Silk Backing

[skarhand]

I searched for some threads on silk backing. They were too old to resurrect, and none of them answered my question:

I am attempting to back a 72" red oak board bow with what I harvested from an old 100% silk neck tie. What I am noticing is that (you can see it in the photo below) the silk for the tie is cut diagonally from the cloth. So as I lay the silk on my bow the direction of the cloth is at a 45° angle to the wood. Will that be a problem? There is no stretch to it when you pill it parallel to the fabric direction, but at a 45 it skews the fabric.

My gut is telling me that once the glue dries it will no longer be able to skew, so it won't matter, but I just wanted to check with people that have done it before me.

Thanks.

[Gordon]

I've used silk as backing many times and I don't think the orientation of the cloth makes much difference if any.

[Bryce]

+1

[DuBois]

I only used silk from a skirt so I had straight pieces full length of the limb. I don't think the gals at the second hand store believed me when I told them what I was buying it for 
Good luck.

[sleek]

I agree that it makes no difference which way the fibers are oriented,  because silk as a woven backing doesn't work. I very firmly believe this from bows I have built. If the bow survives, it would have anyway. Silk has no part in saving it as a woven fiber. I have built bows with questionable backs that held up for many shots before I decided to silk back them. I have also built bows that I thought were fine and backed them for looks only to have them break.

Aside from my opinion from exerience above, here is some science for you. The silk fiber is supposed to take the tension load of the back. Tension loads run the length of the bow. Therefore to do any good, so must the silk fibers. Otherwise they will not take any load off the back. It would be like gluing bamboo at a 45º the the back. No good, just adds weight. You need the silk fibers to rn the length of the bow.

Now notice I wrote silk does no good as a woven fiber. But it may work extreemly well as individual strands laid down like sinew. When I use jute or hemp backingsni unravvel the string into its indidual fibers and lay it down in hide glue. Now THAT works amazing...

[Joec123able]

I agree that it makes no difference which way the fibers are oriented,  because silk as a woven backing doesn't work. I very firmly believe this from bows I have built. If the bow survives, it would have anyway. Silk has no part in saving it as a woven fiber. I have built bows with questionable backs that held up for many shots before I decided to silk back them. I have also built bows that I thought were fine and backed them for looks only to have them break.

Aside from my opinion from exerience above, here is some science for you. The silk fiber is supposed to take the tension load of the back. Tension loads run the length of the bow. Therefore to do any good, so must the silk fibers. Otherwise they will not take any load off the back. It would be like gluing bamboo at a 45º the the back. No good, just adds weight. You need the silk fibers to rn the length of the bow.

Now notice I wrote silk does no good as a woven fiber. But it may work extreemly well as individual strands laid down like sinew. When I use jute or hemp backingsni unravvel the string into its indidual fibers and lay it down in hide glue. Now THAT works amazing...

I pretty much agree with this cloth backings IN My OPINION don't do much to prevent a bow from breaking that woulda broke either way I've used fiberglass tape ONCE three years ago when I was desperate to get any bow that shot and the fiberglass tape actually ripped on the back yet the bow still held togeather (stave bow ) I haven't backed a bow since then I like self bows more than backed bows