Hickory Backed Red Oak

[Strongbow]

Just finished up bow #6.  Overall I am pretty happy with it.  Tiller is ok, but the handle area is too stiff for too long, probably a result of not getting it braced soon enough in the tillering process.  It is 69" ntn, 42# at 26", slightly flipped tips (flipped with steam prior to gluing backing), 1" string follow after shooting but it seems to reset back to about dead even (probably because I glued 2" of reflex when I glued on the 1/8" hickory backing).  The stain is my favorite part, I made my own stain with white vinegar and steel wool and finished with spar urethane.  I only used one coat of the stain and you can see how the different woods took the color differently (maple in handle, and black walnut tip overlays).  Feel free to over any tips or advice, I have one more hickory/oak bow I am starting while I wait for my maple staves to finish seasoning.  Thanks for all the advice you guys give.  Each bow has been getting better from everything I have learned on here.

[half eye]

Very sexy looking bow there, like everything about it. Ya might be going a little hard on yourself (like we all do) cause I dont see anything wrong with your bow. I'm curious as to the brace height though.....what do you have that set at?

Strongbow, ya done good
rich

[ken75]

sweet little bow , i like the way the oak took your stain

[soy]

Looks great, steel wool and w.vinegar you say? Ill have to look into that, it sounds cool.good job

[medicinewheel]

Nice side profile!

[MWirwicki]

Nice full draw profile.  For safety sake, don't forget always to have an arrow on the string when you are full drawing the bow.  You wouldn't want to unintentionally draw it back farther than your 26".

[PEARL DRUMS]

Very nice drawn profile. I have built a few HBRO bows over the years and love that combo of boards. Explain your steel wool and vinegar stain you made if you would please.

[Stefan]

Very nive bow!

I like how the vinegar stain worked out for you. I used it once on a testpiece of labarnum, it didnt turn as dark as your red oak, the wood was to low in tannine (dont know if that is spelled correctly). I have read that oak stains really good with steelwool and vinegar,.. now I have seen it!

On your next one I would make the glued up handle follow the profile of your bow, Don't know if it has mechanical advantages but I find it prettier...

Greetings from the netherlands,

Stefan

[colt]

what a sweet looking full draw profile!

[Arrowind]

I like it.  Very nice bow.  Good work!

[okiecountryboy]

Job well done!
The stain?...Is that the same process as a hand full of nails and vinegar? How long do you let ti sit before using?
Wonder if pine pitch and lard would go over that? I know too many questions......

Ron

[Strongbow]

Thanks for the the feedback everyone!

Half Eye-The brace height is 5" from the belly side of the handle to the string, so it is braced a little low.  I was not planning on changing the brace height unless you think there might be some advantages.  I used flemish loops on both ends instead of a hitch, so when I got the string length close I didn't bother changing it.  I guess I could twist it up a little more to shorten it some.

Stephan-do you have an example of the handle following the profile of the bow you could link to?  I'm not sure I'm picturing what you mean

Pearl-I placed steel wool in a glass jar and poured in enough white vinegar to cover the steel wool.  After soaking for 3-4 days the vinegar looked the same so I thought it wasn't working.  I tested it and it didn't seem to do anything so I pulled the steel wool and put in a handful of steel nails.  The next day I checked my test piece and it was a blue/gray color.  Apparently the mixture wasn't strong enough to change the color very quickly.  I let the nails soak for another 3-4 days.  The vinegar was still basically clear when I pulled the nails out.  As soon as I pulled the nails out the mixture started turning a cloudy rust/brown color.  I strained the mixture several times, and tested it.  It turned red oak a dark blue/ebony color within minutes.  I used a bristle brush to spread it on the bow, and it only took 2 brush fulls to coat the entire bow.  I reached the color you saw with just a single coat.  I'm sure if it had come out lighter I could have done multiple coats.  From what I have read the mixture is reacting with the high tannin content of oak as Stefan mentioned.  I have read you can add tannins to other woods to get similar effects but I don't know how that is done.  Give it a try, I think it is a very attractive "primitive" stain.

[Orkraider]

Strongbow, that is an awesome bow, I like everything about it, the tiller is perfect on it.  Nice work on the details, too.

I use pretty much the same stain on a lot of my bows.  A couple things I found out seemed to help.

Before I put the steel wool in the water, I rinse it in a lot of hot soapy water.  Sometimes there's a little something on the wool that prevents it from reacting with the vinegar.  What you're creating by doing this is iron acetate.

If you want an even darker, richer black, brew some extra strong black tea, and let it steep for 24 hours. Paint that on to your wood, let it dry, and then apply your iron acetate.

The color does indeed react with the tannin in the wood, and red oak, which I love, has quite a bit.  Painting on tea puts more tannin in the wood for the iron acetate to react with.

Here's a pic of the 3rd bow I made, a red oak pyramid bow.  This bow sucked, but the stain came out nice.  It's coated with some clear poly.  Ignore the icky spot where I took off the handle wraps and never replaced them:

[profsaffel]

Very "pretty" with a rustic look. I like the white art on the belly too. Nice curves.