow pass. Since that tab extends up above where the rest of the handle lies, it cannot be sewn down to anything, and must be glued down to the side of the bow at the fade out.
Here's the grip and the leather pad glued to the fadeout from my first bow:
(http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo100/JW_Halverson/Bows/IMG_0407_zps8a770bb5.jpg) (http://s365.photobucket.com/user/JW_Halverson/media/Bows/IMG_0407_zps8a770bb5.jpg.html)
I used Duco cement back in the day and every 2nd or 3rd time shooting the bow I would have it half falling off. So I'd grab it like a Band-Aid, give it a rip, scrape off the glue and re-glue it down. As you can see, there isn't a thing you could do to "sew" that tab without it flapping in the breeze. It must be glued down.
For the record, the leather on my "inconvenient takedown" was wetted, stretched, sewn and allowed to dry overnight. No glue on the grip and it was going NOWHERE. I used TBIII as Pappy suggested, careful to wipe up any excess squeeze-out with a soft damp cloth. For a dozen shots, like I said, it was a certified shooter! However when she failed, I decided to test the glue up of the arrow pass tab. TBIII bonds well enough between spar urathane and leather that I will certainly use it in the future.
I am now gluing scraps of leather to the remaining shards of bow limbs to test the other suggestions.
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I really don't think your arrows should be dragging that badly across the pass.
I have many times done a one piece handle wrap with the pass integrated to the main piece and glued down with contact cement.
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I don't think it was the arrows dragging so much as it was not the right glue for the job. I switched to making longer grips with more leather wrap so that the grip was the arrow pass, but felt like changing things up.
Just adding tricks to the trick bag and trying to kick my way outa the ruts I have dug for myself.
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some well placed drops of runny ca glue is what I do
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There's a double stick tape I use for golf grips that works pretty well. It will stick to the polyurethane finish and the leather. Plus you can remove it later if you want. Just apply it to the leather first, trim the tape to fit, remove the tape backing and then stick it to the bow. It'll stay there till you want to remove it.
George