Recent Posts

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91
Bows / Re: PNW Elderberry Bow
« Last post by WhistlingBadger on March 03, 2026, 04:47:28 pm »
Yep, probably so.  Well, you can feel good about some good workmanship, if not the result.  My backyard chiminea is fueled by failed attempts, so nothing is wasted.   (--)
92
Flintknapping / Re: Silver Springs knap in
« Last post by bjrogg on March 03, 2026, 03:47:01 pm »
Quote from: Doug509 on March 03, 2026, 11:35:05 am
Nice points.  If you have some resource suggestions for teaching a novice how to get started I would appreciate it.  I found some obsidian in Utah begging to be an arrowhead.


If you can find someone to knap with is probably best. I never had that luxury. I watched a lot of YouTube. Drove my wife half crazy listening to the strikes on the rock.

At first I couldn’t figure out how they knew where to hit the rock.

Eventually I found myself thinking I’d hit it there as they were examining their rock. And then they did.

It’s still tricky even when you know what you’re doing. Very unforgiving and humbling. I still break points all the time, they are just a lot nicer when I break them now compared to when I was starting.

I’m not the best knapper on this site by far. I keep learning, but I don’t have anyone to teach me. I have figured out a lot of things on my own though.

I practiced a lot with glass. Bottoms from bottles. You can look it up on YouTube. Glass countertops, even TV screens which have nasty stuff inside.

That obsidian might be screaming at you wanting to be a point, but don’t be to discouraged if you turn it into gravel. It is certainly a challenge.

Bjrogg
93
Flintknapping / Re: Silver Springs knap in
« Last post by Doug509 on March 03, 2026, 11:35:05 am »
Nice points.  If you have some resource suggestions for teaching a novice how to get started I would appreciate it.  I found some obsidian in Utah begging to be an arrowhead.
94
Bows / Re: PNW Elderberry Bow
« Last post by Doug509 on March 03, 2026, 11:20:17 am »
Yes wide awake after that.  She was at 20" draw 27#.  Excercising several times looking good.  When i tried pulling to 22" she blew up.  Sinew or rawhide probably wouldnt help. I think that dark brown wood at the branch node may have been the cause.  It looks like dead tissue. 
95
Bows / Re: Birch Bark Backing
« Last post by Doug509 on March 03, 2026, 11:09:37 am »
I found that steam made the birch bark flexible but at the same time curl up tight like a cinnamon stick.  A heat gun worked much better.  2" wide strips then use a finger nail to start lifting up a layer.  It should separate easily from there to peel apart with 2 hands.  Also helps to put heat gun in a vise so you can heat and peel with two hands.  Any scabs on the surface wil lead to a break.  You want a clear and smooth surface.
96
Bows / Re: Birch Bark Backing
« Last post by jameswoodmot on March 03, 2026, 09:55:20 am »
Have a look at my sinew bow thread I did a little explanation on how I went about the bark
97
Bows / Re: Is this a suitable way to attach siyah? FINISHED!
« Last post by jameswoodmot on March 03, 2026, 09:09:32 am »
Thank you all!


Quote from: Robert Pougnier on March 02, 2026, 10:35:38 am
That came out awesome for a first try with that type of bow! You did a beautiful job with the overlays and finishing touches. Seems like you learned a ton aswell, and I did too following your thread. Thanks for sharing, it'll be neat to follow your progress with these bows and to see what you do.

Also great job on sharing the process and taking the time to photograph everything.

Im glad it was helpful to you, Robert. With such a generous community it only seems fair to try and give a bit back. I love to follow other peoples build alongs and see how they work things out and the hickups along the way!
98
Bows / Re: Hold my hand when I sinew my first bow
« Last post by jameswoodmot on March 03, 2026, 09:01:54 am »
Can’t thank you enough for all your help and the the videos and everything Dave, this isn’t just my favourite bow but one of the best things I’ve ever made and I’ve made a LOT of stuff! Super proud of this one and it turned out even better than I had hoped! I’ll get some full draw pics of hen it’s dry.
99
Bows / Re: Hold my hand when I sinew my first bow
« Last post by jameswoodmot on March 03, 2026, 08:56:53 am »
And here she is
100
Bows / Re: Hold my hand when I sinew my first bow
« Last post by jameswoodmot on March 03, 2026, 08:50:59 am »
This first strips I put on, you can see how different the thickness is, there are under the grip though.

A photo to show the colour gradient

And how I wrapped the tip pieces. There was cling wrap under there
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