sinew backing question

[Blacktail]

i have sinew backed a few bows...but i am wondering  after drying if any one fills in the back with glue and shavings (or some thing )to even our the back....if so what do you use...thanks john

[IndianGuy]

John after a few days I usually do the fill in with shorter pieces of sinew if there is any places to fill. As you do more sinew backed bows you will have less gaps in your sinew backing. I usually lay my sinew in like shingles kinda staggered.

[MWirwicki]

I'm with IndianGuy.  As you get better, you'll have no gaps.  Also, resist the temptation to fill your gaps with hide glue.  The finished bow will show cracks where the hide glue reacted to the tension.  Fill them in with appropriate length/width sinew bundles dipped and squeegied in hide glue prior to your next layer.

[Blacktail]

well,i have to say that is easy..o.k. well thanks...i just wanted to see how others do it....my gaps havent been that major but i wanted to see what could be done about it...john

[Pat B]

On the Asiatic horn bows that James Parker(Robustus) has been posting lately the sinew work looks like a glass back. It is like he placed each fiber of sinew down one at a time, perfectly straight and parallel with each other. Me, on the other hand usually take 3 courses of sinew, the last two filling in around the first. For best performance you want the fibers to be parallel with each other and not crossing over but I haven't been able to achieve that in the few bows I've sinewed.

[loefflerchuck]

Use a comb on the sinew when laying it down to make it strait.

[JW_Halverson]

Chuck?  do you comb it as you lay it on the limb or do you lay the bundle of glue wetted sinew down on a flat surface before sinewing, then pick it up and lay it on the bow?

[james parker]

blacktail,, here are a few pics of me sinewing an indo-persain horn bow,, the comb i use,i made from horn, the comb is used to staighten out stray strands and to blend in the over-lapping sinew joints,    hope this helps out.james

[Lee Slikkers]

Great tip on the Horn Sinew comb...I think I will be "whipping" one up tomorrow before my next sinew job.  Thanks for sharing that...

How long is that sinew you are laying down?  From the pic it looks 16"-20" long?  What critter/type is it from?

[Blacktail]

that is a great idea james..i havent seen any one comb the sinew..and i have to say that is some long sinew...thanks john

[sonny]

certainly hope that James will add to it but having talked to him a little about this subject
I'm sure that's backstrap sinew he's using and he has likely split it out by combing which leads
to much finer fibers than when using leg tendons.
like I said hopefully he'll expand on what I've said...

check out this video of a Korean horn bowyer combing and applying sinew-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t_31Bxn7vQ&feature=related 

[james parker]

sonny that is moose rear leg tendon im using on this bow, im laying it on the core wet, pressing it down,, i find the lesser the strands used in each bundle the less chance of fibers being out of alinment,, it does take much longer to do,, i think it took me around 30 - 40 min per limb to sinew this bow...  my glue was also much thinner than usual,  thinner glue and more bladder in the glue gave me much more work time, i only used the comb for blending the ends and the overlaps at the handle,, short teeth  work much better than long ones,,   ill post more pics later when the wife gets back,, im not good at resizing.......james

[JW_Halverson]

i only used the comb for blending the ends and the overlaps at the handle,, short teeth  work much better than long ones,

Good advice, James.  I thought back on my own efforts combing sinew bundles flat and realized the comb really just rides on the surface for the most part, when it goes deep, it can snarl and pull badly.  With this technique it is possible to make a sinew backing without a crack or gap.  It's almost pretty, compared to the nasty scar tissue looking first efforts of mine!

[Stiks-N-Strings]

I wondered how James done his, now we know

[blackhawk]

Screw the comb. God already invented and created a solution for us hack job sinew artists. Its called snakes