Bow String Material

[bubby]

pearlie talked me into trying d-90 and I'm pretty well sold on the stuff, strings are important, don't skrimp on them

[PrimitiveTim]

I use agave.  Only had one break and it was totally my fault.  A well made agave string will last a while.  I reenforce it at the knocks and where the arrow touches the string.  This may decrease performance but the longevity you gain greatly outweighs the performance lost, which I haven't noticed hardly any performance loss.  I usually make the strings while I watch a movie in the evening and by the time a two hour movies is done I have about 18 feet of string which I double wrap over itself to get the majority of my final string.  I'm not going to say that it's the safest string or that anyone else should do it but that's what I do and it works well for me.

[Thesquirrelslinger]

I take the longer fibers from jute and wash them, then carefully twist into cord. could i use that to make bowstrings?

[JackCrafty]

Lately, I've been using the thin hemp cord from wally world (not the thick stuff).  You can find it in the craft section with the jewelry making stuff.  It says 20lb test and that's pretty accurate.  I've done my own tests and I found that the average is about 18lb breaking strength.

Another option from the dept. stores is to use multiple strands of thread.  The typical quilting thread (63% cotton & 37% polyester) tests at about 1.8lb per strand.  This is about the mid range for thread.  Note than many threads will stretch quite a bit, like anything nylon, so read the spool.  You don't want a lot of stretch.

Hemp doesn't stretch much and is a good, cheap alternative to flax or linen.  Some purists may think anything from the dept. stores is trash (most of it is, I agree) but if you test the material beforehand you can get good results.

[JackCrafty]

Forgot to add:  the formula I use for string strength comes from TBB:

Use a scale to find the draw weight of your bow at 15" and then multiply this by 10.  This is the total strength needed for your bowstring.

[Sasquatch]

Lately, I've been using the thin hemp cord from wally world (not the thick stuff).  You can find it in the craft section with the jewelry making stuff.  It says 20lb test and that's pretty accurate.  I've done my own tests and I found that the average is about 18lb breaking strength.

How many strands of that stuff do you use for a 50 lb bow?  How much does it cost? is the finished string it pretty thick?

[JackCrafty]

I use 10 strands for 50# bows.  At 10 strands, the string is slightly wider than 1/8" without serving.  That means you'll need to cut your own nocks.  It costs about $6 per roll @ two strings from each roll.  Maybe three strings but I don't keep track.

Note:  You'll often find that this hemp cord is not continuous and there will be a knot in it.  That's why I only get a few strings from each roll.  I make "continuous loop" strings.

[lostarrow]

I bought some of that stuff myself,Patrick. I have been using it for handle wraps. I've noticed it does seem pretty high  quality and have been thinking of using it for the lighter weight bows.(just for the thickness issue with heavier weight bows) Good to know. Thanks. 

[JackCrafty]

Yeah, I use it for all the kids' bows now.   

[mikekeswick]

Fastflight isn't much more expensive than dacron when you realise it'[s sold by weight and is half the weight for the same length...and the real killer it's more than twice as strong so you only need half as many strands.
Fastflight, d70, d90 etc are all made from dyneema. The only real difference is marketing!

[dbb]

I buy my fastflight D- whatever dyneema from shops that cater mostly clubs and competition archers.
There are so many new materials and all want the latest "miracle string material" so previous stuff is often on sale.
Just takes a few min of browsing the webshops to find good value stringmaterial.

[adb]

I use fastflight. Dont cut corners in the string department.

+1. A FF string is pretty cheap in the whole scheme of things. $12 on eBay.