Hackberry recurve build along, real time hopefully. ** DONE **

[okie64]

Nice detailed buildalong PD. I commend you guys that do these. I tried to do a buildalong over on tg one time and figured out pretty quick I didnt have the time or patience for it.

[blackhawk]

man thats gonna be sweet when its done ...looking great friend o mine

[broketooth]

i have to ask, how flat is the back of your bow. it seems that you have minimal limb twist after steaming and bending your tips.
ive tried this on osage and hickory. im still working with the osage to try to make it better. and the hickory is in the corner of shame. rv

[Marc St Louis]

Very nice PD.  It's been awhile since I've made a sinew backed recurve like that

[country]

Nice build along pearl.... nice to see the whole process that somebody else does...

[Prarie Bowyer]

SWEET! Awe man... more options to consider! 

That is it!  I'm starting my first recurve this week!  I'll reward myself after finishing a bit of Logistic Regression Analysis.  Must stay focused.... Work then play.

[PEARL DRUMS]

i have to ask, how flat is the back of your bow. it seems that you have minimal limb twist after steaming and bending your tips.
ive tried this on osage and hickory. im still working with the osage to try to make it better. and the hickory is in the corner of shame. rv

Rudy I believe the key to keeping them flat and straight is to have plenty of form beyond the curves. My forms are two feet long. That way I know at least one limb and recurve are lined right up. If your forms are just long enough to make the bends your limbs can waiver left and right causing poor alingment and twist. Also it helps to take it off my reflex/temper form dead straight an flat.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Very nice PD.  It's been awhile since I've made a sinew backed recurve like that

Thanks Marc. Your recently published PA article scared the snot out of me. I though to myself, "Great, now they have something correct to compare mine to........not good!".

[PEARL DRUMS]

Nice build along pearl.... nice to see the whole process that somebody else does...

Thanks Country. I used to be timid about discussing how I did things. Now I have no problem posting my way, like it or not!!!!!

[George Tsoukalas]

Looks great, PD. Jawge

[DQ]

Great build along, PEARL!  I'm learning as you go.  Great photos to explain everything too.  Thanks for doing this.  Gives me the confidence to try it...sometime.  Darryl

[Arrowind]

Thanks for doing this build along!  YOU are making me better.     Thanks so much for your willingness to share!

[PEARL DRUMS]

Day 6 - 2 1/2 hours   ** I actually did the sinew job yesterday and was tired and not in the photo editing and typing mood. **

I every tool I need to apply sinew in the first picture. I will explain the uses for each as I go. The first tool is my homemade shredder. I use only back sinew because Im a lazy sinewer. Its just some 3/4" long subflooring nails and some 1/4" slats of hickory backer cutoffs. Used the way I use it, it does beat up the surface under your sinew as you rake. I would suggest an old chunk of formica or something. Maybe even an old cutting board. I hold one end of the sinew and drag the shredder over it in various directions until its broken up well.

[PEARL DRUMS]

The next tool is my secret..............don't be blabbing to everyone about it. Its a de-shedder for dogs and cats and works VERY good at really fluffing the sinew up and making less cover more. Once I like where Im at with the de-shedder I switch to cheap plastic comb and run it through a few times to separate fibers some. When Im happy with one half I flip the sinew over and wrap the processed end around my finger to keep my poop in a group while I rip and comb the other half. I like my bundles to be uniform and very fluffy before I lay them down.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I have a small $10 crockpot I use to heat up my hide glue. It doesnt have a thermostat or even temp controls. Its basically on low/med all the time and keeps my glue around 120-150 depending on how much is in there. It seems about one cup of glue will do two layers on two average length limbs. I start by pouring a rough amount of glue in and add some water until it blended well. Then add water until it gets to be like syrup. Let it get warmed up good while stirring often enough. You will know better when it gets warm if you need to add water or more glue. Its not rocket science or highly precise, dont be scared to try it. The jar is my wifes (and mine ) empty bath salt jar. It works perfect for storing left over glue in the freezer. Its microwavable as well.