Old Wormy Osage Follow Along Finished!

[burchett.donald]

 Looking great...Good work on that knot area...Very interesting follow along and thanks for posting.

[SLIMBOB]

Thanks Donald and Greg. Me too by the way. I enjoy seeing how others tackle different issues. I don't think I will uncover any new ground here, pretty basic stuff, but I hope it's both interesting and a bit informative.

[Josh B]

There was a lot gold left in that ol girl!  I do love old Osage!  Josh

[SLIMBOB]

Quick update.  Got some time in on it today and got it bending at floor tiller.  I first took and rounded the edges on the back and cleaned up all the nicks and scrapes on the back where a splinter could lift.  I use the cotton ball rubbed along the back that I picked up from PatB.  I'll get a string on it tomorrow if I get some time on it after church.  This stave is one weird bird and it threw me a curve ball today.  The back is fine, but the belly and sides are a mess.  As this thing layed out in the weather for all that time, moisture penetrated the stave along the sides, in some places it got in pretty deep.  I have areas the look like wind checks (wind shakes) coming in from the side.  I was able to get past all but one and it's a doosey.  On the picture of the knot from the belly side, just below the knot in the pic (so just above the knot, tipward as you hold the bow) this check went deep and the wood was split along it.  To get past it I had to go very thin on the edge of the limb and crown the belly there to compensate.  A bit of a crown there is probably a good thing as the back is dished in, but I cant be sure I'm completely past the crack.  If there is a lesson here, and there is, it is that I could have avoided this altogether if I had not split the stave into and took the bow from the center.  But....If it breaks, it wont be the first time, and if it holds I got a twofer.  I'll take those odds.  We'll see tomorrow.

[osage outlaw]

Its looking great!  I love the grain lines on the back.

[simson]

yeah, looks great so far - I'm watching with interest.

[SLIMBOB]

Well, I got it bending at floor tiller.  I filed in my temporary side nocks, and decided to do some heat correction, get it shaped up and ready to string it.  Fixed the prop twist as well.  I've got a problem that wont go away....I mentioned that moisture got in on the side of the stave and created some problems in some areas.  Take a look at the one in the pic.  I scraped and sanded it away, or at least I thought I did, but in heating it, it opened up again.  It's 1.5 inches wide, so I can...
 1. Narrow it and see if I can get past it. 
 2. Trap the back and see if I get past it.
 3. Super Glue and clamp it closed.
 4. Super Glue, clamp it and a sinew wrap it.
 5. Something I haven't considered. 

This reappeared on Sunday, and I've had a few days to ponder it, and honestly just not sure what my best move is with it.  It does not feel rotten there in any way, but it is right along the early wood.  Any thoughts appreciated. 

[PEARL DRUMS]

Slim super glue would do fine I believe.

[soy]

Ol' pearly boy is far more experienced than myself....but I have not had good luck with that kind of crack

[Eric Krewson]

Side cracks are very bad news, every bow I tried to make with them failed.

[JonW]

Looking good Slim. I'm in the boat with Chris. Soak that crack with super glue till it won't hold anymore. I would also put some on that swirling knot on the back of the bow just in case.


The first pic after you cleaned up the wrinkle is what I'm talking about.

[SLIMBOB]

  It's not deep.  I took my knife and tried to scrape out any loose material.  It's solid inside.  Pearl Drums responded to my mayday before I finished sending it.  I have taken his advise and filled with CA glue and not clamped it.  I'll let it dry and then refill one last time.  Soy and Eric may ultimately be right, but I'm thinking it will hold.  Their are multiple areas that showed these cracks early on and now I'm down to only a few with the one in the pic being the absolute worse.  Pearl thinks it will hold and I do too.  I've been told the Over/Under is 25 inches. I'm taking the over. Good idea JonW.

[Badly Bent]

If it were mine I'd super glue it and hope for the best, you've come this far with it so you might as well see what happens. Of course I'll keep working a bow even after I discover a flaw that I'm near certain will cause failure, don't know why I'm like that, slow learner I guess.

[SLIMBOB]

Yeah, but when you can get one drawn that everyone else said give it up, certain something in that.  Like you Greg, I'll stay with one that's this far along until she blows, and call me crazy (most of my friends do), but I think it'll hold.  If it doesn't I'll spew a little slang for a bit, and then start on the other sister.  I haven't had one break in a while, so I'm due, but this twisted sister's gonna hold together.

[Eric Krewson]

Side cracks show a weakness in the grain structure, even if you work out of them the weak grain is still there and may come back to haunt you.

I had one side rack in the handle of this bow, worked my way out of it and thought all was good until my sinew dried. First time I saw an osage bow "delaminate".