Obscure backing/tillering question: rawhide on first?

[Nicholas]

One popular tip, in "modern primitive" bowyery, seems to be to put a backing on BEFORE tillering, not after.  (Or at least, to put it on before final tiller.)  I have a question about making this work: can you do this with rawhide?


I ask because rawhide backings/coverings are supposed to overlap the bow's maximum width by about 1/2 inch.  The problem is, how far back does the rawhide go?  If it stops somewhere along the edge, that's fine, but if it goes all the way to, or even overlaps, the belly, could it interfere with tillering, if put on first?

And does it make a Perry Reflex impossible?  Would rawhide's lack of stretch make it impossible to bend the bow back into position?

[Pat B]

Perry reflex is done with wood or boo backings. They are rigid enough to hold the bow in reflex. Rawhide is not. You can add reflex with heat before adding the rawhide. The heat will adversely affect the glue and rawhide.
   When I add rawhide backing I usually just go to the edge of the back and sometimes just over the edges(rounded edges). The only reason to go completely around the belly as for a cover to protect sinew backing but it is not necessary at all IMO.
   It all depends on the bow you are building. If the grain on the back is violated or knots have been violated the rawhide should go on at floor tiller time, before normal tillering and stressing the bow. With some questionable bows, I have added rawhide after final tillering.

[George Tsoukalas]

I put on rawhide after long string tillering is complete. I stop at the  edge. As Pat says rawhide is not for the Perry reflex. Jawge

[Nicholas]

That's about what I expected to hear, but I had to ask.  After all, we all know what happens when you ass-u-me.

I'm only interested in rawhide as a protective measure, really: to stave off the proverbial last 10% of Broken, even if the bow is immaculate.  But I needed to know if I was passing up an opportunity to do more.  Thanks.

[Adam Keiper]

Rawhide won't pull a bow into reflex.  You need sinew or a wood/bamboo backing to do that.  Ideally, you put rawhide or sinew on shortly after a bow is partially tillered and at a full brace, and after all the heat gun work to add reflex and correct string tracking is done.  Wood and bamboo backings, on the other hand, are done first, before the bow is even laid out.

To prep the rawhide, trace the bow's outline onto your rawhide piece, then trim the rawhide slightly oversized for the bow.   When you glue it on wet, it should overlap the sides of the bow slightly.  It will shrink a little as it dries.  After the rawhide has dried, use a rasp to remove the excess rawhide and clean up the edges, working it from the back towards the belly so the rawhide won't be pulled up.  Follow that up with a finer file, then a cabinet scraper and 80 grit sandpaper.  The boundary should flow seamlessly.