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Author Topic: second broken bow in a row  (Read 4980 times)

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Offline DustinDees

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second broken bow in a row
« on: September 09, 2009, 07:04:24 pm »
the last bow i tried making i left the hickory board in the weather for a week and the back, no matter how much i took off it, kept cracking across the grain on the back, completely horizontal between the grain. was told by some nice folks here that hickory doesnt take well to getting wet and being left that way. mystery solved. made smoking chips out of it and got some new hickory and some ipe from the local ma & pop lumber store. i used acetone twice 5 min before glue up got a good joint with TB3 and everything went well, great looking glue line and all, got it tillered to brace height. about 15 min ago i had it on the pulley to 15" or so and one limb, right where it starts getting stiffer at the end of the fade, let loose. the sound was quite impressive, 4 of my neighbors came out to see what happened on my balcony  ;D. anyway, the glue let loose over about a 3/4" long area when it broke. the thing bothering me is the hickory back split clean in two. i have seen it splinter and run before but never just cut clean through. any thoughts, should i make the backing thicker? change my glue? is my hickory bad? the grain is arrow straight and is all sapwood. im not terribly upset, you learn from mistakes... kinda wish it was a cheaper mistake, but what can you do. thank you for any suggestions.







thank you,
Dustin D
« Last Edit: September 09, 2009, 07:16:41 pm by DustinDees »
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Offline Kegan

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Re: second broken bow in a row
« Reply #1 on: September 09, 2009, 07:33:20 pm »
I'd say you're getting bad hickory boards. I cut my own staves, and have seen that some hickory is better than others. I've also visited the local lumberyard, and seen the condition of their hickory... not exactly what I would call "bow wood" :-X!

Maybe get a piece of hickory or bamboo from a reputable place, or see if you can trade for a piece on here. All else fails- back the backing with rawhide, silk, linen, or cotton ;D!
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Offline recurve shooter

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Re: second broken bow in a row
« Reply #2 on: September 09, 2009, 07:39:50 pm »
i aint a bowyer by any stretch of the emagination, but maby your hickory was to dry? if such a thing even exists?

aw heck i dont know. wait for some one who knows what they'r talkin about.

bow looked really nice  before that little kink.   ;D
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Offline Eric Krewson

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Re: second broken bow in a row
« Reply #3 on: September 09, 2009, 07:40:45 pm »
5 minutes doesn't sound like enough time for acetone to cook off completely.
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Grunt

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Re: second broken bow in a row
« Reply #4 on: September 09, 2009, 07:46:19 pm »
A lot of stores call pecan hickory. Could be you were using pecan and that would explain the break. Get some Urac 185 for wood to wood. Learn from your failures, keep at it.
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Offline acker

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Re: second broken bow in a row
« Reply #5 on: September 09, 2009, 07:50:01 pm »
The belly looks like Bulletwood, in my opinion is the hickory just to week for that very hard and dense wood , on Ipe, bulletwood you should use Bamboo as backing material.

acker
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Offline DustinDees

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Re: second broken bow in a row
« Reply #6 on: September 09, 2009, 08:19:21 pm »
wow, thank you all for the speedy replies. i will wait to do anything with the remaining ipe until i can get some boo for backing and some urac. thank you all for the advice.

Dustin D
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“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” – Epicurus
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Offline woodstick

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Re: second broken bow in a row
« Reply #7 on: September 09, 2009, 09:13:06 pm »
it happens dont give up i use alot of rawhide not needed but it is extra support.
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Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: second broken bow in a row
« Reply #8 on: September 09, 2009, 09:57:11 pm »
Stay with it. Think about getting a nice straight grained red oak board from your friendly local lumberyard. Jawge
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Offline stallion27

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Re: second broken bow in a row
« Reply #9 on: September 09, 2009, 10:26:02 pm »
Acetone boils at around 56 degrees C (173 F), if there is any grease or solute in it, then the boiling point will increase. Try drying it with a heat gun before you glue to ensure that all the acetone and what ever else is dissolved in it has been evaporated (If that was the case for the failure of the bow). Either that or the wood you got was crap.

Eric
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Offline Pat B

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Re: second broken bow in a row
« Reply #10 on: September 09, 2009, 10:32:03 pm »
Looks to me like the hickory failed. It doesn't take long at all for fungi to get into any whitewood. And a week in the weather will kick it into gear. For hickory to break cleanly across the grain it had rot in it already.
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Offline mullet

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Re: second broken bow in a row
« Reply #11 on: September 09, 2009, 10:36:53 pm »
 Two broken bows?? not a big deal wait till you start knapping. :o
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Offline knightd

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Re: second broken bow in a row
« Reply #12 on: September 09, 2009, 10:50:02 pm »
I'm with Pat.. Looks like the glue did it's job.. The hickory was the culprit in the failure of this one..
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Offline El Destructo

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Re: second broken bow in a row
« Reply #13 on: September 09, 2009, 11:08:12 pm »
David ....you know your Ipe thats for sure....is Hickory the Optimal Backing for such a String Wood Core?? I would think that for Ipe....Bamboo would be the best Backing...if not the only for such a Strong Wood....and as for the Break ....I agree with You and Pat....the Titebond did a fine Job....Hickory gave up the Fight! And I have a whole corner in my Garage with Pecan and Pignut Hickory....that is all going to the Firewood Pile.....It all was left out in my open sided Storage Building...and all has a Musty Smell to it....so I ain't going to chance it at all....ain't worth the waste of time or chance of getting hurt....keep your Whitewoods dry thats for sure!!
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Offline DustinDees

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Re: second broken bow in a row
« Reply #14 on: September 09, 2009, 11:14:37 pm »
sofar i have made 12 working bows. the last few were pretty decent. its just that darned 13 thats having probs. unfortunately i bought a whole new hickory board since the last failure, and the new one is what i backed the ipe with  :-\. thought the grain was a little rough. i think im gonna go with boo on my next try or as suggested a hand picked backing piece from one of our advertisers. been knapping for about 7 months now, break every 4th or so point, weather it be dropping it on accident or taking an ear off. i think thats why im not too bummed with this bow failure. at least i got more "what not to do" out of this one.

thank you all again for the help and encouragement.
Dustin D
« Last Edit: September 10, 2009, 04:15:31 am by DustinDees »
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“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” – Epicurus
Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That's Relativit
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