Author Topic: Old Bow from neighborhood kid.  (Read 2933 times)

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Offline DuBois

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Old Bow from neighborhood kid.
« on: December 29, 2013, 10:20:35 pm »
Over the summer a kid rode up on his bike and asked if I wanted to buy a bow. I was a little skeptical but he only wanted $20 for it.
68" and I guess about 40#. Haven't strung it up.
Just curious if anybody knows anything about it. I thought about dong something to fix it up and give it back to the kid if I ever see him ride by again. No name or writing and it has a thin white FG back and looks like it's missing overlays.
1 and 5/16" at the widest and it is 1/2" thick all the way to tips which are 1/2" wide.







Thanks folks,
Marco

Offline Pat B

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Re: Old Bow from neighborhood kid.
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2013, 10:52:44 pm »
Looks like an old backed lemonwood bow from the 1930s or 1940s. If you want to make it shootable you'll have to re-educate the wood how to bend. Start slow with a long string and gradually exercise it an inch at a time. Sometimes the glue on these old bows has gotten brittle and the handle may pop off as you bend the bow. You can replace it and the tip overlays with TB glue.
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline burchett.donald

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Re: Old Bow from neighborhood kid.
« Reply #2 on: December 30, 2013, 12:24:31 am »
 Looks like it's been taken care of... Hardly any string follow...Nice deal for 20 bucks.
Genesis 27:3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;

Offline wood_bandit 99

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Re: Old Bow from neighborhood kid.
« Reply #3 on: December 30, 2013, 01:09:25 am »
Looks to me like it may have been more of a personal bowyer than a mass production bowyer that made that. Looks good and just train the limbs to bend a previously mentioned. Before doing that you may want to sand it and glue in tips, just don't put a finish on it invade a lam pops off or the tiller is jacked. That way you can fix it.
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Offline chamookman

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Re: Old Bow from neighborhood kid.
« Reply #4 on: December 30, 2013, 05:35:14 am »
I agree with Pat - 30's - 40's Lemmonwood Bow. Every Hardware store in the Country carried them. I have about 20 of them - nice bits of Archery History. Bob
"May the Gods give Us the strength to draw the string to the cheek, the arrow to the barb and loose the flying shaft, so long as life may last." Saxon Pope - 1923.

Offline Fred Arnold

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Re: Old Bow from neighborhood kid.
« Reply #5 on: December 30, 2013, 07:42:13 am »
Looks a lot like some old Ben Pearson bows I've owned and refinished for the grand kids but they usually had some discernable lable on the upper limb. Pretty good old bows.
I found many years ago that it is much easier and more rewarding working with those that don't know anything than those that know it all.

Offline RyanY

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Re: Old Bow from neighborhood kid.
« Reply #6 on: December 30, 2013, 08:40:12 am »
Looks eerily similar to the bow I just replicated. I'm going with Pat on this one.

Offline paoliguy

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Re: Old Bow from neighborhood kid.
« Reply #7 on: December 30, 2013, 09:06:31 am »
Looks like an old Ben Pearson to me too. I've seen a few of them that were pretty similar to that one.

Offline Buckeye Guy

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Re: Old Bow from neighborhood kid.
« Reply #8 on: December 30, 2013, 10:25:46 am »
I think every kid in this country who's dad had $5 to spend on his boy for Christmas must have had one under the tree !
Still love them  even if our family was not rich enough to own one
This appears to be backed with Paper , so it took a little less set than some of the others
Guy Dasher
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Offline Thesquirrelslinger

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Re: Old Bow from neighborhood kid.
« Reply #9 on: December 30, 2013, 11:55:13 am »
I think every kid in this country who's dad had $5 to spend on his boy for Christmas must have had one under the tree !
Still love them  even if our family was not rich enough to own one
This appears to be backed with Paper , so it took a little less set than some of the others
Fiber backings were very common before fiberglass was invented.
Its more or less a very thick paper- much stronger than cardboard, etc.
It isn't a bad idea to leave it strung for at least 24 hours before you start pulling it- you are much less likely to break it.
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"

Offline Mohawk13

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Re: Old Bow from neighborhood kid.
« Reply #10 on: December 30, 2013, 12:51:52 pm »
Ben Pearson for sure. Their early bows were not marked on the bow, just the box they came in. Nice bow!!
He That Raises the sword against us, Shall be cleaved upon seven fold-Talmud.

Offline Pat B

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Re: Old Bow from neighborhood kid.
« Reply #11 on: December 30, 2013, 02:27:56 pm »
I would not brace that bow until you exercised it a bit first. Stringing a bow can be very stressful to the bow and an uneducated bow may not be able to take that stress.
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline DuBois

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Re: Old Bow from neighborhood kid.
« Reply #12 on: December 30, 2013, 03:06:50 pm »
Thanks guys, I will get to it someday.
Looks eerily similar to the bow I just replicated. I'm going with Pat on this one.
I had it in the garage and saw ryoon's post on his replication and it made me think about looking at this a bit closer.

I think every kid in this country who's dad had $5 to spend on his boy for Christmas must have had one under the tree !
Still love them  even if our family was not rich enough to own one
This appears to be backed with Paper , so it took a little less set than some of the others
Yes, it is paper now that I look closer at the tip area. I like paper better than FG anyway  ;D

I would not brace that bow until you exercised it a bit first. Stringing a bow can be very stressful to the bow and an uneducated bow may not be able to take that stress.

I'll take it easy and slow. I did bend it as if floor tillering to a few inches already just to get an idea of how it felt but I won't go any further than that.
I will fix it up and post some pics of the refurbished bow in the spring. Thanks, Marco