Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: DC on August 17, 2016, 05:58:21 pm

Title: Dry fire
Post by: DC on August 17, 2016, 05:58:21 pm
Can a dry fire cause a crysal? I did something stupid and now I have a chrysal, i think.What lind of damage can a dry fire cause?
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: Joec123able on August 17, 2016, 06:58:20 pm
I would imagine it's possible. When you dry fire the energy that would be imparted to the arrow goes back into the limbs and sends a more devastating shock through them than if the arrow had absorbed most of the energy. It can cause the limbs to break or splinter or split your nocks.
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: mwosborn on August 17, 2016, 07:03:07 pm
I wouldn't think a chrysal.  A crack or break or delamination or sheared off tip overlay, etc.  A chrysal is caused by compression.  But I am just speculating!
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: DC on August 17, 2016, 07:17:29 pm
I haven't seen a lot of chrysals but this looks like one and it happened right after I dry fired it. It's pretty hard to deny the coincidence though. All I can find on the net is "don't do it" and "It causes damage to the bow". I guess a chrysal is damage but it doesn't strike me as the right damage for the situation. But what do I know :D
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: Marc St Louis on August 17, 2016, 08:03:42 pm
I seriously doubt a dry fire would be the cause of that chrysal
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: DC on August 17, 2016, 08:19:55 pm
 Is this definitive?  I sanded it a bit and CA'ed it and now I can feel it again. Just coincidence that it happened at the same time? It's going right through the middle of a small knot. It's fumed OS, if that matters
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: mullet on August 17, 2016, 09:00:22 pm
What kind of string were you using. I'm thinkinking if it was B-50 it might have cracked from the sudden rebound with no weight from the arrow. Heck, even Fastflight stretches a little. And, that pin knot probably wouldn't help any.
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: DC on August 17, 2016, 09:43:25 pm
Fast flight. I rasped and sanded until it disappeared and epoxied in a piece of OS(ala Del). The chrysal went in at least 1/8".I made it 8" long. The patch isn't fumed so it's going to stick out like a sore thumb. It will be a test of patching. It's funny, I was just remarking yesterday that I had 13 bows and was going to have to build one or dump one :D
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: Dakota Kid on August 18, 2016, 12:03:16 am
Make the next one a penobscot  bow. You skip right from 12 to 14 with that little trick.
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: Selfbowman on August 18, 2016, 06:37:50 am
Looks like compression to me. Your buddy did not pull it back another 2-3 inches did he. Arvin
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on August 18, 2016, 08:41:37 am
The bow slammed too far forward and that separated wood at the knot, not compressed. So no, not a chrysal. Its a tear. IMO.
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: Blayne on August 18, 2016, 09:50:25 am
That is the same thing that my OS stave had that I showed you. I never dry fired mine...
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: wizardgoat on August 18, 2016, 11:12:59 am
I've seen a lot of those on OS bows, always around belly pin knots.
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: SLIMBOB on August 18, 2016, 11:31:20 am
My guess is that PD is right.  The shock broke it right at the pin.
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: DC on August 18, 2016, 11:35:45 am
I'm going to go with- The bow was probably going to crack/chrysal there eventually and the dry fire just speeded it up. That's fairly diplomatic and as close as I'm going to get.
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: mwosborn on August 18, 2016, 01:25:36 pm
The bow slammed too far forward and that separated wood at the knot, not compressed. So no, not a chrysal. Its a tear. IMO.

Could be right.  Would be easy to check.  Stress that area a little and it should open up the "tear".
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: DC on August 18, 2016, 01:28:57 pm
It's sawdust now. read about 9-10 posts back.
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: bradsmith2010 on August 18, 2016, 04:40:29 pm
what Pearl said,, I had a friend dry fire his bow, did the same thing
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: DC on August 18, 2016, 06:15:17 pm
I would much rather that it broke from momentary stupidity on my part than a fault in my tillering. The patch turned out good and I have pulled it to 28" but I'll let the epoxy cure for a day or so before I shoot it a bunch.
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: BowEd on August 18, 2016, 06:53:25 pm
Looks like as good a job of patching as anybody could do.Sure hope it works for ya.
Title: Re: Dry fire
Post by: mullet on August 18, 2016, 07:21:42 pm
The bow slammed too far forward and that separated wood at the knot, not compressed. So no, not a chrysal. Its a tear. IMO.

Yep, that is what I was talking about.