This is always a thorny problem. I agree with most of what's been written.
I give a list of do's and don'ts to people who are not used to wooden bows (see below).
I am less and less inclined to sell to people I don't know.
One problem with giving stuff is that somehow some people seem to value it less.
What I tend to do is have an official price of £300, but sell at £200 or £150 to give me my money for tools and materials.
I make a great point of saying I will maintain or replace a bow if a genuine fault is bought to my attention.
Del
Care of Self wood bows. DH 2012
The biggest danger to a self wood bow is other people!
Don’t let others draw your bow, with or without an arrow in case some macho guy over draws it, shoots it upside down or looses without an arrow etc.
Even an unstrung bow is at risk of being flexed the wrong way by someone who doesn’t know any better.
Always string it yourself . Using a stringer or the push pull method is best.
Some wide tipped primitive styles are too wide for the string loop to slide up the limb. I string these by putting the lower tip on the (soft) ground with the string on the bottom nock, I stick out my left knee and pull up the upper tip with my right hand with my knee pressing against the handle and slipping the string on with my left. This is fine as the only forces are on the tips and the grip.
Once the bow is strung, check each nock to make sure the string is fitted snuggly; trust me I’ve had a string slip out of its nock. Flex it a few times to a short draw first to get you and the bow warmed up.
If you really must let someone else shoot it, then be sure they use arrows which are only as long as the permitted draw length.
My bows are usually tillered to 1” over the specified length to allow a little margin of error, but this can get exceeded if the wrong string is put on or over twisted. That’s why I shoot arrows of the right length. It would be easy to get carried away at a flight or clout shoot and use an extra few inches of draw. This could be fatal to a character bow, especially a primitive, longbows are a little more forgiving, but can take extra set and loose power if over drawn.
Keep an eye on you bow run your hands over it look at every knot and ripple, get to know how it looks and feels, watch out for any knocks and bumps. Small dents aren’t a problem (the back of a spoon heated in boiling water rubbed on the surface can draw out the dent), but any raised splinter or damage which cuts into the fibres of the wood may need repair. Get back to me if you notice any problems (E-mail me a picture). Similarly watch out for wear on the string.
My guarantee is my pride in my workmanship. It’s very unusual, but be aware any bow can break and while I will repair, replace or refund, I can’t be liable for any injury or damage (usually limited to a bump or scratch on the forehead worst case even with an exploding Warbow).
People ask, how long a bow will last. There is no good answer, 3 years is a reasonable minimum with regular moderate usage, but having said that one of my Yew bows that is over 40 years old and better now after some re-working than when it was new. I am always happy to help re-work, mend or refurbish my work to keep it in good shooting order.
Measure the bracing height and string length in case you need to make or buy another string. I fit a continuous loop string but a traditional string with a bowyer's knot at one end is fine as long as it doesn’t over brace the bow. (Note I don’t make replacement strings unless I have the bow to hand)
My bows are finished with Danish Oil and then wiped over with a Beeswax based polish (Lord Sheratons Furniture Balsam is stocked in Sainsburys and doubtless other shops).
The occasional wipe over is all it needs, but if it gets wet, wipe it dry and then wax it in a few hours when it’s really dried out.
Storage:- You want somewhere that doesn’t get too hot and dry or freezing and damp. My garage isn’t heated , but has some hot water pipes running through it, the doors are ill fitting so it’s nice and draughty, it has a bedroom above it and only 2 short outside walls. It is cool in summer and doesn’t get much below 10C in winter, perfect! Ideally a bow should be lying flat, but I have mine standing near vertical. What you don’t want is it slouched at steep angle with piles of junk resting on it.
