Oglala- yes both my horn bows already have all the sinew applied, 3 layers total, overlapping at the ends. Im told this should be enough for a 40-50# bow, and by adding more layers we risk having a super heavy draw weight. Tom prefers to do all layers at once so that they adhere appropriately and the glue from one layer absorbs right down into the next. This means we have to work fast, and the sinew job isn't as pretty as some iv'e seen where people do multiple layers one at a time, or slowly apply each strand. I guess we will see how it turns out when its dried.
Since i choose to use Toms help from the beginning, i wanted to complete these bows using as much of his advice as possible. I know that it can be frustrating to a mentor whenever an apprentice wants to do something his own way that he has no experience with, like these horn bows. One of the issues he had was that my sinew was not prepared as neatly as his, so the completed sinew job was a little less nice(he was fighting tangles with mine) than on the bow he was making for a customer(the third bow in some of the pics). However, in my own defense, I never realized that there was a better, neater way to process sinew into more organized strands like his. Now i do. So if the sinew back doesn't turn out as good as it could have we know why. He did the best he could using his method and my poorly organized sinew bundles. He does however leave each bundle where its obvious he layered them, says that's normal on his bows.
There is another question i have regarding sanding down the sinew. Tom never sands his, but as previously mentioned his final layers usually look a bit nicer than mine. I personally have sanded sinew on my wood bows down so that it looks nicer and applies more even stress on each limb. I know that sanding through sinew probably somewhat reduces its benefits, but what i'm referring to are the outer layers...or somewhere where its vastly uneven and thick. Also, i will not hesitate to add a strip of sinew in where there is a void after the fact. But i mainly use TB3, and am still a novice to hide glue. Ill be interested in looking at how others apply their sinew on horn bows.
I pick up both bows from Toms place tomorrow as i depart for Montana. I will post pics on how they look as the sinew dries and flattens down to the bow more.
