Horn nock question for a newby

[Colindemo]

Hey all, i'm new to this forum and indeed new to bow-building itself. My first 50#-29" flatbow is finished and looks and shoots fine but is backed with fiberglass which isn't exactly historically correct.

That is why I now want to try my skills on an Ash log to make a selfbow with horn nocks. I want to try and make it a warbow as found on the wreckage of the Mary Rose. I want to try and aim for a pondage of about 8O# (a bit low for a warbow i know) and a total length of about 80" (a bit overbuilt i know). I have purchased some water buffalo horns for my knocks and while looking at them i noticed the nice curved shape of the point and wondered maybe if that curve can be used as a sort of recurve on both sides of the bow.

And here my question comes in: is this possible or is it ludicrous? I thought maybe it would make the bow faster with the recurve at the end and it would probably look kick-ass as well.

[Colindemo]

Like this, you can see that the string is attached on the horn about 2" above where the bow-wood is inserted.

[Pat B]

An 80" bow and 29" draw won't won't be benefited by adding recurves. The extra tip weight of the recurves(thicker than straight tips) will detract from the bows performance. To get the full potential from an 80" recurve you'd would have to pull it 38" or more. Also, horn weighs more than wood so you are adding more tip weight with horn recurves.
 If you are intent on building a war bow, go to our "War Bow" section. Those guys know the scoop on war bows and can set you on the right path for you to take.

[Del the cat]

Hmmm, make a warbow, or a recurve, or heat a little reflex in the tips of your warbow. Messing around trying to extend horn tips isn't a great idea unless you have a lot of experience.
On a conventional horn tip the wood of the bow extends into the horn upto and beyond where the nock is cut. If the horn was much longer and the nock cut in the end of that, I'm not sure if the joint would take the strain.
Cross section of a horn nock here:-
http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/charity-shoot-and-nock-section.html
Del
BTW. There is a 2 part horn nock instructional video on my Bowyers Diary (just google it)

[mikekeswick]

There's an acronym that goes something like k.i.s.s. 
Forget the horn nock/recurves idea!
As for ash longbows make the belly flat (edges rounded) back heavily trapped and then heat treat the life out of the belly. I've experimented quite a bit with ash and the back can safely be half the width of the belly - it benefits from it a LOT.

[Colindemo]

Heat treating is a new concept for me, isn't it used to add curves to a bow? Btw I don't have (funds for) a heat gun so I hope my girlfriends hairdryer will do 

[Pat B]

Hair dryer probably won't get hot enough. You can use your cook stove but be careful. You want to be able to heat the belly until it gets charred to a chocolate brown color.