FF strings on wood bows?

[PEARL DRUMS]

Im buying D97 to try. The price seems to be close anywhere you find it.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I finally pulled the trigger and bought some D-10......................WHY didint I do this years ago? The bow noise is all but gone, its all of 5-8 fps faster and I cant feel the bow in my hand at all. I padded each loop with one strand of b-55. The string itself is a 12 strand. The difference is amazing. As far as it being bad on the limbs because of the no-stretch, I think its better. Allot more, if not all energy is transferred to the arrow and NOT the bow. I cant wait to get home tonite and make another one for a different bow and see what she does.

[Marc St Louis]

While we have people talking about bow string... I'm looking to buy my first spool of bow string. What specific FF product do you recommend for 50-60# selfbows and where is a place that sells it for a good price. What is a good price?

Thanks
Weylin

I have used FF, D75 and FF plus.  All work equally well.  Sometimes you can find it at quite a good price on e-bay.  I bought some FF plus there for $24/1/4#, can't beat that price

[crooketarrow]

  Back in the early 90's I bought 32 FF strings at a flea market for $50.00. I used them untill 97 or 98. I'm not into the speed thing but but them on every bow I could. I found out that they will increase speed uselly 8 to 12 fps and inprove cast depending on the bow. I know people do all kinds of things to beff up there tips I never did and never had any problems. I don't make it a point unless some one wants one. But have used them on a few bows sence them. I see no reason not to use them if you want to.

[Elktracker]

While we have people talking about bow string... I'm looking to buy my first spool of bow string. What specific FF product do you recommend for 50-60# selfbows and where is a place that sells it for a good price. What is a good price?

Thanks
Weylin

PM sent

[dragonman]

I always read that non-stretch strings send more vibration into the bow and could stress glue joints etc.and damage the wood..... Does it appear that this is another myth??  how can I be sure before I try it on one of my precious bows?? I do like the idea of more speed.  I can not see why it would wear out a horn or antler tip overlays though?

[PEARL DRUMS]

They create less vibration because they deliver the energy your bow creates to the arrow rather than a stretchy string oscillating round and round. I took the silencers off my bow last night because they arent needed anymore.

[R H Clark]

I always read that non-stretch strings send more vibration into the bow and could stress glue joints etc.and damage the wood..... Does it appear that this is another myth??  how can I be sure before I try it on one of my precious bows?? I do like the idea of more speed.  I can not see why it would wear out a horn or antler tip overlays though?

If it were more vibration you could feel it. Handshock is just the left over energy in the form of vibration that you can feel in the bow.That's why heavy arrows help handshock.They help the bow use up more energy.Most people feel less handshock with lower stretch strings like D97.

IMHO most problems are caused by low strand count in the loops and poorly designed tips.When you have a square tip with sharp corners and small hard string all the energy is concentrated on thoes corners and can cause failure. Pad the tips with B-50 to 16 strands and add an overlay so the string sits in a rounded grove to eliminate thoes problems. The nock groves should also be cut to the natural angle the string wants to sit at brace. That way the string isn't fighting against the tips every shot.

 

[adb]

Anybody use any of the FF type of string materials on their self bows? I was thinking about trying some D-97 rather than B-50.

Yes. Nothing but, on bows over 50#.

[snag]

I was told by a glass recurve bowyer that he likes "Astro" FF string better than D97.  He switched to this string for all the bows he builds for people unless they request another type.
I wonder if FF will over time split an older glass bow, like a Bear, then why it wouldn't do the same thing for to an all wood selfbow? I mean you have end grain that the string is pulling against. With the more force that a FF string puts on that contact point it would seem at some point in time it would split? Just typing out loud....But it sounds like others have had no problems. Just makes me a little nervous.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Davis FF strings are made out to be evil scary monsters. Thats jsut not true when used correctly. IMHO dacron is worse for a bow because of left over energy getting slammed back into the bow rather than the arrow.

[Lee Slikkers]

Well, NOW you all start confessing the truth after I just got my package of 5 spools of B-50 from 3 Riv's.... 

[Kegan]

I was told by a glass recurve bowyer that he likes "Astro" FF string better than D97.  He switched to this string for all the bows he builds for people unless they request another type.
I wonder if FF will over time split an older glass bow, like a Bear, then why it wouldn't do the same thing for to an all wood selfbow? I mean you have end grain that the string is pulling against. With the more force that a FF string puts on that contact point it would seem at some point in time it would split? Just typing out loud....But it sounds like others have had no problems. Just makes me a little nervous.

On my high-performance hybrid bows (FG composites) I have to make sure there are no sharp edges exposed, and that I use a good pheonolic tip overlay. Not huge, like you see everywhere else, but a solid 1/8". Fiberglass will cut the string as the wood in the limbs gets "smushed". Older Bear bows and what not are not built to be so durable, as B50 was the stirng of choice and they didn't have to worry. On selfbows, even my really heavy ones (over 80#) this smushing was the extent of the damage so long as A) the pin nock was not so narrow it would get sheared off (at least 1/4" wide) and B) the loops were padded so that it was not a tiny-diameter cable. I don't take this step with my hybrids but I don't like using overlays on selfbows and so just beef the loop diameter up. After lots of lots of arrows- no issues. I suspect most reports of damage resulted from folks just not taking all the precautions, and just using it like B50. Naturally, there's no such thing as a free lunch

[George Tsoukalas]

Don't feel badly, Lee. I don't use FF or any other incarnation of it either. Ole Jawge don't make them fancy bows like them others fellow do. Jawge

[Lee Slikkers]

Well, I'm sure this B50 will suit me fine for a while...finally learned how to tie a bow string this week  and I've been a busy fool.  Just tied up a nice "fresh" one, served with a nock point which the old string didn't have and had the "new-ish" bow out shooting tonight.  Shot the best I've shot with her yet.  She was a swap/trade for a Filson coat...it's a nice James Parker Boo back Boo, called the Dragon I think...#48 @ 28 and I like her a lot!

Was more fun shooting her than busting my attempt at a Pit Style bow this afternoon