Strangs.....................

[nugget]

Want to make my own strings. Where can I find pure cotton string? In a workable diameter? Or how thin of a piece of rawhide do I need to start with?

[Hillbilly]

Don't know how cotton would work. B-50 dacron or linen cord/thread work good in the store-bought department. If you wanna make prmitive strings, sinew, gut, or rawhide are probably the best bet. With rawhide, cut a piece in a spiral to get a long thong about 1/8"-1/4" or so wide. Try to cut it as uniform in width as you can. You can test it with a scale to find its breaking strength and figure out how many strands you need. Wet it, twist it up tight, and hang a heavy weight from it until it dries.

[nugget]

How does the scale work??

[Hillbilly]

Tie a sample of the strand to the scale, and pull until it breaks. Note what poundage it breaks at. Or tie a bucket to it and add weight until it breaks, then weigh the bucket. Try to tie/wrap it so that you're measuring the strand, not the knot. Then figure how many strands you need to make a string for your bow.The breaking strength of a safe bowstring should be about 4X the draw weight of the bow.

[nugget]

So a produce scale or a fish scale. Or mabe a Bow scale. I got it now. Thanks