Sinew question

[Lost Arra]

I sinew-backed my first bow today.

A few things I learned here really helped:
1. Keep the warm hide glue thin.
2. Warm weather is better for applying sinew with hide glue than cold weather.
I had to abort my first attempt back in March when I had hide glue too thick and a cold shop.
It was a mess so I just took it off and waited for a warm day.

My question: as the sinew/glue is drying it has pulled away from the edge of the bow a very small distance.
It is still tight to the back of the bow.
Is this important?
Should I add more sinew and overlap the sides?
If so I'll probably wait until tomorrow so this layer can start drying a bit more.

Thanks

[Pat B]

Did you wrap the bow limbs after you added the sinew? You may want to do that for a day or so to be sure everything is holding tight to the limbs. If it is too dry already, maybe wrap a warm, damp(not wet) cloth around the area thats lifting until it becomes softer then add more glue, and sinew if needed and wrap it.     Pat

[welch2]

It sounds like the sinew is lifting ,probally not making a good bond to the bow back. Is it a straight bow? Or is the back recurved or reflexed ,and the sinew is lifting in one of these curves?  Did you degrease the back with acetone or some other degreaser? And did you rough the back up a bit, and 'size' the back with a couple of coats of thin glue over a few days before you started sinewing?

If it's an otherwise good bond and it's just lifting near a recurve or other bend in the back of the bow ,get some glue under the lift (I use a big syringe)and wrap the whole bow with an ace bandage .Making the wrap tight enough to pull the sinew back down ,and squizze excess glue though the bandage. Then I would leave it alone for a day or two,and then rewrap the  bandage in the other direction. 

Ralph

[mullet]

 Along with what Pat said,smooth the edge of the bow,so it's not sharp.

[M-P]

I like everybody else's suggestions, but would add that sinew does shrink from side to side as well as length wise.  My experience is that this is less noticeable if you apply multiple thinner layers, and wrap well during the initial day or two of drying.  I suggest that it doesn't matter too much it the edges of the bow aren't covered for most style of bows.  I've never made a cable backed bow, but they obviously don't have the sinew extend to the edge and still function just fine.  An exception ( again based on reading rather than actual experience) would be a horn bellied bow where over lapping the edges with the sinew was routinely done and probably helps hold the bow together.
Ron

[Justin Snyder]

Did you put a layer of glue on the bow first and let it dry before beginning?  The only problem I have had with sinew was caused by not soaking the sinew long enough first.  It will lay flat until it starts to dry.  By this point the hide glue has gelled and the sinew is there perminant anyway.  Justin

[a finnish native]

it happened to me as well in this one http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,1946.0.html tured out just fine as it was. No harm appeared.