raw hide backing for maple bow

[Wolfgang]

Hi everybody,

here in Germany we have a lot of good and useful wood for building traditional bows, although we don't have easily access to Osage or Hickory. However, it is not so easy getting sinew from deer or rattle snake skin for backing of bows! Well, one get get sinew or rawhide at high prices via internet. Hence, my latest idea was to get hold of things from a neighbour hunter. I could get skin from a row deer (Capreolus capreolus (10-20 kg of weight). A

re they useful for backing? What do I have to do, to prepare raw hide from it for the backing of a 68'' maple bow?

Cheers  ,

Wolfgang

[PatM]

Why not get the legs too?
 There are many tips on how to make rawhide if you do a search. It's rather easy to do, particularly with a well skinned smaller hide with minimal fat on it.
 Deer of any sort is an ideal source of rawhide.

[beaverbow]

Hey Wolfgang!
What do you think about my sinew offer? This article cannot be beaten ;-)
http://www.simeoni.de/shop/bogen-bogenbau/

There are many Boettger`s in germany, you can get rawhide for free  i use goat and sometimes deerhide.
Scrape off the remains on the meatside, then stretch the hide and shave the other side. Ready to use!

Gruß aus Oberfranken!
Beaverbow

[danny f]

if you have any large pet stores near by see if they sell the large rawhide dog chews that are knotted on each end, you just have to soak them in the bath and undo them there will be a couple of large pieces and lots of small bits i got one for £10 and have enough to back a few bows with it.

[GlisGlis]

the large rawhide dog chews that are knotted on each end

are they long enough to make one limb or you have to join?

[danny f]

they would have to be joined at the handle unless it was a pretty short bow.

[Wolfgang]

Thanks a lot for your advices!

After having built a few sinew-backed recurves, I am still pretty ignorant about this new piece of bow to be backed with rawhide! I meanwhile only found out that rawhide is usually glued onto the bow with Titebond II or III rather than hide glue. Why?? Does the soaked hide not shrink like sinew, when it dries down again?

Well, the bow - or let's better say the non-tillered stave in its momentary state, has 69''. This will mean two pieces of rawhide according to the material I can get hold of. Attached or overlapping at the handle for stability?

Is it correct, to leave the tips free, e. g. for a horn tip or so?

How tight do I have to press the rawhide on? I am planning to use a stable elastic medical bandage, which might be easier to generate equally distributed pressure on the whole thing.

 , Wolfgang

[bubby]

hide glue will work just fine with rawhide, tb is just ready and works as well

[GlisGlis]

is it useful/necessary to reverse string the bow while rawhide backing?

[JW_Halverson]

Reverse stringing will not accomplish anything when backing with rawhide.  The rawhide does not shrink tight as does sinew backings will. 

I am one that advocates using Titebond II or III for rawhide backings because it sets up a little faster than hide glue.  But that is personal preference, feel free to use hide glue.  After all, it is much more natural in more in the spirit of Primitive Archery

[beaverbow]

How tight do I have to press the rawhide on? I am planning to use a stable elastic medical bandage, which might be easier to generate equally distributed pressure on the whole thing.

i use old bicycle inner tube, because don`t sticks!

[Wolfgang]

Hi folks,

thanks you so much for all your advices!

  , Wolfgang