Prairie Bowyer: In Japan, the really high end yumis still are made with hide glue. The issue with hide glue is that it will gel and set, before you can get everything done with putting the bow together and setting the curves. So they use a steam hood , which keeps the glue fluid and moist until the bow is complete. Hide glue is also prone to high humidity, which is why they laquer the bows to seal them. I like to use G2 epoxy from Lee Valley ,which gives me more than an hour of open time. Usually it takes me 1 hour to glue and wrap and set curves before putting into the hot box. You could try the rubber band method , but I don't believe the wedges will be held tight enough to set the curves. I have not used it myself. With the rope, I set the tension when wrapping and then tighten the wedges to create a nice even pressure along the bow , and this will allow me to set the curves and hold the shape I want. Always check to make sure the bow is not twisted some way, as you cannot correct it much after the glue sets.
As for finishes, I use leather dyes to stain the bow and then several coats of polyurethane to protect the limbs. I've been doing this for 12 yrs. now and am still learning and trying different things, but the rope and wedges is still what I use for all my bows because it works well for me. So try some thing different and see how it works for you. That's what bowmaking is all about. Let us know how things go.
Steve T.
