On the bows I have sinewed, I've degreased with lye, then roughed up the back with a hacksaw blade, and then sized it several times. Never had a problem with it lifting. And yes, Knox is PLENTY strong enough and then some. And yes, I've used all kinds of hide glue from store-bought to homemade, and knox is right there with any of it. I had a sinewed bow that I used Knox on broke at an invisible rotten spot inside the limb. You could not pull the sinew from the wood, it was pulling out chunks and strings of osage, the wood literally pulled apart before the glue let go. It could be a temperature/consistancy thing with the glue, too. As for putting on several layers of sinew at once, I've had a lot better luck doing that than putting on a layer at a time. It tends to form into one homogenous layer better that way.
